Fear... [OPEN]

[littlefairytale]

Who: Ruby Rose & You!
What: Delayed onset post-event fallout, mostly
When: First half of September
Where: Library, Sports Deck, ~around~
Warnings: Death discussion, child soldiery shit, aftermath of baby's first traumatising excursion, etc.
Notes: Ruby stayed 'til the end of the zombie night and she's physically fine now but uhhhhhh hows about those voices and familiar looking zombies, huh. Turns out repression only lasts so long. Feel free to flip to brackets I am fine with either style.


1. I'd understand, if you'd rather not talk about this [Hallways]

It's the first time Ruby's received the summons to the sundries shop for a gift. She isn't really sure what to expect and the box she receives is long and shallow, which doesn't give her any immediate clues, but there's a sort of nervous anticipation anyway. Clarke said that half these gifts seem to be designed to hurt. Does that mean she shouldn't open it, or she should just rip off the bandaid?

She originally resolves to decide when she gets back to Cabin 108, but somewhere along the walk she makes a different choice. The longer she's holding it the more nervous she gets so just get it open and deal with it.

The subsequent fumbling isn't why the package ends up on the floor. No, the package ends up on the floor because Ruby catches a glimpse of what's inside and startles, reflexively letting go. The sword clatters to the ground and Ruby is left there standing with wide eyes, her hands over her mouth, feeling like she's just been punched in the gut.

2. There's always a chance, that we might remain in ignorant bliss [Library]

Ruby ends up in the library for a couple of reasons: first, thinking about her conversation with Rin, back when they'd first arrived in the diner, and second, because she needs to find a way to distract comfort pass the time. That's all.

She's flicking through the seemingly endless collection of books when she first realises she actually... recognises a title or two. The Man with Two Souls, The Thief and the Butcher—novels from her universe she doesn't expect to see. She picks the first out to flick through to confirm, and keeps it out, but she doesn't sit to read it. Instead, she keeps searching, and finds what she's looking for. An anthology book of fairy tales from Remnant.

Before long she's sat cross-legged on the floor, nose buried in the familiar stories. Find her maybe reading the Story of the Seasons, The Grimm Child, The Warrior in the Woods... especially that one. That one's her favourite.

If you try to get her attention, she'll probably hear you, but on a bit of a delay, head lifting after a couple of seconds. "...sorry, what was that?"

3. Most of the time we coast along, safe from the storm [Sports Deck]

Some of those who were out there clearing the front of the diner, or who came in from the cliff group, might recognise the scythe wielding teenager as she makes use of the sports deck to try and get out her pent up energy. It lacks some of her usual grace, today. She's uneasy and her head isn't clear and that makes for sloppy form, but she's trying.

She's trying until she thinks just a little too hard about the last time she was using Crescent Rose and it's like a being suddenly splashed with frozen water. She lands badly, almost twists her ankle before she lands on her ass, and Crescent Rose skids along the floor until it stops a couple metres away.

"Brothers'— ugh!" Ruby, uncharacteristically, pounds a fist down against the floor, then immediately looks embarrassed, for it. Especially realising she's not alone. "...uh. Whoops?"

4. We follow our hearts, trust what feels right [Cabins, Deck]

It's actually the second package she receives a few days after the first that pushes things over the edge. It seems innocent enough, at first, opening it up to see a stack of new clothes in her typical style, folded up neatly in layers. It's not until the bottom most layer that something is wrong: the cloak isn't red, like the trusty familiar cloak around her shoulders, it's white. It's white with red lining. Like the cloak that belongs to Summer Rose, her mother.

She sits there, running the fabric between her fingers, for a solid minute before the tears start coming. It isn't like the sword, there aren't the pulls and rough edges and other signs of wear that would indicate this was the cloak her mother wore the day she went away to die, but—

a. On top of hearing Penny's voice, the zombies and the sword... the weird feelings about how here she isn't expected to be the one making the tough calls all the time... what Salem said about Summer mere hours before she arrived here, something she hasn't even tried to process... it's just a little too much.

