Chapter 3: The Unseen Battles

Far above the sky of Vale, a nondescript airship was currently cruising on it's way to a small airfield. According to the vessel's registration and manifest, it belonged to a small cargo transport company out of Atlas. However, of it's frequent trips between Atlas and Vale, it rarely carried any cargo.

In reality this cargo ship belonged to the Atlas military's, special operation division. The airship's 'cargo,' was usually Atlas hunters or military operatives, who wished to get into another kingdom without being noticed. It's cargo today was a lone girl, and her few belongings. The airship had begun it's descent, and been cleared to land at a small airfield on the outskirts of Vale.

The ship slowed it's descent as it neared the airfield, the whine of it's engines winding down as the distance between it and the asphalt rapidly disappeared. The airship's landing gear smacked against the ground, and the machine stilled as it landed. A loud metallic click sounded above the low whine of the engines, as the side door slid open, to reveal today's cargo.

A single feminine form stood in the doorway, at five feet and six inches tall. Instead of the red cape and black corset the girl had once worn, her attire now consisted of a dark red jacket, and grey cargo pants. She stepped out of the ship onto the asphalt, a nostalgic feeling overcoming her as her black combat boots touched the ground. As soon as Ruby Rose had exited the machine, the whine of it's engines sped up and it shuddered before taking back to the sky's. Ruby watched the ship's engines reorient themselves, and propel it through the sky, as the pressure from the engines blew her clothes around, her hair held in place, tied in a ponytail over her right shoulder.

Looking around, Ruby took in her surroundings. The airfield itself looked rather rundown, and overgrown. Although Ruby didn't know whether not it was even an operational facility. Looking at the horizon Ruby could see a sizeable city, and further beyond that a massive hill with ancient building standing atop it. Ruby recognized the place as Beacon Academy, the same place she had briefly called home. Staring at the horizon, Ruby felt a dull pain in her chest at the sight.

It wasn't just nostalgia that pained Ruby, but the sorrow of the conditions under which she had left, and those that had brought her back. Ruby threw her bag over her shoulder, and double checked for the presence of her steel friend strapped to her back. Reassured, she flared her aura briefly a moment later, she had disappeared, nothing save a few lone rose petals left in her place.

Ruby's meeting with Ironwood had concluded quickly, after she accepted her mission. She had been informed that the only one who may know Raven Branwen's whereabouts, would be the woman's brother, Qrow. Though as far as Ruby was concerned, even that was a longshot, however she had a backup plan incase asking nicely didn't work out. Ruby only hoped that she wouldn't be forced to resort to plan B.

Despite Ironwood's words of caution, Ruby had insisted she work without oversight, and report to Ironwood only when necessary. She would keep her identity as that of Scarlette Summers, and the only support she would receive were cash drop offs arranged by her when necessary. Ruby had only a couple changes of clothes, her weapon and ammo, and some cash to get herself by. Though she wasn't too concerned about scraping by.

Ruby had begun to make her way through Vale, stunned by how much it seemed to have changed. She still recognized, much of the city, however she could tell that extensive repairs must have been done after the attack. Most of the city was still the same, however the city no longer had it's rustic feel. Gone were the brick walls and streets, the decorative facias she remembered were no more, and the torn up old streets had been rebuilt. The city now seemed much more modern, clean new buildings, and smooth newly paved roads defined the city.

Ruby had decided to hold up in a dilapidated motel towards the edge of the city, deciding it would be best to stay away from populous areas as much as possible. The place itself wasn't anything special. It was certainly lacking in upkeep, but it still seemed clean, and had any basic amenities she would need.

After checking in and paying Ruby went to her room, breathing a sigh of relief at the quiet and privacy. She had already put together, what she found to be an acceptable plan. The hardest part would be maintaining her anonymity, though she had already taken precautions to ensure she wasn't discovered. However it didn't help when the first person she had to find, would be her uncle, Qrow Branwen.

After showering, and taking a bit of time to decompress, Ruby decided to head out and get any necessary supplies for the activities she had planned for the next few days. Heading downtown, Ruby first made her way to a small dust and weapons shop, on a backstreet. A short while later Ruby walked out with numerous dust crystals, four hundred rounds of different types of ammo for Crescent Rose, assorted weapons parts, and a few other odds and ends. Ruby realized she had probably spent more money than what she should have, chuckling at the fact that she still hadn't outgrown her obsession with weapons.

