Why was she here?
Sitting on the marble floor Zeffre considered the question. Normally at this point in a new universe she would be out gathering resources; guns, money, a new ship, stuff like that. The Settled Systems were large enough to where nobody would miss a few pirate bases and a pile of bodies after all.
She leaned back, helmet bouncing off the stone wall of the Sanctum Universum building.
None of those things would really be interesting. Fighting regular humans had long become boring, even when she appointed her own self-imposed challenges to make it more difficult for herself. Zeffre smirked at the memory of her using only swords in one universe, that had made things more entertaining at least.
"Hey. You," Zeffre said, the speakers on her helmet subtly distorting her voice as she spoke at a passing by Universalist, "nice hat."
The human stopped. "Thank you," she said, smiling as she continued on her way.
Zeffre sighed, "Yeah, keep walking," she muttered to herself, watching the human as she walked away.
There wasn't any particular reason she was antagonizing Sanctum members. Then again, there wasn't any particular reason for her to do much of anything really.
The Priest exited his office. He'd done that four times since she had arrived, walking around to talk to the Sanctum members, their conversations full of smiles and laughs. He was pushing a metal cart.
Zeffre watched as he pushed the cart over to her position against the wall, smiling at her as he gently put down a plate and some cups on the floor in front of her before sitting down on the floor opposite her.
"What."
The Priest poured some liquid out of an electric kettle into two cups. "I thought you might be hungry and Sabrina brough in some delicious snickerdoodles that I think you might like."
"Pfft… Are you going senile in your old age? I don't need to eat."
He smiled, taking a bite from one of the cookies. "No, I understand that you don't need to eat, but I find the act in itself to be delightful. Sweets and some nice hot tea to wash it down I find are a pleasant experience to enjoy, especially with others."
Was he serious? "You're probably wondering why I've decided to intrude on your little cult huh," Zeffre asked, smirking under her helmet.
"I don't think I'd agree with your use of the word 'cult', but that would more depend on your definition of cult." The Priest took a sip of his tea, contemplating her obvious jab before shrugging, "Linguistics and interpersonal communication are funny that way aren't they? Two people can say the exact same thing, but depending on the person they could mean two completely different things." He placed down his teacup. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't answer your question did I?" he smiled. "The Sanctum is open to anyone who would like to enter, and you are no exception."
Zeffre stared at The Priest. This conversation was already starting to get annoying. "I could be here to kill everyone," she said, smiling under her helmet. "It wouldn't even take more than a minute." She leaned forward. "Just imagine the news on SSNN, 'Massacre at the Temple' would be the headline," she said, gesturing with her left hand. "Burnt corpses and a smoldering building being all that remains of the original Sanctum Universum building on New Atlantis." She laughed. "It'd be one hell of a story."
The Priest took another sip from his teacup. "While I agree with you that would definitely make the news…"
Zeffre's eye twitched at his look of contemplation.
"… I don't think you're here to do anything like that."
"Then why do you think I'm here," Zeffre growled. Internally she was surprised at how much venom she put into the question.
"I have no idea why you're here. Do you?"
Zeffre stared intently at him. "If I eat your food will you leave me alone?"
The Priest smiled. "For now. I really do think you will enjoy the snickerdoodles."
Grunting, Zeffre removed her helmet, cobalt blue hair flowing down her back. She made no attempt to hide her scowl at The Priest. "Fine."
----
"…So, then I motion everyone to be quiet," Zeffre said, walking backwards on the sidewalk. "Something was wrong. Looking through the wall I could see someone pushing a cart had just entered the range. Now remember, technically we are breaking and entering," she said, laughing. "Gathering our things, I go over to a window and motion everyone to go and," she giggled, "and Ruby goes out clutching Crescent Rose looking terrified—"
"I was nervous!" Ruby said, face bright red.