The door isn't shut fully, so when she starts sobbing, face buried in the material, you might hear her through the crack in the door. If anyone knocks, or pushes the door open, or calls through to ask if she's okay, she'll immediately try to wipe her face and clear her throat to say, "I'm okay, you don't— you don't have to pay me any mind, sorry."

b. Or you might catch her later, when the tears are dried up but the stress is pushed down under only the thinnest layer of protection, wearing the white cloak around her shoulders in place of her own. Stood at the railings, looking out over the water, the cloak blows in the steady breeze and if anyone here knew her mother they'd probably take a moment to realise she isn't her, but, well, sometimes that's how it feels with people from home, anyway. The shadow of Summer Rose is bigger than she is.

If someone comes up on her, she'll turn her head towards them and just... smile. It's a little strained, a little not-quite-real, but it's still a smile. "Getting some fresh air too?"

5. Keep to the norm [Wildcard]

Find me at bluecitrine or at artisticblueteam#5757/in the discord. Throw anything at her, she obviously has to eat, she'll go to places like playback, whatever. After she's got the new cloak, you might also find her wearing it in the other prompts that repeat over days (training, library) or just... sat around with the hood up.

Comments

we follow our hearts, trust what feels right

[twelfthsong]

This particular version of the Doctor isn't what anyone would consider the best at comforting people. He's more inclined to try and dispel tense situations with humour which typically has mixed results. Then there are other moments when his more pragmatic nature takes over and he completely blunders the situation, arguably making it worse. It's partly why he tries not to or leaves it up to anyone else with him to do the caring.

There's no one else with him here though. He hears the sob and a part of him fully intends to walk on by but then he stops cursing himself. The one thing that has never changed for him throughout his regenerations is that he can't ignore a crying child.

So he nudges the door open with his foot peering in, digging around for a cue card that could potentially fit this situation. They're not a 1:1 fit but this one seems close enough. He clears his throat reading off the card that has Clara's neat handwriting. "I can see - hear - that you're upset. Can I do anything like fetch you a glass of water slash tea slash beverage?" His face twists slightly as he reads it out.

Beverage? What is he a waiter?

[littlefairytale]

The combination of the cue card, the read out slashes, and his expression almost make her forget the sheer embarrassment (or... something like it, embarrassment isn't quite right) of being caught crying for a moment. She wipes at her eyes again and bites back a little bit of a giggle, then breathes and actually answers.

"I mean, I— I like tea, but I'm okay, really," that is blatantly a lie, you know, considering the sobbing she's barely got restrained even now, "I guess things— I guess the last few weeks just caught up with me, a little. Is all."

[twelfthsong]

A bit of a giggle is still a giggle and he can’t help but feel a small sense of relief trickle through the tenseness in his body. Levity is good. Levity he can work with because god knows he hates when children - or in this case, teenagers - cry.

“Well, I have it on fairly good authority that tea does help in situations like this. Apparently it’s a British thing. Or a Clara thing. Maybe both.” He quickly tucks the cue card back into his coat pocket. “I’ll be right back. Try not to cry more - you’ll get blotchy.” And then he’s gone.

[littlefairytale]

She has absolutely no idea what British means but she did meet Clara, so there's something there she understands, at least, and hey, she can agree tea helps too. Her dad always brought out the tea.

"I'll— uh, I'll try?" she says after him, but off he goes and she shakes her head with another quiet almost-laugh. Wipes her face again and tries to even out her breathing. The cloak's still in her lap, material still between her fingers, but she doesn't look at it directly so she won't start up again.

She's usually pretty good at keeping up the strong face, she's surprised this managed to get to her so badly.

[twelfthsong]

True to his word the Doctor all but beelines it to the buffet, accosts a handful of the tea selection and returns several minutes later with a tray of cups and a teapot full of hot water. With full hands he has to nudge the door open again with his boot, creating a dull thudding noise against it. It was partially to open it again and to also announce his arrival. There wasn’t any sound of crying but he couldn’t be sure. Sometimes people were quiet criers.

“Didn’t know what type of tea you wanted or how you take it.” Now that he’s in the room he stands awkwardly in the doorway trying to figure out the best place to put it. “Also didn’t know what your preference was for a cup. They’re all hideous, but I’m sure one of them will suit.”

