Chapter Text
Badlands, May 2077
Honestly, Ruby felt weird about the decision she was about to make. Living in the Badlands was all she ever knew, but deep down she knew she had to go… if only to make sense of all this.
It was right when she got her modded crimson red Brennan Apollo, personally dubbed “Crescent Rose”, just outside of the camp when she heard footsteps and a voice “Kiddo, I really hope you’re not doing what I think you’re doing.” Hearing which prompting Ruby to turn to face her uncle (half-uncle?) Qrow. Ruby just glances down at the sand as she says “What do you think I’m doing?” To which Qrow responded “Making a dangerous risk. I don’t mean anything by this Ruby, but you don’t have a clue what you’re going to be facing out there.”
Ruby had sighed knowing that he was obviously talking about Night City, the place he told her earlier where her mother died, where her father was living, as well as her half-sister Yang that she didn’t even know about beforehand. She then looks towards her uncle (half-uncle?) as she says “Maybe you’re right. But…” stopping herself upon realizing she couldn’t seem to call him Uncle Qrow, not when she didn’t know where they stood. Had this messed with her that much? Shaking her head she then continued “You and the rest of the clan, you all taught me how important family is. Now I know that I have family that’s not just here, and something could’ve happened to them. I have a father out there, a sister, and I need to know if I still have a chance to meet them… I can’t just let this go Uncle.” Sort of surprising herself due to her prior hesitation, but the conviction in her eyes is something Qrow definitely caught if his sigh was any indication. He then walked over and held out a Lexington pistol, saying to his niece “Then at least trust me when I say you’re gonna need this.” Prompting Ruby to briefly flashback to when he taught her to shoot when she was younger. She then says “You sure I’ll need it more than you?” To which Qrow gave off a “heh” before saying “I’ve still got Harbinger handy, I’ll be fine.” Leaving Ruby to chuckle slightly at the reference to her uncle’s SOR-22.
Ruby then reached for the pistol, taking it in her hand before Qrow pulled on it by the barrel slightly, saying to Ruby with a serious expression “And there’s something else you should know Ruby. Night City ain’t just dangerous… it changes people, and more often than not it tends to put anyone who lives in it through hell and back. It’ll ask you to make sacrifices, put what you hold onto the most at risk… don’t let it take that away from you, you hear me?”
Ruby was silent as she took note of the look in her uncle’s eyes, like he went through something in Night City… after a moment she just nodded before saying “I promise.” Which prompted Qrow to let go of the Lexington before Ruby holstered it under her loose red jacket. Qrow then says “Be safe out there pipsqueak.” Before Ruby nodded and revved up Crescent Rose, accelerating before turning left and riding off into the desert. Little did she realize just what her life was about to become.
Preview: As Ruby felt the Maglev shake a little as it moved across the tracks, she leaned back as she heard a nearby radio someone brought in play from a station, closing her eyes as she heard a song play just barely over the noise made by the Maglev’s movement.
”She pulls my trigger, got me up alright. It’s a danger pretty here in Night City…”
Ruby then felt herself slip back into the moment as she heard chatter and opened her eyes to see some rugged guy with a black coat walk in the middle of her section of the Maglev before drawing a pistol and firing it upwards, startling just about everyone present. The man then started waving his gun around pointing at random people “Hands in the air, slowly! Unless any of you want a bullet in your skull!” Prompting most of the people to put their hands up, fear vivid on their faces.
Ruby put her hands up as well as the man spoke again “Any valuables you got, hand ‘em over. Empty your goddamn pockets, you hear me?!” And when he looked over to the opposite side of the Maglev from where Ruby was sitting, she lowered one of her arms as he seemed to be focused on that group, reaching for her Lexington.
Just as she was about to take aim he turned around and spotted her, pointing his pistol her way “Oh, trying to play hero girlie?” to which Ruby said nothing, instead attempting to smack him in the face with her pistol only for the man to catch her arm and throw her to the floor, aiming at her with his gun. He had a cocky smirk on his face as he spoke “Lemme show you what happens to heroes in this town.” But before he was able to pull the trigger he got shot in the hand, the shock of it causing him to drop the pistol as he screamed “Gah, what the fuck?!”
It was right around then that Ruby noticed everyone was looking to the other side of the maglev, prompting her to look over her shoulder and see a woman with red hair tied into a ponytail armed with a Liberty pistol that she had aimed at the mugger. The woman then said “Maybe you should’ve thought to bring friends before trying to rob a crowd of people like this.” Before a man with spiky blonde hair got up and knocked him out from behind with a punch to the back of the head followed up by a kick, cybernetic fingers revealed to Ruby as the crowd seemed to relax. The blonde man then approached to offer a hand to Ruby, which she grabbed as he helped her up while saying “You ok?” To which Ruby responded “Yeah, thank you.” Before noticing the man had a katana at his hip, prompting her to say “Who are you?” To which the blonde answered “My name’s Jaune, this is Pyrrha.”
Pyrrha then spoke up as she approached the two “And you are?” Leaving Ruby to say after a moment “I’m Ruby.”