Field testing

With her heart pounding in her ears, Ruby pushed her way past the trees that blocked her hiding place from the wider open area of Beacon Academy. Her eyes were closed tight, her hands clenched into fists to keep them from shaking too bad. After some light rustling of the leaves and branches, Ruby stepped out onto the sidewalk, bracing herself for people to start pointing and laughing at her...

But, there was nothing. Opening one eye a crack, Ruby could see there were dozens of students going about their days, some of them passing within ten feet of where she stood. However, none of them were reacting at all. It was as if she wasn't even there.

Guess Weiss really knows her dust, Ruby thought, smiling to herself and taking another, more confident step onto the sidewalk. The sun felt rather nice against her bare skin. Although, looking at the ground beneath her, Ruby noticed she wasn't casting a shadow at all, even though she could still see her own body perfectly fine. It was as if she was playing one of her video games, and there was a glitch with the lighting mechanic.

This is really weird... Ruby thought, shaking her head to try and clear her brain and focus.

Just a bit ahead of her, Ruby saw a group of students taking a picture together. Grinning to herself, Ruby activated her semblance to rush over and stand between the group and the camera. She held up double peace signs, grinning wide as the camera snapped a shot of the entire group.

"Let me see!" One of the students shouted, moving over to stand behind the camera and get a look at the picture. Ruby held her breath until the girl began smiling and nodding.

"I love it!" she said, hugging the photographer briefly. "Thank you!"

Ruby couldn't help but chuckle quietly to herself. She had no idea who these people were, or why they were taking this picture. All she knew was, out in the world, there was a picture of her completely naked, but no one would ever know about it.

However, her joy was short lived. The rest of the group had begun to disperse, and one of them walked right into Ruby, causing her to give a quiet oof and fall to the ground.

"What's wrong?" the photographer asked, noticing the girl stop suddenly in her tracks and take a small step back.

Panicking, Ruby activated her semblance again and sped away, hiding in the nearest alley. The voices trailed off behind her, as the girl tried to explain there was some sort of invisible wall in front of her. However, judging by their faces, no one seemed to believe her.

"That was close..." Ruby panted, leaning against the wall behind her. That was one thing she hadn't considered, when decided to use this experimental dust. No one would be able to stop themselves from bumping into her. As such, she'd have to make sure to be extra alert of her surroundings. Even more than she normally was, as a huntress.