[littlefairytale]

The couch is rarely if ever pulled out into a bed, since Ruby sleeps in the real bed and Clarke tends to curl up in blankets on the floor if she sleeps at all, so Ruby vaguely gestures at the table in front of it. It's got enough space for a tray.

Her eyes are still shining, but she's blinking back or wiping away any tears that threaten to well up again before they can actually fall.

"They— they uh, probably don't have the kind of tea I usually drink, anyway. I'm not from an Earth." And most of the trappings of this place are very centred on Earth, so... chances are the exact kind of tea she's used to isn't here, but, "But I'm not too fussy. Thank you. Um—"

Very carefully setting the cloak down on the bed, she shuffles to get up and actually look at what he's brought.

[twelfthsong]

"Neither am I. But we make do with what they have." The shining eyes that threaten to spill don't go unnoticed but he ignores it for the time being. He fusses with the tea tray and even though there's a couple of teabags on the tray already, the Doctor starts pulling out the various tea bags he also stuffed in his pockets.

"Right. I have..." he squints at the packaging. "Bamboozled, Crypt Keepers Delight, Dulce and Banana - these are awful they don't tell you anything about what they actually are." He rattles them off, all but tossing them back onto the tray as if they're playing cards. "Magnolia oolong and oh this one is actually quite clever - Bohemian Raspberry. And...a green tea." When he's gone through them he looks at the girl with a bit of a huff. "I'd say you're spoiled for choice."

[littlefairytale]

"I mean, bamboozled at least describes how confused you are trying to figure out what it is, I guess?" It's a weak joke, but it is an attempt at one nonetheless. She picks up some of them to look herself, before settling on, "Maybe... Magnolia oolong, that sounds almost like something I'd usually drink. Maybe save the others until I'm feeling braver."

She's ostensibly referring to her bravery facing new flavours, and she is, but she doesn't feel particularly brave at all right now. This place really does have a way of making you feel powerless, sometimes.

That aside... she will also pick the most obnoxiously flowery cup. Just because.

"Does your universe still have an Earth? Because mine doesn't, which has been interesting." She's guessing yes since he mentioned Clara, but hey, you never know, and she'd rather ask an obvious question than risk crying again regardless.

[twelfthsong]

The Doctor appreciates the attempt at humour because he's done that himself one too many times; his lips lift slightly in acknowledgement. "Magnolia oolong it is then." It sounds a little too flowery for his tastes, but he can't really be considered an expert of what tastes good when he overloads his beverages with sugar. He makes quick work of pouring the hot water into her cup along with the tea bag before going to pick Bohemian Raspberry for himself.

"It does, it might just look a little different depending on what time you visit. What part of the universe are you from?"

[littlefairytale]

"My planet is called Remnant." She sits herself down cross-legged on the couch so she can just reach out and grab the cup after it's steeped long enough. "There's no other planets around us, it's just... Remnant and our moon. There must be others further away, we have stars, but..."

She shrugs one shoulder. Apparently that's what happens when your planet was a test run by a couple of Gods who abandoned it as soon as their creations did something to displease them.

[twelfthsong]

"I've never heard of it." But then again he knew that there were plenty of universes out there apart from the one he had travelled. Crossing universe streams was always a little more tricky than he liked but maybe someday. Or maybe not considering everything he had been there.

There's something in the way her voice trails off that tells him she has more to say and because he's curious he can't help himself. "What was it like?" It might not be pleasant but at least it might be better than whatever she had been crying about. At least that's what he hopes.

[littlefairytale]

"So far no one has." So she's not surprised, the closest world to one like hers so far is apparently actually an Earth anyway. "Remnant is— beautiful, and dangerous. It was... designed that way by two brother gods, one of destruction, one of creation. They're long gone, now, they left millennia ago, but... their legacy definitely remains."

In many, many ways she doesn't immediately get into. Explaining Ozma and Salem is... difficult at the best of times, because it's just an extremely complicated situation she's still constantly working to understand.

"Most of the planet is still overrun by monsters called Grimm that prevent most humans and faunus from really living outside of four main kingdoms. We have hunters and huntresses to defend people, kingdoms and smaller settlements alike, which is what I do."