Ruby began heading back to the motel with her bags, when she felt a dull pain in her stomach, followed by a low rumbling. Realizing that she hadn't eaten since she departed from Atlas, Ruby decided it wouldn't hurt to stop for some food on the way back. Remembering that there was a particular diner she used to be fond of near where she was, Ruby began making her way over there. After walking for a few minutes Ruby arrived at a quaint wooden building with the sign,'Frank's,' hanging over it.

Heading inside, Ruby was immediately reminded of why she had enjoyed it so much. She was immediately greeted by the strong scent of fresh baked cookies. Ruby walked over to a booth in the corner of the store, where she had a good line of sight with the door. A moment later, a scruffy looking teenage boy wearing a waiter's outfit walked over to her table and greeted her.

Ruby decided to order a simple burger and fries, as well as a few chocolate chip cookies, doing so with a noticeable blush.

Ruby sat back and relaxed while she waited for her food, letting the nostalgia of her surroundings sink in. Ruby remembered coming to that particular diner countless times with her family and friends. Remembering all the times she had been teased at the same diner, by Yang for ordering cookies, or scolded by Weiss for sloppy eating habits. Those memories stirring those of when she sat behind metal bars, and was forsaken by the very same people. She recalled being called a liar, a coward, being told it was for the best that she would never be able to accomplish her dream. She wondered for a moment, whether they were right on the last part.

Ruby's spiralling train of thought was broken by the sound of a bell chiming, as the diner's door opened. Glancing up quickly, Ruby suddenly felt a sickly churning in her empty stomach, ducking down and pulling the hood on her jacket up, Ruby did her best to not be noticed by the two men who had just entered the diner. To Ruby's misfortune they walked over and sat at the booth directly in front of Ruby's.

One of the men's voices reached Ruby's ears, as they sat down, "Look Tai, we've already talked with Ozpin and Ironwood. If something bad happened to her, we'd know by now. She has to be out there somewhere."

It was a voice that stirred deep feeling in Ruby, one of the few voices that she didn't associate with shitty memories. It was also the voice of the same man she was currently trying to find, her uncle Qrow.

"Just like how we know about Raven? Damnit I get that you're trying to help but it doesn't make me feel any better Qrow," the second voice answered in reply.

The second voice shot another pain through her gut. Of all the people to walk into the same diner as her, she cursed her fate for letting it be her father and uncle. Ruby was torn between continuing her eavesdropping, and escaping. However, Ruby knew better than to remain in the situation. She quickly stood up and grabbed her bags, facing away from the two men and started making her way to the entrance. The distance couldn't have been more than six meters, but every step felt like it was only an inch.

Ruby had finally reached the door, when she heard a voice call out to her, "Ma'am, wait! What about your food? You still have to pay," she recognized the voice as the scruffy young waiter.

"Fuck," Ruby cursed under her breath, not daring to turn around, lest she be spotted. Shoving her way through the door, Ruby quickly gathered her aura in her legs. Knowing not to use her semblance in front of her father and uncle, Ruby used her aura enhanced strength to shoot herself down the street. She quickly ducked down the nearest alley, hoping no one would chase her.

Ruby was stopped in her tracks, when a tall man suddenly appeared before her, "Kids nowadays, didn't your parents ever teach you any better?"

The man in question was her uncle Qrow. Ruby found herself relieved at the fact that she'd left Crescent Rose behind, knowing that with her current attire she had nowhere to hide it. Even in it's compact form on her back, it would be far too recognizable to Qrow. Ruby dropped her bags, and brought her hands up, palms facing Qrow.

"Well that's no fun, here I was thinking you'd actually put up a figh " Qrow whined sarcastically, just before the figure in front of him disappeared. Qrow heard a scuffing noise above him, turning just in time to see the girl he'd stopped, kick herself off the wall. He brought his hand up just in time, to stop a boot from contacting his face. Stepping back, he began to reach for weapon when he realized that'd be overkill. He brought his hands up, readying himself for a fight just in time to see his opponent grab their bags and start running.

