Being in an airship was… new. An experience to say the least especially for someone who had never actually ridden in a vehicle before. The closest thing to any form of transportation that Ruby had used was an Ursa and that was when she had made the trip from the land of darkness all the way to Vale. That had been quite a trip, so much water and dodging around villages just to maintain her secrecy until she arrived had been such a pain.
Speaking of pain, her shoulder and arm still hurt from that last 'vaccination' Arthur had given her. Ruby was pretty sure it hadn't actually been a vaccine but she also wasn't a doctor or scientist, still a small part of her inside continued to remain suspicious. Rubbing her shoulder a bit she returned her attention to the many feats of engineering that surrounded her.
The constant rumble of massive engines consuming who knew how much dust reverberated throughout her bones, making Ruby a little shaky but she could still move. Internal mechanized wonders hummed softly behind the steel plating, just begging for the wolf girl to figure out exactly how they worked. Perhaps another time she could ask Cinder to allow her to tear apart her shuttle and take a closer look, the two different vehicles probably worked in similar manners right?
There was an element of fear and excitement that had nestled its way into Ruby as she gazed out a window at the city. The streets looked so clean from up here, different from when she walked along them. Ruby was beginning to slowly understand the formatting of the streets as she looked down from above, the grid-like manner in which houses and buildings were constructed. The concept of the rich living in the center and the poor near the edges however did not make much sense.
A sudden thought popped in her head, had people seen her sleeping on rooftops?! Embarrassment flooded Ruby's face turning it a fiery bright red as she desperately tried to cover it by hiding beneath her hood, although it quickly faded when something shiny caught her eye.
The entire ship seemed to gleam, drawing her attention here and there and almost everywhere. Dusting herself off after having just checked under one of the many fascinating reclining chairs, Ruby made her way over the center of the ship, passing by a number of colorful individuals. Most of them were either talking about other "schools" where they had attended before Beacon while others attempted to do a strange verbal mating ritual to gain the attention of females or males. Ruby personally didn't understand it so she moved on from that and towards the glass encased box projecting colors.
The casing appeared to be non-existent, a translucent material that if looked closely enough at was made of individual pixels. Ruby had to practically press her face against the glass to properly see anything, it hurt her eyes but this was for fulfilling her goals of figuring it out.
She honestly probably looked like a weirdo with the way she was acting in this ship, everyone else seemed so calm and were talking with people they already knew while here Ruby was being amazed and embarrassed by everything, Like the talking screen that was displaying something called "news".
The woman talking on this news machine was a little… fake looking. Two dimensional, like a drawing meant to be placed in a 3D world. Cinder had once told her of things like this screen thing, they told stories sometimes real and sometimes fake. Whatever it actually was, Ruby wanted to know exactly how it worked, but she was pretty sure that if she started taking apart the interior of the airship that she would get in trouble. With that in mind Ruby returned herself to the window, oblivious to an amused approaching golden haired woman.
"Hey there! Whatcha looking at!" Ruby's ears shot straight up from their previously droopy state and swiveled in the direction of the greeting. Silver eyes met violet ones, staring in silence for a moment as the owner of said violet eyes stopped next to her. The golden haired woman stood there with an aura of confidence, with a tinge of relaxation. A jacket covered a flimsy yellow shirt that exposed way too much skin for the wolf girl's taste, she preferred her reinforced leather and steel plating to that.
Hold on… Was Ruby wearing too much!? All the people she had seen up until now had been dressed similarly, if not just a little more coverage than this person. Here Ruby was wearing steel and leather armor over a combat dress adorned with who knew how many weapons and secret pockets.
"Well… the city, I've never seen it from above… well I've never really seen anywhere from above actually" She answered, turning fully to face this new individual who had decided to greet her. "This is my first time in an airship before so there's a lot to see, like that thing over there with the moving pictures!"
"Yah Vale can be fairly cool looking from abo- wait you've never seen a TV before?" The golden-haired woman looked at Ruby like she was the strange one. Almost hesitantly she continued to speak. "Like seriously? You haven't even heard of one before?"
"My sister has told me about these things before but personally no I haven't. Besides, who would want to watch that when there are so many more important things to do like training or working on weapons!"
"Huh, well ok then! By the way my name is Yang Xiao Long. Nice to meet you" Yang extended a hand out to Ruby, who proceeded to grab said hand and inspect the strange wrist object that seemed to have some sort of mechanical purpose. "Uh, is everything ok?"
"Hmmm? Oh yeah everythings fine, I'm Ruby… How does this work? Is it some sort of cuff or a wrist blade maybe?" pulling her hand back and activating the gauntlet the woman displayed it for Ruby to see it again. several bright red shells made themselves visible as the device extended both up her arm and down it until finally resting in its final shape with a soft click.