Zeffre grinned at the two of them. "And, right before I am able to get outside, I hear someone shout 'Hey' from behind." She waved her hand. "At that point we all start sprinting away from the range, me and Yang laughing like crazy, Blake's smiling, and Ruby," she let out another giggle, "Ruby is so scared of getting caught she uses her Semblance to cross the field! From a janitor!" Zeffre lost it, stopping in her tracks to double over laughing.
Weiss covered her mouth with a hand, trying and failing to control her own laughter.
Ruby nodded her head sagely, face still red from embarrassment. "Okay maybe I overreacted in that last part," she admitted, making Zeffre laugh even harder.
As Zeffre's laughter quieted into light giggles she fell back, standing beside Weiss and allowing Ruby to continue leading the way.
Around them the commercial district was alive with activity. Delivery trucks and cars passed by them while the trio weaved through the crowded sidewalks; the aroma of different street vendor carts filled the air with a savory sweet scent that made Zeffre's mouth water. Above them an airship flew low over the city, momentarily casting the street into shadow before the late morning sun reasserted itself.
Today was a brilliant, outstanding, amazing, stupendous, some other adverb. Zeffre was feeling amazing, especially when compared to how she felt yesterday.
It really was a perfect day.
Ruby and Weiss had changed out into their more casual clothes for the trip, with Ruby wearing her red and black dress while Weiss wore her elegant white dress.
Zeffre just wore her Beacon uniform. She got some odd looks from people on the street.
"So… that is how you got detention on your first day," Weiss said, smirking as Zeffre's laughter quieted into light giggles.
Zeffre scratched her cheek. "Heh… yeah, fun fact, I'm the only person at Beacon Academy that uses a rifle chambered in twenty-millimeter. Would've been good to know that before I left all of my spent casings behind."
The trio walked the sidewalks of Vale following their intrepid leader as she led them on their journey. Walking past a newsstand, Zeffre took a cursory glance over the front page. She stopped immediately.
Grabbing a newspaper Zeffre dropped a Lien card on the stand and continued walking, staring at the headline.
"Miss! Don't you want your change," A voice shouted from behind her.
Zeffre ignored the voice, staring at the picture taking up the front page of the paper. It was of an old man in a business suit posing against the backdrop of a city, hair snow white with a matching goatee. She recognized this man.
Slayton Peridot Making Moves into Vale
"Zeffre?"
"Huh," Zeffre muttered, scanning the article. 'What a weird coincidence…'
Weiss poked her on the shoulder. "I didn't know you took the news so seriously."
"I usually don't." Zeffre said, looking back up. 'It's probably nothing,' she thought, putting the newspaper in a trashcan as they walked by.
"Hm." Weiss glanced at Zeffre. "We're getting you an actual outfit after this."
"What do you mean? I've got my uniform?" Zeffre said.
"A school uniform is not an outfit," Weiss said. "We need to get something that is more… you."
"I… guess?" Zeffre said. She didn't mind getting new clothes, she was just happy that Weiss had decided to join her and Ruby for their parts hunting trip in Vale.
They were technically not skipping classes, a version of Weiss, Ruby, and Zeffre were at Beacon, just not these versions. Yang and Blake had to stay behind because Zeffre could only summon three duplicates. She had no idea how Guardian Fionn was able to do it.
Zeffre loved abusing her Starborn powers.
"We also need to get you a haircut," Weiss stated.
Zeffre grasped a lock of her blue hair protectively, aghast. "What's wrong with my hair?"
Weiss gave her a flat look. "It looks like you cut your own hair," she said evenly.
Zeffre tilted her head slightly. "That's because I do cut my own hair…" she said, brow furrowing. Why would that be a problem?
Stopping, Zeffre looked at her reflection in a glass storefront window. Her hair was a little over shoulder length with a jagged edge, the cobalt blue flecked with the occasional streak of silver with a larger tuft of silver hair running down her bangs.
"Exactly," Weiss sighed, putting her hands on Zeffre's shoulders, turning her to continue their walk, Zeffre blinking in confusion.