"Hey!" he yelled after his opponent just in time to see, a little red crystal flying towards him, at a terrifying speed. Lunging towards the crystal as it flew by him, Qrow barely managed to catch the crystal in time. Looking back, his opponent was nowhere to be seen.

Once Ruby felt that she'd put enough distance between herself and Qrow, she activated her semblance, confident he wouldn't find the remnants. She arrived back at her motel moments later. Storming in Ruby and dropping her bags, Ruby slammed her fist against the wall in frustration.

"Goddamnit! Just how fucking careless can I be? Son of bitch!" Ruby continued to curse aloud for her carelessness.

Her hunger now replaced with a sick churning in her stomach, Ruby decided to focus on prepping for her mission. She quickly went to work, disassembling Crescent Rose, having decided to remove the entire head of the weapon. Ruby realized how recognizable her scythe was, and the only way she could think to remedy that problem was to eliminate the scythe portion. She wasn't the most experienced with a staff, however she had trained with them in the Corps, and it wasn't too different from a scythe.

After she had finished modifying Crescent Rose into a staff, and lengthening it as well, Ruby moved onto the gear she had bought. She loaded all of the ammunition she had bought, into marked magazines, so she'd know which magazine contained which ammo type. Ruby had also bought various magazine and dust pouches, which she stitched into the inside of her jacket. Some of the pouches, as well as a new holster for Crescent Rose, were attached to a black pistol belt she had purchased.

Content with everything she had accomplished, Ruby finally decided to turn in for the night. Ruby set Crescent Rose on the nightstand next to her bed, the rest of her gear sitting ready should it be needed.

Ruby woke up to find a frozen wasteland extending in all directions. Looking around Ruby was confused at first, before a familiar voice stirred her from her tired state.

"Hey kid, you don't plan on sleepin the whole day, do ya?" Ruby looked up to see Stevens standing over her.

Annoyed at his teasing, Ruby jumped to her feet, "Nah, I just needed a bit of extra energy to carry everyone else's slack."

"Everyone else?" he questioned, "What are you talkin bout?"

Ruby looked around in confusion, before realizing they were alone. A moment later a loud roar could be heard in the distance. Looking back to Stevens to ensure he was ready, Ruby found him covered in blood, his lifeless eyes staring at her void of emotion.

"You already killed everyone else," he spoke in a bone chilling voice.

The ground beneath Ruby began shaking violently, causing her to curse in frustration, "Fuck, Stevens are you okay!"

As Ruby screamed to him, a great rift opened between them, and Stevens began falling into the abyss below. Ruby jumped down without hesitation, diving to catch up with Stevens. Once shed was within arms reach she grabbed onto him, using her semblance to push them towards the rock face next to them. Extending Crescent Rose, Ruby smashed it's end into the wall, looking down to assess Stevens, she gaped in shock as his body began crumbling in her hands.

A moment later the rock face that Crescent Rose was buried in crumbled as well, sending Ruby falling into the abyss.

Ruby could swear, she felt herself slam into her bed as she awoke. This morning was the same as every before it. Her heart racing , and her body covered in sweat, Ruby rolled out of bed almost falling on the ground as her knees gave out. Ruby dragged herself to the bathroom, and found her way to the shower. After a far too long time spent standing under the scalding water, Ruby finally forced herself out of the shower.

One she had dried off and dressed herself, Ruby prepared the few things she would need for the day. Once she had gathered up her weapon and some supplies she headed out.

Ruby's plan would require her to find a time when Qrow would be alone, and vulnerable. The first part was easy, unfortunately, she was well aware that the second one wouldn't be easy. Ruby wasn't sure she could defeat Qrow at her best, and she had to attempt it without her scythe and semblance. So in order to do so she was planning to pull out every dirty trick she could manage.

Her biggest problem was that the thing she needed the most, was quite sparse, time. Ruby was certain, that if she could observe the man for long enough she could find a vulnerability. However she wasn't sure how patient Ironwood would be, and she knew he would want to hear progress when she contacted him.

With those thoughts in mind Ruby headed out. She wore mostly the same attire as the day before, save a pair of cheap sunglasses and a bandanna tied over the top of her head. She began to make her way to Signal Academy, where Qrow was currently working as an instructor.