"It's a shotgun gauntlet! Great for close combat which is right up my alley" Ruby grabbed at Yang's arm again, pulling it closer as she inspected the craftsmanship. The shells were inserted in the back and could be rotated without the mechanism needing to fire. The soft scent of incendiary dust was present and a logical choice however the kickback was probably devastating meaning this Yang fellow must have shoulders of steel. The welding required for the main plating appeared to be TIG due to the fine detail and strength required for the deceivingly small device. "Whoa there! Careful!"
"I see that the rotational device is free moving as long as you press and hold this mechanism right here. The shell extends outward to cover your hands, if you applied hooks or claws here you could have them dig into your opponent allowing a more secure shot for the shell to enter and exit their abdominal cavity. That of course is a better target due to a clear lack of the rib cage extending that far down, not saying you wouldn't be able to do devastating damage to someone's lungs and heart it just seems like it would be the easier target to shred their digestive organs."
Ruby continued to fiddle with the gauntlet, oblivious to the stares she was getting and the mild concern that had bloomed on Yang's face. This weapon was not something that the wolf girl could wield herself as her own combat style relied on utilizing large amounts of recoil to further add power to her swings or mobility with Crescent Rose. Still the idea of punching someone hard enough in the gut that built in claws dug in and then releasing a shell into their insides was appealing.
Might be something she decides to build later, or upgrade her already existing claws that could be seen resting atop her fingerless gloves. They could be easily pulled down to cover and extend past the fingers, firmly held in place by a series of rods that extended up her forearm. Great for climbing or scratching people at close range they were just a pain to clean if she actually dug them into somebody.
There was a moment of silence that seemed to spread throughout the entirety of the surrounding area that she finally began to notice. Several nearby strangers sent strange looks towards Ruby, a few of which she hadn't seen before but got the message. These looks ranged from disgust, mild intrigue, fear, and ew that person is so fucking weird for having even thought that far into the subject and saying it outloud is so much worse.
"Freak…" someone probably meant this silently, under their breath, but Ruby could hear it nonetheless. Her ears perked up before falling flat atop her head as they wilted alongside her happiness until they had faded into mild despair and embarrassment. It hurt a bit, not just a bit but a lot, her chest ached emptilly. Yang probably hadn't heard it since she didn't have as good of hearing, maybe she would have agreed? No Yang seemed like a nice person, from her current understanding of her even if it was their first meeting it was unlikely for the golden haired woman to either care or accept the label, maybe even fight against it.
Ruby needed to be more careful, it was painfully clear now that talking about destroying someone's upper intestines wasn't normal conversation materials. This was something she needed to be careful with moving forward, but what was she really able to talk about? What was safe? What wouldn't put her under a bad light? Her tail began to droop until it curled inward as she stood there in silence, surrounded by the whispers and the stares.
The whispers of humans were joined with the subtle voices of grimm, gnawing at the edges of her vision and the fluffiness of her ears. They were soft, almost reassuring this time but still a parasitic reminder of the possibilities if she let too much get to her. Ruby shook her head a little, attempting to clear her mind before returning her attention to Yang.
"That… um… these are meant to be used against grimm yah know?" Yang slowly took her hand back, letting the gauntlet collapse back into itself. To her Ruby was a little weird but there was nothing wrong with that, Yang was weird, everyone was weird and that was Yang-tastic usually. She did notice that the wolf girl was visibly drooping like a plant…
"Oh yeah I knew that, what else would you use them for. Maybe hooks wouldn't be good then since their skin is rather thick and the anatomy is… well… completely different" Ruby nervously began to rub her left arm as she glanced back and forth between the ground and Yang who continued to look at her strangely. "I didn't mean… I um… Sorry"
"What are you apologizing for? You tried to give a bit of advice, there's nothing wrong about that it just doesn't fit my combat styles. All punches over here!" The golden haired woman made an effort to flex. Her already imposing muscular figure became more apparent. "Anyways you don't need to be nervous or anything I'm sure everyone will think you're the bee's knees! You already seem pretty darn cool to me!"
"I don't want to be the bee's knees, or any kind of knees that aren't normal. Just a normal girl with some normal knees" This caused Yang to laugh as Ruby sighed and gave a small smile, she was enjoying this conversation so far even if it had caused her to embarrass herself already.
"So where yah from Ruby? I'm from Patch!" The question almost blew a hole directly through the wolf girl's smile, causing her to hesitate briefly. A lie, she had to lie to one of the first people to be nice to her outside of her family… damn at least it wasn't Abigail, that sweet old lady.
