INDOMITABLE.

     obviously, seeing the familiar shorter girl donning a red hood made him quite excited. once he made sure it really was ruby, he follows, sneaking up to tap on her shoulder and taking a drink she’s holding in her hand once she turns to the direction of his touch.

   “hey.”

drinks mine now @rojoses​

         handling a cup of hot chocolate without spilling it is no easy task. her drink was too hot to sip so the young rose merely cradled it in her cold hands as she made her way back to the store. her attention is entirely focused on not spilling her drink -- that is, until someone taps her right shoulder. ❛ hm? ❜ instinctively, she turns to search for the person but is met with... nothing. and in an instant, her drink is plucked from her hands. finally, frantically meeting the sight of the familiar monkey faunus, ruby can’t help a smile.

It had been a while since someone had been surprised at what he could do. Compared to all the wacky magics he dealt with on the daily his was a bit out of the ordinary. It was lost magic, and magic that could do side-effects to the user if it hadn’t been for his adopted father igneel. “Well, I use fire dragon slayer magic! I can create fire using magic as a source with the force to attack and harm dragons with it’s intensity! I can even eat fire as a source of power and food!” He explained, putting the would-be shaped copper shield down as he approached the girl with hands on his hips, smiling big to her.

“I got the lungs of a fire dragon through training, so making fire out of my mouth comes easy! Even make it out of my hands and anywhere else on my body~! Though I could amp up the heat higher if I wasn’t weaker then before by a huge margin.”

He hoped it was good enough to be considered for the job. He wanted to do something around here that he could do to earn some money for himself and make lucy have a easier life here with him, her, and levy here. “So ruby, what you think?”

         first her previous roommate had a dragon for a mom and now this guy had... dragon slayer magic?? if her interest wasn’t piqued before, they’re definitely stirred now. as he continues his explanation, ruby leans in closer, attempting to absorb all the information possible. because if he was to work for her, she’d have to know his strengths and weaknesses. so what she was getting was that... he can create fire using magic -- specifically to harm dragons. and he can propel them from anywhere on his body. and he can eat fire??!?? talk about saving a fortune on groceries!

         after a few moments of deliberation -- which she exaggerates just because natsu was staring at her -- she finally raises a finger, signaling the end of her thought. 

       for however good of a job his people think they have done at keeping HER from salem, they should have known that at some point, failure would find them. it always does. it’s easy to keep a secret in the beginning, but over time, that fades. soon one person knows, and then another, and then another. or something happens that causes it to leak and reach the wrong ears. and then everything spirals out of control and trying to reign it back in will only leave one grasping at sand hopelessly.  

   perhaps the huntress would have been far safer if she simply stayed inside this evening. her presence remaining unaware to the woman, leaving her…however long she had with what peace she found here until she learned the TRUTH. maybe she should have stayed with her useless friends. but no matter what she did, it was inevitable. 

         whether HERE or in remnant, salem would find her. it was only just a matter of time.

             “ I finally get to meet the infamous Ruby Rose.”

  delighted she sounds, but it is nothing but fake. relaxed is her posture, her entire being in the presence of such a troublesome girl. truly, she’s caused numerous problems for the woman and her plans, problems many thought she seeked retribution for. but, such was not the case. oh no, she had plans for the girl that– for now – will remain unknown. 

              “ You have your mother’s face...how quaint that you are the spitting image of her. “

 @rojoses​​ – s.c.

         how the woman managed to find her here is beyond anything ruby can comprehend. she was a face the young rose feared. while she had yet to meet her face to face in remnant, the stories, the visions, the dread that came with every hush or whisper of her name, all served to instill the idea that she was something worth acknowledging. she was SALEM, the immortal and she had to be defeated. but despite how often ruby tells herself that, her fist quivers, teeth sink into her own lips. if her underlings were so close to taking her and her friends lives so easily, what was salem truly capable of?

         perhaps ruby could find out here, now.

         fists clench at her sides and she finds it difficult to make eye contact with something made of pure darkness, hatred. but eventually she’ll have to, alongside her team, her friends, the people she holds dear. but right now, she had to face salem alone. pulse escalating, the leader’s overcome by a swirl of emotions -- all which unsettle her stomach, making her nauseous, and she has to hold back the urge to puke. but she has to do this because later down the line, they would have to as well... so, a reluctant gaze finally meets the other’s. 

While Nathaniel wasn’t one for weapons outside of his own ability, he knew that being without one in such a place as this was unwise. There was no telling what dangers lurked about, and should something happen that he couldn’t utilize his ability (his cross necklace no longer being on his person was an example of this), he needed a way to defend himself. It was for this reason that he found himself entering a weapons store, attracting the attention of the young woman at the front desk.