----
"Waltham's Surplus…," Zeffre read aloud from the sign displayed over the… store?
The building wasn't really a storefront. Ruby had led them to what would better be described as a modified warehouse, the exterior unpainted red brick with a covered glass entrance.
"Is this really the place," Weiss said, sounding unenthused.
"Looks like it," Zeffre said, grinning. She held her hand out to Weiss. "Come on, these places are great! You never know what you'll find."
Weiss considered her offered hand, glancing at the warehouse once before looking back. Sighing, she grasped Zeffre's hand. "Alright, but I seriously doubt there is anything in a place like this that I'll be interested in."
Zeffre's smile widened. "I can guarantee that I can find something you'll like in a place like this," she said, leading the two of them inside the store.
Weiss hummed.
For a moment, just a moment, Zeffre doubted if she could uphold her promise. All she knew about this place was that it was a surplus store where they could get the parts for Veiled Night; there was no guarantee that anything in here would interest Weiss. Her doubts vanished as she entered the air-conditioned warehouse.
Aisles reaching all the way up to the exposed metal ceiling filled with things. Even in the dim white lighting of the store Zeffre could make out a wide range of items. One aisle looked to be entirely made up of electronic components with another filled with antique rugs. The air was heavy with the scent of industrial oil, lacquered wood, and dusty books.
"Do you smell that Weiss?" Zeffre asked, taking a deep breath.
"I wish I didn't," Weiss said, scrunching her nose at the smell.
"That's right. It's the scent of discovery," Zeffre said, oblivious to Weiss's comment. "Let's look around!" she said, leading Weiss by the hand.
The two girls' footsteps reverberated off the bare concrete floor of the warehouse, passing by the occasional shopper pushing a cart. Zeffre needed to also find something for Ruby before finding her. It would be funnier that way.
'What would Weiss like…,' Zeffre thought, leading the two of them down an aisle of antiques. '…she drinks tea…'
Letting go of Weiss's hand, Zeffre grabbed a sliding ladder for the aisle and began pulling it alongside them, the ladder squeaking as they walked.
"Zeffre, you really don't need to get me anything," Weiss said, watching as the other girl scanned the shelves.
"Hm… I don't 'need' to do most things…," Zeffre said quietly, "but I want to get you something."
Abruptly, she stopped, eyes locked onto something on a middle shelf. 'That'll work.'
Scampering up the ladder, Zeffre retrieved whatever had caught her eye and descended back down to Weiss, item in hand.
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "A teapot?"
Hopping down the last few steps, Zeffre enthusiastically nodded her head. "Yep, a teapot."
The teapot in question was an unremarkable red clay Mistral teapot. The exterior had a slightly rough texture, devoid of any decorations except for some light scratches from use. It looked large enough to make maybe five cups of tea at a time.
Weiss gave her a skeptical look that made Zeffre blush.
"You know… I mean, I was thinking that we could talk about things over tea? Not to say we can't just hang out together, but I mean… coffee isn't exactly relaxing and… uh…," Zeffre handed over the teapot, her blush intensifying. "Sorry if it was a dumb idea."
Holding the teapot Weiss's look softened. "You mean you want to have tea parties together?" she asked playfully.
Zeffre tilted her head slightly, still blushing. "It doesn't need to be anything as extravagant as a party."
Smirking, Weiss appraised the teapot. She gave a thoughtful 'hmmm' as she removed the lid to look inside, the sound of scraping stone highlighting how this was a clay teapot. Replacing the lid she then stroked her chin for a moment. "Fine. You win, I like the teapot."
"Yes!" Zeffre not shouted, doing a fist pump before taking back the teapot. "This is why I said I'd find something you'd like instead of love. Gotta set realistic goals."
Weiss rolled her eyes at Zeffre's antics.
"Now… we just need to find something for Ruby." Zeffre said, cradling the teapot in her arms.
----
They found Ruby wandering the aisles talking with an elderly man.
"There you are," Weiss said.