On her way there she felt a familiar pain in her stomach, remembering once again that it had been more than a day since she'd actually eaten. Her conscience weighing on her from the day before, Ruby decided to go back the same diner as the day before.

A short while later Ruby arrived at the restaurant, entering through the same door she had so hastily fled through the day before. As she walked inside, the same scruffy teenager from the day before turned around to greet her, only to glare in anger instead.

"I...I'm sorry?" Ruby mumbled awkwardly.

"You should leave, before we call the police," he replied through gritted teeth.

"Wait, wait, wait! I'll pay, I swear. I'm really sorry," Ruby shouted in panic, waving her hands in front of her.

"I won't tell you again," He grumbled.

Ruby quickly fished a wad of lien from her pocket, "Here this should be enough, right? Don't kick me out, I really like this place."

The young man stood there in contemplation for a moment, before finally reaching out and taking the money from her.

Ruby sighed in relief, before he spoke again, "Fine, now did you want anything else?"

"Umm, breakfast?" Ruby nervously answered the boy.

He sighed, and grumbled out a response, "Take a seat."

Ruby happily made her way over to the booth nearest the front of the store this time, hoping for an easier escape should a similar incident occur.

The boy made his way over to Ruby's table with his notebook in hand to take her order,"Shouldn't you be in school?"

Ruby sat in her seat confused for a minute, suddenly remembering that most people her age would be in school still. For a moment she felt embarrassed, until she realized that he couldn't be much older than her, "What about you? You can't be older than sixteen."

"I'm nineteen actually, and we have a policy not to allow unaccompanied minors to hang out here during school hours," he shot back spitefully.

"Well I'm not a kid, so are you going to keep being an ass, or take my order?" Ruby grumbled indignantly.

"Of course I'll take your order, as soon as you show me some ID," he practically sung through a smug smile.

Ruby was stunned by his audacity, but didn't want to argue farther so she pulled out her wallet to find her ID. Quickly finding her hunter's license, Ruby felt a sense of smug satisfaction. That was until she noticed that despite, 'Scarlette Summers,' joining the Corps at eighteen, Ironwood had Ruby's real birth year put on her ID, showing her as seventeen years old. Ruby hesitated to show him her ID, now not so sure that she would win this argument.

"What's the matter, let me see it," he spoke in a sarcastic voice.

"This is stupid, let me see your manager," Ruby whined.

"Nope," came his curt reply, as he reached out to swipe the card out of Ruby's hand.

In that moment Ruby saw his hand shoot towards her, and felt time begin to crawl, her instincts kicking in. Faster than the boy could even see, Ruby had grabbed his arm with a vice like grip.

"Ow! Shit!" the boy screamed out as he fell to his knees.

A second later Ruby realized what she was doing, and quickly let go of his arm. Reeling in guilt, as she could not seem to have a decent interaction with him.

"What the fuck?" the boy yelped indignantly, cradling the army Ruby had grasped.

"I'm sorry," Ruby mouthed in barely a whisper, before standing up and quickly making her way out of the restaurant.

Ruby walked down the street, as fast as she could manage. Looking down at her hands, Ruby realized that they were shaking, clasping her them together to try and stop.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Ruby mumbled as she made her way down the street, overcome with a sense of humilitation.

In the end, Ruby settled on some cheap, prepackaged food, from a convenience store to cure her hunger. After eating, and waiting to calm down after the incident at the diner, Ruby decided to head to her destination.

Upon arriving at the school, Ruby found kids pouring in through the front doors. Looking at her watch, it dawned on Ruby,that she had made it just in time for the beginning of the school day. Ruby set up on a nearby rooftop, but far enough away that she wouldn't be discovered. After sitting and watch the school for almost an hour, Ruby still hadn't seen Qrow, and began to wonder if he hadn't arrived before her. Just when she was at wit's end, she finally spotted Qrow stumbling up to the school, covering his eyes with his hand.

Ruby felt strange, realizing this was the same man that was causing her so much concern. Regardless, she new better than to underestimate him based solely on his drinking problem. Ruby kept her position on the rooftop, watching incase Qrow went anywhere. At the end of the school day, she followed him to an apartment building a couple miles from the school. She later found out that he was currently staying there with her father. To make matters slightly easier, her father didn't seem to be currently teaching at Signal.