At seventeen. Her official training started at thirteen and technically she should only have graduated to being a huntress at twenty-one, but... well, nothing in her life has really worked out like it was supposed to.

[twelfthsong]

He snorts slightly; not so much at Ruby's words but rather at the thought of two 'gods' simply becoming bored with whatever it was they were doing and leaving. At least that's what it sounded like to him. "Were the Grimm part of the whole creation plan?" He could only assume so - but sometimes creatures were made by accident and then gradually transformed over time into something sinister. Life had a persistence to it even when people or gods tried to interfere.

The bit about her fighting though causes him to pause before he takes a sip of his own tea. "You can't be younger than 15." Or maybe it was 10. It was so hard to tell ages when time ran in a linear fashion. People were fine with training children to become child soldiers in your world?

[littlefairytale]

That's not all that far off, really. Less 'bored' and more 'disappointed in', but close enough. "Yeah, they were. Mostly the God of Destruction's plan, but the God of Creation didn't tell him to get rid of them after they both made humanity so... they stuck around. I think they've gotten worse with time."

Mostly because Salem keeps making new and exciting (horrible) Grimm forms to set on people... she shuffles forward to grab her own cup now and takes a sip as she sits back again. Exhales slowly for a second before saying anything else. "I'm seventeen, plus a few months. Aspiring huntsmen all start early, it takes a lot of training to get used to using our aura, to unlock and learn to use our semblances, to master fighting... inside the kingdoms that means combat school, I started at thirteen. Outside of the kingdoms kids usually learn through experience."

It's all extremely normal for her. She's at least the second generation of her family, on multiple branches of the family tree, to go into huntsmen work. She's also the second generation on the same branches to get into things far bigger than that.

[twelfthsong]

He notes how easy it is for her to relay all that information to him. "So you were built to not be scared?" It was another broad stroke that he made based on people he had met in his past: kill the proverbial child, raise the huntsman or soldier or whatever variation populaces decided to label their fighters. It was a narrative he was tired of hearing and encountering.

Despite that, he continued on lightly seemingly determined to press on, to pull her away from whatever she had been crying about before he had stumbled upon her. "If you're seventeen and made it this far, you must be skilled at what you do."

[littlefairytale]

"I mean, I still get scared, sometimes, we all do, but... we learn to deal with that and keep fighting, yeah." She takes another sip, then settles with the cup held low in her lap. "Grimm are attracted to negativity, especially fear, so it helps to be able to control your emotions."

Which isn't actually why she's personally so bad at handling negative emotions, but it does have a cultural impact on her world.

"But, yeah, I'm pretty good— or, well, no, I'm very good at what I do, I just... don't like bragging, heh." She flashes a smile as she says that. "I got boosted up two years in school, actually! I'm not in school anymore, there... there was an attack, and so we've been rather thrust out into the real fight, but my friends and I do the best we can."

There's definitely a flash of some complicated emotion when she mentions the attack that doesn't totally go away after she continues, but she tries to hide it by bringing her cup back to her lips.

[twelfthsong]

"Shame," he starts lightly, "because being scared is a superpower." He now knows who he really learned that from but it doesn't make it any less true. It's what helps get him through some tough moments too, after all. And god knew he needed to be reminded of that every so often.

The Doctor's eyes meet hers just as she starts speaking about she was pushed two years ahead in her schooling. "And why not? You should brag. That's a big accomplishment. Not just anyone gets sent ahead two years." He tries to keep the tone light because yes, there, at least for a moment he thinks that he can draw her attention away from whatever troubles she had. But then he catches the other look. Instead of addressing it he raises his eyebrows in acknowledgement. "I'm sure you do. After all, they have someone who was at the top of their class."

[littlefairytale]

"That's definitely not a line I've heard before. Being scared being a superpower, I mean."

When she goes on, there's the tone of someone who can both take a compliment when it's given, but also doesn't totally know how to handle it or think she deserves it. "I was less 'top of my class' and more helped stop an active robbery and got the headmaster's attention that way, but— I guess that's true, heh! My friends are all really, really good at what they do, too. I wouldn't have gotten half as far without them all."