'She might be annoyed that it took us five minutes to find her,' Zeffre thought, bundle under one arm and teapot in another. "Heyo Ruby."
Ruby stopped reaching for a part on a shelf to look at them. "Huh? Oh, hey!" she said. "Where were you guys? I thought you were following me, and you both just vanished."
Zeffre held out the teapot. "I found a teapot. Also, Ruby!" She exclaimed, handing the teapot to Weiss before she snap-pointing at her friend. "Are you interested in learning a valuable life skill that is sure to open door for you," she pronounced, putting on her best saleswoman voice.
Ruby ran over to Zeffre, vibrating in excitement. "Yes!"
"In that case I have picked out just the right gift for you," Zeffre said, presenting Ruby with a bundle she had been carrying under her arm.
"Awesome!" Ruby shouted, looking down at the leather bundle. "What is it?"
"A lockpicking kit."
"Oh, you meant that literally," Weiss said, the dryness in her voice drowned out by the shared enthusiasm of Ruby and Zeffre.
Ruby looked back up. "I don't know how to lockpick."
"But wait, that's not all. For the low, low price of absolutely free I will teach you the art of ignoring locks," Zeffre said, continuing in her announcer voice. "After all, locks are merely suggestions and cannot hurt you."
Ruby and Zeffre cheered.
Weiss sighed.
The old man coughed.
"Oh." Ruby blinked. "Weiss, Zeffre, this is Harold Waltham," she said, gesturing over to the man. "Harold, these are my friends Weiss and Zeffre."
"A pleasure to meet you Mister Waltham," Weiss said, her annoyed expression replaced with a pleasant smile.
Zeffre raised her free hand. "Yo."
Weiss elbowed Zeffre in the ribs.
"Ow." Zeffre gave Weiss a questioning look, rubbing her ribs with her free hand. "What?"
Weiss sighed.
Harold Waltham was, in Zeffre's opinion, a frail old man. Short, wearing spectacles over his sunken grey eyes that looked at the two of them as if they were nothing interesting; his eyes did linger on Zeffre for a moment before looking away. He was wearing tan slacks and a stained white button downed shirt under a heavily stained brown work apron covered in black grease.
"You the one who suggested the capacitors?" Harold asked.
Zeffre nodded. Ruby must've already told him about what they planned to do.
"You need to add a secondary Dust crystal to better draw the energy." Harold told her. "Your original design works, but it puts too much strain on the crystal; you'll burn it out in a week otherwise."
Zeffre looked up at the ceiling, considering his suggestion. "Huh… I hadn't considered the strain on the crystal itself…"
"I know," Harold said, turning away from the two girls to gather more parts off the shelf.
"Jerk," Weiss muttered under her breath.
"Not bad advice though," Zeffre said, walking over to a smiling Ruby.
"Right? Harold's an amazing weaponsmith! I showed him our plans to modify Veiled Night and he offered to take a look at it!" Ruby said, swapping the teapot in Zeffre's hand with a red folder. "I love coming here to buy parts and talk with him about weapons and ideas."
Harold shrugged, putting a box of Dust crystals into the cart. "It's nice to have an intelligent conversation every once in a while," he said, moving to push the loaded cart to the front of the store.
Following, Zeffre opened the folder. She was met with a wave of red ink. Every page had at least one suggested revision to their original plan with different parts crossed out in red.
As Harold rang them up Zeffre and Ruby went over the suggestions. Or, well, Zeffre went over the suggestions, and Ruby helped to explain the parts that weren't obvious to Zeffre.
"Also the lockpicking kit and teapot," Zeffre said absently, looking at a suggestion for how the blade should be connected to the frame.
Weiss stepped forward, reaching into her purse.
"Weiss what are you doing?" Zeffre asked, handing the folder to Ruby.
"…Paying?" Weiss said.
Zeffre shook her head, reaching into her jacket pocket for her credit card. "While the idea of you buying your own gift from me is hilarious, no. I'm paying."