Later that evening Qrow left home, to stop by the Hunter's Association, and from there the bar. Once Qrow had gotten drunk enough, he would either pass out at the bar, or stumble home. Occasionally Taiyang would accompany him to the bar.

Ruby continued to follow Qrow, being as cautious as possible not to get discovered. Day after day he continued the same pattern, occasionally going to Beacon for a meeting. Any time he went Ruby there left an unnecessarily large berth, not daring to be caught anywhere near the school. After two weeks of following him, Ruby wasn't sure that the opportunity she was looking for would appear.

That was until Ruby had felt daring enough to follow Qrow, and Tai Yang into the bar that they frequented. In doing so Ruby finally found hope listening in on the men's conversation.

"I'll be gone for a while by the way. Make sure to keep the place from burnin down, while I'm gone," Qrow drunkenly slurred.

"Gone? Where are you going?" Taiyang questioned, with a less prominent slur.

"A mission, goin to Mistral. Word is there some funny business goin on there," Qrow slurred in response.

"What type a funny?" Taiyang asked in confusion.

"The type involvin grimms and White Fangs," Qrow informed his drinking partner.

"Well then I'm comin too," Taiyang replied curtly, finishing his drink.

"Huh? You sure, you a little rusty ain't ya?" Qrow questioned concerned.

"Me n the girls been searching Remnant far n wide for Ruby. The girls went there fer a bit, but dint get muchofa chance to look, ya know?" Taiyang stammered out in his increasingly drunk state, "Besides, who ya callin rusty! I can beat the brakes off yer drunk ass anyday."

"I spose I don't mind the backup, but don't get to isappointed when ya on't find her." Qrow replied, almost as incomprehensible as her father.

Ruby's heart jumped in elation, knowing that this may finally give her the chance she was after. She stood up to leave, knowing she had to figure out a way to Mistral. Ruby quickly came to a halt, when she noticed that the conversation hadn't ended.

"Souns like a plan! When we goin?" Taiyang celebrated.

"What times it?" Qrow asked loudly.

"A little past midnight," Came the sober voice of the bartender.

"Aaahh, when's two?" Qrow wondered, scratching his head.

"Two pm?" her father asked in response.

Qrow looked down at his fingers, and appeared to be counting for a moment, "Nah, two in a mornin."

Taiyang stared at Qrow with a quickly sobering face, "That's two hours ya asshole!" Tai quickly grabbed his other half by the collar, and dragged him out of the bar.

Ruby barely managed to get out of sight, as the two men drunkenly rushed out of the bar. She quickly realized that if she didn't want to lose her Uncle, she would have to get to Mistral as soon as possible. Ruby waited in the bar, for Qrow and Tai to leave in a cab, before exiting the

building, immediately activating her semblance. Ruby realized that the only way she was going to get a flight this late at night, on such short notice, was with Ironwood's help.

She realized she was going to be pushing her luck, but she had no choice but to try. The first thing she had to do, was make her way to the CCT tower, and contact Ironwood. She immediately began planning out, how she was going to make this work,

"CCT tower first," she thought to herself. "It's past midnight, it'll be closed."

"No reason to let that stop me."

"Get there, get in, contact Ironwood. Twenty minutes."

"Get back to the motel, and get my shit. It's on the other side of town. Forty minutes." "Get to the airfield. Seventy minutes. This won't be a problem."

As Ruby neared the CCT, she readied her weapons, preparing to take out the sentries there. Closing in quickly, Ruby came to a grinding halt as the tower came into view.

"Shit," Ruby said aloud, "MIght be cuttin it a bit closer than I planned."

Ruby had been expecting nothing more than the typical sentries who guarded the tower, though they were present, they were also accompanied by a full team of hunters. Team CRDL to be exact. Based off what Ruby knew of the team from her time at Beacon, she could likely take them. The only concern she had was defeating them and the sentries, without her identity being noticed.

Deciding that she didn't have any time for a plan B, Ruby pulled out the staff form of Crescent Rose, extending the weapon to it's full length. She double checked the presence of a dust crystal in the weapon, and chambered a round. The loud mechanical click of the bolt, immediately drew the attention of the nearby hunters. Ruby readied herself for the coming fight, pulling her hood up as she did so.

