Ruby Problems Require Ruby Solutions

Ruby stood at the base of the tree, huffing and puffing. No matter how she tried to scale the tree she never seemed to be able to get very far before she fell back down. Admittedly, most of her problem was due to Crescent Rose. Scaling a tree without one of her hands wasn’t easy, but she wasn’t willing to let her scythe get out of her grasp, not after that Grimm attack. After falling back down the tree for the tenth time, though, she knew she needed to come up with a new idea.

With her limited resources, only one solution came to mind, and it wasn’t one she particularly wanted to do. On more than one occasion, Ruby has used her scythe to launch herself in the air, crossing large distances with practiced ease. It was the obvious answer to her problem, and yet she found herself **** to use it. As it was, she didn’t know if her fight drew anyone or anything’s attention earlier, but on the chance it didn’t she wasn’t sure she wanted to take the risk of firing another shot, potentially signaling her location to anything out there. At the same time… if she did do it, she would at least have her cloak before anyone or anything got to her. Was it worth it?

The answer, Ruby quickly decided, was yes. She didn’t have any time to spare if she didn’t want to spend all night out here searching for her clothes. Getting into position on top of Crescent Rose’s blade, with one arm covering her bust, Ruby pulled the trigger. Suddenly she was soaring, shooting straight up, a tidal wave of cool night air washing over every inch of her body. She flew higher than the skyscrapers that made up the forest, becoming illuminated by the shattered moon like a beacon in the night sky. As she reached the peak of her ascent, she didn’t know why, but she decided to let her arm drop to her side, allowing her bust to join her light show. As she began her descent, the air washing over every inch of her unimpeded, she seemed to relish the feeling, feeling much akin to how she felt after having her bath, refreshed. When she approached the trees, she came back into focus, pulling Crescent Rose to her side, she pushed it forward as her target came into sight. With a show of grace and finesse that would make Yang proud, she used her scythe and her inertia to catch onto the branch and spin her back over it, landing gracefully next to her cloak, pride welling up inside her at her ingenuity. It was short lived. The second her feet touched down, she heard the branch start to crack and tilt downward. A quick glance at where her scythe caught onto told her everything. Her little maneuver, while successful in getting her where she wanted to be, had cut through most of the branch, and under her added weight the branch’s integrity was rapidly failing. Ruby stretched out toward her cloak, heart racing, her eyes darting from the fractured part of the branch to her cloak and back. As soon as she felt the soft fabric of her cloak in her hand, she held onto it for dear life. At that moment, the branch gave way, dropping her. Her fall only lasted a few seconds, her body landing on top of the branch, winding her, before she rolled onto her back onto the soft grass at the base of the tree, struggling to catch her breath, feeling the last of her aura fizzle away.

Her arm slowly pulled her cloak off of its resting place, pulling it over herself, snuggling it. If there was one thing she would never have been able to bear losing, it would’ve been her cloak. Ruby took her time there, catching her breath, relishing the reunion, suddenly feeling a lot more optimistic.