“…I am looking for a weapon that is small and can be concealed,” he said, ignoring the fact that he was requesting a weapon despite being dressed in his usual clerical outfit.

         nothing more needed to be said. ruby was never one to judge a book by its cover, so any customer no matter what they wore stepping into the shop was welcome. ❛ you’ve come to the right place! ❜ she states confidently but quickly dejects into a puzzled look. ❛ or are we the ONLY place...? i’m not sure... but anyways -- !! ❜ 

         she slides over to the premade weapons on the display rack. small and concealed weapons were the kind she decided WPNS would specialize in. because the island was full of everyday people, practicality and accessibility was her prime targets! swaying side to side as silver hues shuffle through their selection, she finally lands on the perfect one! maybe?

         immediately does she carefully pluck it off the shelf and place it on the counter.

   How  CAN’T  she feel at ease with ruby here in the city ??perhaps it’s a selfish thing to be grateful for ─ it means ruby is stuck here, just the same as she is … with no foreseeable way home. she shouldn’t want ruby stuck here, too, right ? any of her teammates, for that matter. weiss can’t be too sure. but ruby’s at ease about the situation, so, for now, weiss doesn’t let it dwell on her mind too much. 

❝yes, that’s true. but  don’t  go overboard. we can’t have you living off of fast food now that it’s more accessible. i expect you to still have a balanced diet. it’s important. ❞ she chides through a smile, just imagining how many places ruby’s scouted out thus far. her heart warms as ruby reciprocates gratitude, and all previous worries regarding ruby being here vanish. she was silly to be worried about it, silently thanking her partner for getting her mind refocused. completely subconsciously, too. she nods in agreement.

❝ we’ve escaped worse before. ❞ she points out. her face flushes at the mention of her apartment. she laughs a bit awkwardly, recalling just how her first day had gone at her new apartments. 

❝ well, it’s no mansion, but the view of the ocean is nice and it has a cozy feeling to it. ❞ she explains, ❝ i’ve got a roommate, too. i, er, kind of threatened him with myrtenaster the first time we met. it was a  complete  misunderstanding. ❞ it’s something she can laugh about now, though, and while she’d much rather room with the familiarity of her team, she admits that her roommate has been easy to get along with. odd, but not in a bad way.

❝ but it was still much more coordinated than nearly blowing up a school’s entry. ❞ weiss adds with a grin, ❝ i guess you can help decorate my room, but only if we pick out things for yours, too. and i expect it to remain tidy. deal? ❞

         after all this time, it looks like weiss still stuck with the terrible first impressions. that was one of the rare things the two had in common. and ruby thought blowing up in the courtyard, and being nicknamed crater face for gods knew how long was bad, imagine being at the other end of myrtenaster... it wasn’t too hard to paint the whole picture ( because her mind fills in the missing details herself ), and it still brings out a curt laugh from the leader. 

         ❛ was it a misunderstanding, weiss? was it really? ❜ the flush in her partner’s features illustrate just how embarrassing the memory was. but it’s hard to have anything on weiss, so let ruby have this one. ❛ -- or did they leave the window open a crack? or or did they forget to put the milk back in the fridge? or maybeeeee.... ehehe, ❜ silver hues narrow, a glint of mischief flashing, just briefly. 

              ❛   Maintenanssse ?  ❜   ASTER   parrots, studying the smaller girl with raised brows. Her hair’s on the shorter side — way shorter — and she can’t help but be a little envious. Of course, she could cut her hair at any time, but… Old insecurities die hard. Her gaze flits upward as she gathers some of the thick strands falling over her shoulder, running her fingers through them thoughtfully as she speaks.

               ❛   The simplest way to look at it isss… To treat your hair like your best friend. When you brush it, don’t be rough — and when it’s wet, ssstart brushing underneath at the ends, then the top of the ends, and work your way up. It took me forever to figure that one out…  ❜  She trails off as she takes notice of the girl’s posture; those fingers are deeefinitely itching to be put to work. 

              ❛   … You can touch it,  ❜   she adds matter-of-factly, flicking the hair in her fingers over her shoulder as if the strands were a projectile.

         almost as if the woman was taunting her as she ran her fingers through her hair, silver hues continue to widen and she has to press her lips shut before she bursts out in inappropriate questions. and her attention easily refocuses on her words instead. like a best friend, hm? ❛ underneath the ends, then the top, and then work your way up... got it! ❜ -- but did she really? ruby has to relay the advice to yang so, she tries to memorize it, chanting it under her breath. 

         and when the woman grants her permission without her even asking -- aster probably shouldn’t have done that. immediately, her hands launch toward it. but she’s delicate, tactful, slowing herself to figure about the correct way to touch someone else’s hair. because gods knew that she had next to zero experience with it, no thanks to her sister. 