"Hey, what are you do " the team's leader began to yell, before Ruby appeared before him, the barrel of her weapon, inches from his chest.

Ruby squeezed the trigger, feeling the explosion in the chamber and the recoil of the round leaving the barrel. Cardin's aura, and his armor barely managed to stop the bullet. Ruby could see the flash of his aura as it broke, feeling satisfied at the easy win, but knowing the others wouldn't be taken by surprise.

"You bitch!" she heard Dove yell, expecting him to attack her. Instead, the three remaining hunters, slowly began to surround her.

Ruby had to admit, that she was impressed that they'd improved enough to keep their cool, and operate tactically when their leader was taken out. The team CRDL she remembered, wouldn't even be capable of that. However, she wasn't about to let them increase their advantage.

Ruby aimed the muzzle of Crescent Rose at Dove, activating the dust crystal as she did so. A second loud crack, broke the night's silence. Amusingly enough, Dove had brought his sword up in time to block the round. To Ruby's further amusement, Dove seemed to panic as ice quickly formed over his hand and sword. Two more cracks, more ice appeared, now on Dove's left foot and right shoulder.

Sky and Russel quickly moved in to cover their teammate, only be dumbfounded as their opponent shot between them at a ridiculous speed. Ruby stopped in front of Dove's frozen form, spinning her weapon and slamming it into his unguarded side. The blow resulting in a cry of pain, and causing Dove to double over in pain. As he bent down, Ruby spun her staff around again, bringing the end crashing into Dove's chin knocking him unconscious.

That left Sky and Russel, after them the sentries which she reasoned shouldn't take long. They had partially surrounded Ruby, and the two hunters before her, with Ruby being between the tower and them.

Sky moved forward, taking three well aimed swings at Ruby with his halberd. Ruby back pedalled, stepping out of the way of his weapon. At the same time, Russel circled to Ruby's side attempting to flank her. As soon as Ruby was out of Sky's range, Russel moved in and began attacking with his daggers. Ruby blocked and dodged Russel's attacks, before he brought both his daggers down, forcing Ruby to block with the full length of her staff. At the same time Sky swung his halberd around, aiming for the center of Ruby's back.

Ruby spun her staff, knocking Russel's daggers away, at the same time twisting her body in Sky's direction. As Russel recoiled, Ruby grabbed the shaft of Sky's halberd with her outside hand, stopping the weapon, with the blade centimeters from her skin. Ruby tugged on the polearm, swinging, the still gripping Sky, flying into Russel. Both hunters were sent rolling across the ground. Ruby didn't let the opportunity slip her by, shooting multiple ice dust infused rounds into them.

With the final two hunters sufficiently frozen to the ground, Ruby only had the sentries to deal with. Once team CRDL was out of the line of fire, the sentries took aim. Ruby watched them begin to fire, thinking quickly she activated the dust crystal again, slamming the staff into the ground. The result being a wall of ice, between Ruby and the sentries, stopping the ensuing barrage of fire.

Hardly a second later, a dark figure flew over the top of the wall of ice, landing in the center of the group of the sentries. Ruby took stock quickly, counting eight of them. The nearest three sentries were blindsided, as Ruby's staff came around delivering blows to their heads. Another two dove in to tackle Ruby. The first felt a pressure on the back of his head, before losing consciousness, as Ruby stomped his head into the ground. Stepping off the back of his head, Ruby brought her opposite foot up, slamming it into the head of the next sentry.

A short moment later, Ruby walked away from the fight all eight sentries, and four hunters defeated. Ruby quickly made her way up the CCT, going to the nearest terminal and contacting Ironwood on the personal line he had given her. After a minute of ringing, the party on the other end finally answered.

"It's been two weeks, I sure hope you have a good reason for calling me at this hour," Ironwood's gruff voice broke, from the other end of the line.

"I need a flight to Mistral no later than two am local time," Came Ruby's hurried response.

"What? The hell is this about Summers?" Ironwood's confused voice demanded.

"Eighty five minutes Ironwood, when and where?" Ruby demanded.