She knows she's good! She's really good. It was just also a lot of pressure for someone who shies from special treatment, and it's entirely likely Ozpin only moved her up because he realised she would be important with Salem getting bolder and...

It's complicated, is all.

[twelfthsong]

"Think about what your body does when it's scared though. It pumps adrenaline into your veins making you run faster, think faster - why couldn't it be considered a superpower?" It had been years and years since he had been a child, but there was still a child-like reassurance in being able to turn something that many were often told to push down.

He can't help but give her a bit of a cursory glance, tone somewhat firm as if he were talking to an especially anxious university student after a group project had been handed in. "It's good to give credit where credit is due. But your friends likely say the same thing about you."

[littlefairytale]

"When you put it like that... yeah, I guess that's true. I unlocked my semblance back when I was a kid," as if she isn't still a teenager, "because I got scared in my first training fight and sort of..." She mimes with one hand something nyooming off into the distance. "I used to mostly use it as an escape trick, but not so much now."

She learned to use it just as much to charge into fights as out of them. Sometimes this goes better for her than others.

"Right, they would. Sorry, I get like— a lot about how special I am back home, mostly because of my eyes, which I hate even saying because it sounds so... arrogant? Which I guess makes it hard to accept sometimes."

[twelfthsong]

“I think anyone would react that way the first time they’re faced with something like that.” He shrugs. “I run away all the time from thing all the time.” But he also ran towards things most people wouldn’t so in many ways it evens out.

“Your eyes?” This causes the Doctor to turn towards her, looking for something different about them that he hadn’t noticed before. “Are they out of the ordinary at home?”

[littlefairytale]

There is something a little different about them. Hard to pin down if you're not looking closely. They're an unnaturally bright and clear shade of silver, not grey, which wouldn't be all that remarkable alone—Ruby has naturally black-to-scarlet gradient hair, genetics in her world clearly aren't the same as others—but there's a little something else.

There's a sort of sense of light behind them. Like an actual energy contained within. Without having it pointed out, though, you might just think of her as someone with particularly pretty eyes.

"They're silver. Which, apparently, means I'm descended from a lineage of legendary warriors who can use their silver eyes to destroy even the largest of Grimm. I'm... not quite there yet, I can only freeze the biggest."

[twelfthsong]

When she calls attention to it, the Doctor can clearly see the glimmer of something more. He leans forward just short of it being uncomfortable before pulling back.

"Freezing anything is a terrifying and impressive skill. How big do the Grimm get typically?"

Grimm could be any old word, the definition in and of itself supposedly describing a sinister thing but he couldn't just assume that it had anything to do with the Brothers Grimm. But then again it was hard for him to not want to cover all his bases when it came to brothers with a penchant for writing fairytales with consequences. He needed more information first - he hated being wrong in public.

[littlefairytale]

Ruby instinctively leans back just a little when he leans in, but sits up straight again easily as soon as he's backed off.

"Most Grimm only get—" Her brow furrows, trying to think of a way to quantify this without having to self-reference, "a storey or two tall, at most, before we kill them. Beowulves, Ursa, Nevermores, Goliaths—wolves, bears, ravens, elephants—they start about the size of a normal animal then... get bigger, the longer they survive."

She's fought many Nevermore that are as big as airships. There's also countless other types of Grimm, some resembling prehistoric animals, some insects, some more humanoid...

"The biggest are things like Leviathans, they get taller than most buildings. I froze one of those temporarily. Then there's the Wyvern I froze on top of Beacon Tower, during the attack, but... I don't remember much of that night. I just know it's the biggest Grimm anyone's seen in years."

[twelfthsong]

Most people’s reaction to hearing about big, quite literally gargantuan monsters would to be afraid, but there’s just a simple look of wonder on the Doctor’s face. He’s come across plenty in his time but hasn’t seen anything quite like what she’s describing at such a large scale. He’d love to see one - and then remembers that he won’t be able to. Not with this face at least.

He raises his tea cup to his lips again brushing the thought away as quickly as it had come. “They sound fascinating and I still think you need to give yourself more credit. Your ancestors might be disappointed otherwise.”