"I was raised in a forest outside the city, don't really know of any towns that were close by" Ruby lied, her ears wilting a little as she glanced around the airship. The looks and whispers from earlier had definitely brought down her excitement and still lingered as a reminder of her first impression being a loud conversation about blowing open someone's stomach.
The lie was easy, simple, maybe a little too vague but it worked. Eventually she would need to actually come up with a location if she didnt want more people digging into her forged background or just watching her suspiciously.
Ruby didn't really have a problem with lying to strangers, to Yang. If they knew the truth then her mission would be a failure and she'd be burned at the stake with Ozpin laughing ominously in the background.
"Did you attend a school before Beacon? What am I asking of course you did… right?"
"My mom taught me if that counts! Homeschooling is what it's called, I think? Yah homeschooling! I was homeschooled!"
"Cool! Doing school at home must have been lots of fun. Spending time with your family, having tons of snacks available whenever that urge to eat hits you in the middle of math… not speaking from experience." Ruby laughed as Yang continued down a long list of how great homeschooling must be.
"There are ups and downs for sure, I got to spend nearly all my time with my mom and sister. Didn't really see anyone else besides a few of my mothers employees when they came over for dinner or training."
Yang looked like she was about to say something, however a melodious chime drew both of their attention towards one of the many televisions that were embedded in the walls. The strange two dimensional woman returned and soon began speaking about a crime rise in downtown Vale.
There were a few moments of silence between the young women as they watched the news before a particularly close up and surprisingly crisp video was pulled up. It appeared to be footage from security cameras detailing a robbery that had been done recently by Roman Torchwick.
"The criminal is still at large having struck three shipments of dust since his confrontation with Huntress Glynda Goodwitch two weeks prior." The footage changed to a blurry photo depicting the battle between Glynda and the bullhead shuttle, Ruby could clearly be seen frozen midfire. "If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department immediately. Back to you Lisa"
"Wait a minute, that was you in that last photo!" Ruby's heart almost stopped, she had been identified. She hadn't done anything wrong however so she didn't quite understand this nervous feeling that crawled and slithered through her stomach as she lifted her gaze up to the taller Yang's eyes. "Damn thats fucking cool! You actually fought that Torchwick guy!"
"Y-yah I did" What was this word fucking? Did it have some sort of meaning that Ruby was not familiar with? In context it appeared to be some sort of emphasiser, putting more energy or importance in the next word. More study would be needed before introducing it into her vocabulary properly. Anyways Ruby wasn't expecting that reaction, Yang actually seemed to hold her in a higher position now, a new light. The nervousness that had plagued her previously now seemed to burn up and vanish.
"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony." An image of men and women carrying signs and wearing grimm like masks popped up, confusion settling up Ruby as a second image soon followed.
A growling red wolf head with three claw marks running through it. Her hand slipped into one of her many pockets, fingers grazing the very similar necklace that Abigail had given her roughly a week ago. Was this the community that she had been trying to tell Ruby about? This Whitefang group? It kinda made sense since she had said something about raising warriors or something similar.
So many thoughts swirled through her head, what was this group's purpose? faunus rights? If the Whitefang were faunus why were they disrupting ceremonies? Were they anti-faunus or was there something else at work there? Ruby couldn't make sense of it all yet but something told her it was going to be important at some point.
Ruby was a faunus, that's what everyone believed. Her ears and tail made it difficult to argue otherwise so she had accepted it without a word. If there was segregation between the humans and faunus then that might just make her mission more difficult. Or she could turn it into an opportunity, if she managed to get into contact with them and integrate into the group Ruby could very well use them for further reconnaissance on Vale and its surrounding territories.
Yang opened her mouth to say something, probably to question Ruby on the details of the fight or maybe something about the Whitefang but was instead interrupted when a resounding ding went off throughout the room. All the moving pictures froze before being replaced with a projection of Glynda Goodwitch, her riding crop nowhere to be seen.
All at once every pair of eyes, every ear focused on the message now playing.
"Hello and welcome to Beacon" Glynda said, her voice surprisingly very clear through the buzzing speakers.
"Who's that?" Yang whispered to Ruby, leaning just a little too close for her comfort.
"My name is Glynda Goodwitch"
"Oh"
"The two dimensional person literally showed her two minutes ago fighting Torchwick and even stated her name… You already forgot?" Ruby looked up incredulously at the golden haired woman, was her memory that bad!? Was everyone's memory that bad?