"Zeffre, seriously, it isn't a problem," Weiss said.
Locking eyes with Weiss, Zeffre wordlessly handed over her credit card.
Taking back the card, Zeffre then handed Weiss the red clay teapot. "Too late."
Weiss let out an amused breath, graciously taking the offered teapot.
Everything else was placed into a small wooden box.
Taking one of the boxes, Zeffre gave Harold a bright smile. "Thank you for pointing out the crystal issue. I'll definitely read over all of your suggestions before we get started."
"Parts quest: Complete!" Ruby shouted, pumping her fist in the air.
"Haircut and clothes quest: Start," Weiss said, grabbing the Zeffre's hand and almost dragging her out of the store.
----
Weiss stroked her new red clay teapot with a thumb, feeling how its slightly rough surface contrasted against porcelain.
Zeffre was… strange. All of her talk about Artifacts, Temples, different universes… Even her age was unknown to her; she had told them she hadn't counted after a while, but that the number was definitely above one hundred.
Leaning back in her seat outside the boutique's dressing rooms Weiss closed her eyes.
Something was deeply wrong with Zeffre. The abridged story she had told their team was suspiciously light on personal details, and that conversation on the roof…
Weiss's grip on the teapot tightened.
Hearing the glee in Zeffre's voice as she told the story of Servant, seeing that empty smile as she described something so terrible that had happen to her… That amount of self-loathing had been terrifying to witness. To see how truly broken Zeffre was on the inside, to feel how desperately she clung to Weiss when she finally got through to her.
Weiss sighed, wiping a stray tear away with her thumb.
What she knew was that Zeffre had obviously been through a lot, probably too much for her to ever truly understand, but what Weiss did understand was that she never wanted to see Zeffre like that again.
Zeffre was incredibly fragile. She didn't seem to care about her own wellbeing, and someone could very easily manipulate her into doing whatever they wanted; Zeffre most of the time wore her feelings on her sleeve and easily crumpled in emotional conversations. Weiss got the feeling that Zeffre, despite her long life, wasn't used to emotional manipulation.
If someone like her father got alone with Zeffre knowing what she was capable of…
Weiss's thumb grazed the teapot's lid, the slight scrapping noise bringing her out of that particular thought.
'To keep Zeffre safe I'll need to keep her close,' Weiss thought. Zeffre wouldn't mind, and besides, Zeffre's willingness to do whatever someone she trusts asks of her was too big of a risk. She needed to watch her.
And... maybe it wouldn't be entirely a bad thing to have Zeffre so close.
The door to the dressing room opened.
Peeking her head out of the room, Zeffre, sporting a new haircut, looked around before settling on Weiss. Her once uneven shaggy blue and silver hair now cut into an adorable shoulder length shaggy bob with bangs giving her an adventurous look. Weiss thought she looked very nice.
"Are you finished?" Weiss asked.
"Uh… yeah," Zeffre said, letting out a light laugh as her cheeks became faintly pink. "It's just that, uh… I might not make the outfit you picked out look good."
Wiess gave her a playful smirk. "Are you doubting my fashion expertise?"
Zeffre's eyes went wide. "No! It's just… uh… I…" she sputtered before stepping out of the dressing room.
She was wearing a knee-length pale blue dress with long sleeves and a slightly flared pleated skirt, the sleeves fitted her wrist. A large navy-blue bow was attached to the dress collar that matched the navy-blue scarf that had been repurposed to cinch the waist, the golden symbol facing out asymmetrically down her left side. For shoes Weiss had helped her pick out a pair of black pumps and long white socks.
Weiss stared at her in silence. 'She thought this looks bad?'
Zeffre shuffled in place, her blush intensifying. "Um… I'm sorry if this looks bad."
"You look amazing," Weiss said, the words coming out unintentionally.
"I do?" Zeffre asked, her nervous expression quickly fading.
Standing, Weiss walked over and gave Zeffre a quick, small hug. "You do," she said, smiling.