🍂 ↠ @rojoses​

       Wanting to learn more about this new city, Pyrrha found her way to the library. She wanted to know the history of Koi, and she figured that this would be a good place to start. However, as she was still learning the layout of the city, the huntress to be found herself standing in front of Statice Library rather than Amaranth University like she had initially been shooting for. 

     Well, a library was a library, was it not? 

     Pyrrha stepped through the doors and breathed in the smell of books. It was comforting to know that even worlds away from home, libraries still smelled the same. The redhead made her way to the empty front desk. Craning her neck to see if whoever worked here was merely crouched, she leaned onto the counter slightly before falling back onto her heels.

     “Um, excuse me? I’m sorry, I was wondering if I could get some assistance finding a couple of books?” 

         while she wasn’t exactly a morning person, the morning shift at the statice library was the only slot that fit in her schedule. with WPNS opening in the afternoon, the young rose figures she might as well get a head start on the day. the insomnia and constant nightmares would’ve kept her up anyway so... taking on too many jobs for a just-turned-adult was how ruby was... coping. anything to busy her mind -- to delay those inevitable parasitic thoughts. 

         sleep deprivation also had its downsides. already almost done with her second latte of the morning, she’s once again wrestling with the books. it was only her scheduled in the morning so she has time to fix her mistakes. but something about today was... -- nothing was going right. books carelessly dropped in transport, a groan escapes her small frame as she squats over to collect them.

         ah, and there was a person at the worst time. silver eyes dart between the books and whoever must’ve been waiting on the other side of the counter. ❛ oh um -- uh, okay! ❜ quickly, hands slide the books in a small pile to be gathered easily later. standing back up, ruby has to blink -- five times before her brain registers who it is. it’s been a few months since she last saw pyrrha with no communication at all, so to see her here was... more than a surprise. 

         a warm smile can’t help itself upon rosy cheeks as her eyes glisten with relief.

It takes a moment to piece together the sequence of events that brought him here simply because of how absolutely outrageous it seems. Last he recalls, the ground had disappeared from beneath him and sometime after that he’d then woken up in a bedroom, of all unlikely and improbable places. He stares, eyes huge; the room is unfamiliar and distinctly Western-looking in decor – and he’s the only occupant.

Confusion floods his thoughts; Zenitsu opens the door leading into a larger similarly-decorated living area and is just in the midst of working his way to something of an utterly bewildered panic when someone else enters.

❝ —— AH! ❞ It’s a girl – a pretty girl. He blinks, a tad nervous. Zenitsu gawks a little, quite obviously relieved at seeing someone else… wherever this is, and he scrambles towards her, a little desperately. ❝ H-hey…! Please —- !! ❞ he cries out, somewhat pathetically. ❝ Where IS this?? ❞

@rojoses​​ | starter call.

          when she thought she was finally getting on her roommate’s good side, she moves out the next day. ruby can’t help but worry if she’s done something wrong -- frantic text messages were and still are left unread ( she checked again this morning ). her mind and thoughts wander, and more than concern, she’s more afraid of mal actually reading that mess. and it’s been... quieter since she’s left -- an unsettling quiet. when the young rose wasn’t working or definitely sleeping in her little shop, she frequents home to change and to bake.

         because... baking cookies in a furnace was... was it illegal?

         either way, tackled by bags of groceries, ruby fumbles with the keys to the apartment. humming along with the music from her headphones, after a few seconds, she manages to key her way in. what she wasn’t expecting was someone else occupying the living quarters. immediately, she drops all her bags to the ground -- hopefully the eggs didn’t crack but she not thinking -- all she can think about this... possible intruder?!? 

         she pulls down her headphones, key ring raised and pointed at the other, brows scrunching in confusion. 

“Don’t worry ruby! I’ll do my best to get out shop that victory!”

tagged by: @solarhearted​ tagging: anyone who hasn’t done this yet!!

SEA.

Ah to be able to move quickly like that. She had a none of her greater power, and thus no true blade, so a suitable host was to be found. What a coincidence a strange little weapons shop like this was easily found among the canals. Ruby’s enthusiasm reminded her of her daughter.

“Ah, rather quick and to the point. And a whip… hm. What is it made out of?”

       “Oh, it’s alright. I’m more than happy to watch you have fun. I’ve never been a fan of the cold, anyway.”

       “All these festivities look like so much fun!” She wants to join in but has no idea where she would even start.

“i shall name this pusheen… jiminy!”