"Nah, I'm just bad at names and faces, but don't worry I could never forget your cute face!" A blush quickly settled across Ruby's cheeks forcing her to break eye contact and stare at the floor. She was actually quite sure that if she looked hard enough that the floor might break and release her to the laws of gravity, taking her away from all of this.
"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." And with that speech Glynda vanished, leaving Ruby and Yang to ponder how on 1:1 that felt with the show.
Peace. They were experiencing a time of peace? And it was the huntress's purpose to maintain that? So hunters and Huntresses were symbols of this peace? Put on pedestals to fight against the grimm who so eagerly followed her mothers orders to bring about a utopia.
Humanity truly didn't understand, but that was ok. Ruby was here to help them understand, to help guide them in welcoming a new age that they were afraid of. It was natural to hate change, to fight against it.
Her nerves now stilled and her heart sure again, Ruby walked back over to the window and stared out at the sky filled with wonderfully fluffy clouds. Yang followed behind her, dodging past a staggering young man who had begun retching just a few seconds ago. Ruby could smell the vomit already, wrinkling her nose just a little.
A castle slowly came into view, Beacon Academy. It almost stole Ruby's breath as she stared at the architecture and size of the school. It was absolutely massive to say the least. Towers rose high into the clouds connected to the main structure by sky bridges, multiple water features fed into pools filled with fish and eventually led to the waterfall which everything sat on.
Navigating this enormous structure, not just trying to find her way to classes for her cover would be a daunting task. The wolf girl internally wondered exactly how many sleepless nights she would be spending just trying to sneak from one end of the school to the next, and how often she would get lost.
The sun hit the innermost tower, splashing bright silver eyes in a shower of green. It was beautiful, breathtaking.
An emerald city.
"I can see my old school from here, man it really brings back memories" Yang sighed happily, that was before the previous retching sounds were replaced with full on vomiting. The previously subtle smell of bile soon became overpowering forcing Ruby to cover her nose and jump back. Sadly Yang did not escape the expulsion of the young man's stomach. Her boots were soon coated in the sticky contents of his stomach, a flash of red flickering through Yang's eyes before returning to a steady lilac.
Several people nearby all began shouting or screaming about the mess, hurting Ruby's poor ears and forcing her to lie them flat atop her head.
"Oh gross! Damn it I liked these" she sighed before walking away from the groaning man and towards Ruby. The wolf girl began shaking her head and hands in a frantic manner.
"No stay away stay away stay away! Get away from me get away from me get away from me get away from me!" Her heightened sense of smell was already having difficulty with this many people in a confined space, the addition of Yang's vomit covered boots was the cherry on top. Ruby felt herself getting nauseated, desperately trying to create distance between herself and the cause of all this.
It didn't take very long for Yang to find some paper towels and the airship to land. Surprisingly there were numerous other airships depositing students and cargo on a series of landing pads to their left and right. All of them the same gray sleek exteriors with the Vale kingdom insignia painted on their sides.
Ruby took several deep breaths once they were clear of the shuttle, gulping down air like it was going to vanish and leave her in seconds. Finally she could breathe without a million smells assaulting her nose.
She of course was soon very distracted from breathing when other students walked by, well she didn't care about the other students but more so their weapons.
"Oh my grimm! Yang look a collapsible staff! Over there a fire sword! A box of incendiary 5.56mm rounds! Oh yes my darlings!" Yang had to physically restrain Ruby from running over to the shipment of munitions and looting it. Stars visibly seen dancing in her eyes as she struggled against the much stronger grip of the golden haired woman.
"Slow down there tiger! Why are you getting so excited about this? Actually, why are you so excited about weapons in general?" Ruby stopped and turned to stare at Yang, her mouth answering before her brain had a moment to think.
"Because they are extensions of ourselves, our innermost desires and thoughts are put on display when we create our weapons, when we choose them. I love my Crescent Rose so much but I also love other weapons! It's like meeting new people but better!" The answer wasn't what Yang had expected but she respected it nonetheless, after all Ruby was strange she should embrace the strange responses.
"Alright then! So did you-" Yang was interrupted as a swarm of blurry men and women roped their arms under hers and began dragging her towards the academy, leaving Ruby a spinning mess. "I'll catch up later!"
"Wait Yang! I don't know where I'm going!" Ruby desperately called out, finally steadying herself enough and reaching out towards the quickly vanishing Yang.
It was too late.
Yang had become a victim to the mindless hordes of young adults eagerly trying to reconnect with past classmates. Something Ruby was immune to.
And now she was alone.
Stranded.
Forever abandoned at the gates of Beacon.
Given the chance to have a dramatic internal monologue just like this one, something that would push her to continue her lone wolf dynam- wait.
What was that smell?
Was that snowberries?