"Oh… Uh… Thank you," Zeffre said, her voice quiet, smiling softly.
Weiss smiled back. It hurt to see her friend so unsure of herself.
'She'd look great in makeup.'
Weiss took a closer look at her. "Do you wear makeup?" she asked.
Zeffre cutely tilted her head, expressive blue eyes blinking in confusion. "I know nothing about makeup." She shrugged. "It wasn't important; I usually didn't care about how I look to others," she said, brushing her hair with a hand.
Weiss grabbed her hand. "In that case I know exactly what to get." she said, leading her away to the perfume section of the boutique.
----
He really did have to wonder what Zeffre was thinking.
Leaning against a brick wall somewhere in Vale, Hunter silently watched the world pass him by. He didn't pay it any attention, the filtered air and controlled temperature his Venator armor provided him was more than enough to make him feel comfortable even as stood in direct sunlight.
Zeffre wasn't stupid. She knew what he knew, understood that this universe was just one of infinitely many. This planet, these people, were ultimately as unique as one grain of sand in on an vast endless beach.
She just needed a little help in re-learning this fact.
It was all the same song and dance time after time really.
Enter into a new universe, gather resources, locate the Artifacts then Temples then enter the Unity. A simple, direct sequence of events that was the only constant he had found in his existence, and it was one that he had become particularly good at.
"Hi!"
Hunter tilted his head to the side, his hidden eyes slightly widening as they met a pair of silver.
'Just my luck.'
He closed his eyes, refusing to even acknowledge her presence.
"Uh… Hi," she said again, this time a little uncertain before her enthusiasm came back in full force. "I'm Ruby!"
"Good for you." There were only a handful of people on Remnant that he would rather not meet, and Ruby Rose was definitely one of those people.
"Thanks!" Ruby chirped, smiling broadly up at Hunter.
Sighing, Hunter opened his eyes and looked down at the girl. "What do you want?"
Ruby smiled broadly at him, enthusiastic as ever. "I just wanted to ask if you knew somebody named Zeffre?"
Under the helmet Hunter's face twitched, a feeling of… something passing through him. A feeling that was quickly and brutally suppressed. "Why do you think I know anything about her?"
"For starters you knew she was a her—"
He really shouldn't be talking to her.
"—and you're wearing the same cool armor she does," Ruby finished.
"…Educated guess." It would be just his luck that this Zeffre had somehow met a version of Ruby.
"Oh, okay."
Ruby was still staring up at him.
"What."
"What kind of weapon is that?" Ruby asked, head tilting in a painfully familiar way as she pointed at the sheath on his waist.
'She really still doesn't understand 'go away'.'
"A deadly kind."
"…"
"…"
"Can I see it?"
"No."
"Please?" She asked again, a slight whine in her voice.
Hunter swallowed his frustration. "No. Go away."
Ruby fell to her knees, hands clasped together in a begging gesture. "Pretty pretty please," she begged, eyes wide, watering.
Hunter could taste his own blood as he bit down on the corner of his cheek. He needed to leave, to disappear for a few days. To—
Glancing down at Ruby once again the feeling came back, more intense than last time.
"Fine," he said, drawing his weapon from the scabbard.
His sword was something he had constructed himself after arriving on Remnant using some knowledge he picked up in his travels. The blade was tarnished silver with a straight channel on each side of the blade long enough to classify it as a longsword, with a complex working of gears exposed where the blade met the black handle. Externally it was a deceptively simple-looking weapon with no extra adornments or decoration.
Ruby immediately shot back up to her feet. "Thank you!"
"Don't mention it."
Ruby inspected his weapon with an intensity that was almost, almost, endearing, the silver of the blade glinting in the sunlight. "Can I hold it," she asked innocently.
Hunter was only able to get the first syllable of 'No' out before Ruby's puppy dog eyes made him stop. "Sure," he said, tossing the sword into the air with a spin, effortlessly catching the blade and holding out the hilt towards her.