A sigh came over the line before Ironwood answered, "God damnit all Summers. Stand by," a short moment later Ruby once again heard his voice through the terminal, "Same airfield you were dropped at, be there a zero two local time. Can you ma "

Ironwood's voice was cut off as Ruby hung up, and bolted from the CCT tower. Blowing a hole in the window, Ruby put as much aura in her legs as she could, jumping into the night sky. As she neared the peak of her leap, she activated her semblance sending her soaring across the sky. Ruby revelled in the feeling of the cool night air on her skin, as she fell. A minute later, Ruby could see the ground below her rapidly approaching. Preparing her aura, Ruby slammed into the ground, absorbing the impact with her legs. Activating her semblance again as she touched the ground, Ruby changed the direction of her momentum sending her rocketing across the ground.

After a few more minutes of running, Ruby finally arrived at the motel where she had been living. Making her way into the room, Ruby quickly packed her bags, and gathered up her gear. After ensuring that she had everything, Ruby left the motel stopping at the front desk to hand over the key on her way out. Activating her aura once again, Ruby began making her way to the airfield.

It didn't take Ruby long to arrive at her final destination, looking at her watch Ruby noticed that she still had forty minutes to spare. Ruby let out a slight giggle at her mad panic, realizing how

much time she had left. After a great deal of time spent sitting on the cold asphalt, Ruby heard the high pitched whine of airship engines. Looking around, Ruby could find no visible sign of her ride. After a moment of wondering if she was crazy, a bright set of lights suddenly illuminated the area around her. A blacked out airship, with an angular design landed directly in front of Ruby, flashing it's lights once. Ruby picked her bags up, and walked over to the dark machine.

Opening the door Ruby looked curiously at the pilot, a young woman likely in her twenties. Ruby noticed that on top of her head of silver hair, she had two cat ears. The woman had pale skin, and elegant features, with green eyes that practically glowed in the dark. Looking at the rest of her features, Ruby found her to be stunning.

"Hey princess, I certainly hope you had a good reason for waking me up this late," the pilot quipped indignantly.

The woman's foul demeanor, instantly shocked Ruby. The juxtaposition of her beautiful features and her rotten attitude was not something Ruby was expecting. Although Ruby certainly didn't have much room to speak, in fact after the initial shock wore off Ruby decided that she actually found it somewhat comforting.

Deciding not to be berated by the woman, Ruby leaned in close to her, bringing her lips right next to the woman's ear, "Call me princess again… and I'll cut your fucking tongue out," Ruby whispered almost seductively.

Looking at the woman before her, Ruby noticed the woman visibly stiffen. The action causing an immediate, and extremely awkward silence. Ruby sat back in her seat, strapping herself in for the long flight. Ruby felt the airship lift off the ground and begin gaining altitude rapidly. From the minimal view she had of the cockpit, Ruby could see the pilot flip a switch, turning off the exterior lights of the airship.

"Isn't that illegal, or something?" Ruby questioned the pilot teasingly.

"Not sure if ya noticed miss, but this ain't an ordinary airship. The whole point is not to be seen. Besides, I see pretty well in the dark," the woman replied in a cautious voice, keeping her head straight.

"Scarlette," came Ruby's answer.

"Huh?" the older woman grunted in confusion.

"My name, it's Scarlette. Not princess, or miss," Ruby informed her.

"Oh. Mine's Annette, princess" came the woman's curt reply.

"A pleasure to meet you, Annette," Ruby replied, practically giggling in response.

Ruby was glad the pilot was looking forward, and not at her. If she was, Annette would see the stupid grin on her face. Ruby didn't want to call it a crush, but she was certainly hoping she would see the pilot again.

Looking out the window, Ruby watched Vale disappear below the airship. The city she once called home, being left behind, as quickly as she had arrived. Within a few minutes, Ruby had let the rumble of the airship lull her to sleep.

A/N: Hey two chapters in one week! I hope you guys enjoy this one. The plan for this chapter actually changed pretty drastically. The story didn't change, I just decided it needed more detail. In addition the way I have it working now will just flow a lot better. The biggest change is that this was originally going to be half a chapter, but splitting this one and the next up, just seemed to flow better. I REALLY hate setting timelines, but I'm going to try and have the next chapter out by June 16, Thursday. Don't be too disappointed if I don't make it. I'd appreciate some criticism, go ahead and let me know if my grammar is fucked up, or just let me know what you think of the story. Thanks for reading!