The second Hunter let go of the blade Ruby's eyes went wide. "Woah."
Hunter couldn't stop the slight smile that went across his lips, crossing his arms as he watched her.
On the sidewalk pedestrians gave the two of them a wide berth as the fourteen-year-old girl expertly swung the sword, moving with an expertise that was rare. "This is so cool," Ruby muttered to herself, swinging the sword quickly before abruptly stopping the slash, momentum causing her to spin. "When I'm holding it the sword feels light, but when I move it feels like it has a lot more force than it should."
"Why do you think that is?" Hunter asked.
Ruby made another horizontal slash. "It's like… like it has more mass than it should." She looked at him. "Does it use gravity dust?"
It wasn't a bad guess. "No, the blade is made of a caelumite alloy," Hunter said, smiling at her under his helmet.
Ruby stopped posing a public hazard and stood still, inspecting the blade. "Caelumite… What's that?"
"A material that doesn't react normally to gravity. It—" What was he doing?!
Hunter's smile immediately dropped. "Give it back to me now," he demanded.
Eyes wide Ruby quickly handed Hunter back his sword, withering as he stared down at her.
With a grunt Hunter placed his sword back in its scabbard, frustrated at himself. He should not be interacting with her at all period. She was not her; a lesson he had learned lifetimes ago, no matter how much she looked and acted like her.
Pushing himself off the wall Hunter began walking away. He needed to not be here.
"Where are you going?" Ruby asked, walking beside him.
"Away from you."
"Why?"
'She is as persistent as her.'
Hunter clenched his fist at the stray thought as he continued to walk. Ruby would tire herself out eventually and go away, and at this moment that is all he wanted.
The two of them walked in silence for a few minutes, Hunter never looking at his new shadow as he fixed his gaze straight ahead, walking in a straight line. If these people weren't smart enough to get out of his way then that was their problem to deal with, not his.
"So…," Ruby began, Hunter trying his best to ignore her. "What's you weapon called?"
Hunter didn't respond.
"Mine is called Cresent Rose!" she said, voice full of youthful excitement. "I don't have her with me at the moment, but I think you'd like her. She's a cool bolt-action sniper rifle and scythe!"
Hunter didn't respond.
"Now, I know what your thinking. A scythe? That isn't a normal weapon at all, why would you ever choose something like that? Are you crazy?" Ruby said, her voice changing tone as she rattled off the hypothetical questions. "Well, the reason is my uncle Qrow is an amazing Huntsman at Signal and his weapon, Harbinger, can also transform into a scythe and—"
Hunter stopped.
"Unmitigated Violence," he said, staring straight ahead.
Ruby's smile brightened as he stopped. "What did you say?"
He turned to look down at her. "My weapon's name. It's Unmitigated Violence."
Her smile never left her face. "That's a cool name, a little aggressive, but it is a weapon," she said, laughing nervously as he stared down at her. "Uh… Is that just a cool name?"
"In any world there is only one constant, a simple truth that people don't like to think about. People like to believe that their intentions matter; that with a righteous cause backing them it is impossible to fail," he said, turning to face Ruby. "They are wrong. The only deciding factor in any conflict is simply a matter of which side can employ the most violence to the other. Force and violence are the only things that truly matter; power is what dictates who is right. Everything else is a shared delusion."
"That's a bleak way to look at life," Ruby said, her voice quiet, subdued.
"Life is bleak."
"Ruby!" a voice shouted in the distance before the space in between Hunter and Ruby distorted and, in a flash, a blue figure appearing directly between the two.
"Hello Zeffre."
----
Author's Note:
I'm not dead! Sorry for the long wait, but there was something about this chapter in particular that didn't sit right with me and too a while to work out. Good news though is that I now have a more concrete plan of where this story is going to go moving forward.
Also, a slight hint for later but the Hunter is not Aquilus. I'll leave it up to all of you to understand what I mean by that.
