The Huntsman of Red V2

Chapter 42 The Shining Beacon (1)

Feeling the vibrations in the haul of the Bullhead as the departure doors and walk-off ramp hummed open, Ruby nervously took in a breath to calm herself. She was wearing her favorite red cloak overtop a black long-sleeved blouse with a high-collar and red trim over the sleeves and hem of the skirt; red lacing gave it the impression of frills. Thick black stockings over her legs led to a pair of heavy combat boots with similar red trims, laces, and soles. There was a theme here, but Ruby refused to acknowledge it.

Red was the colour of passion and courage, and she was going to need a lot of that going forward.

Anxiously, Ruby schooled her features when she felt Yang's suspicious gaze continue to scrutinize her.

Yang was wearing something of a yellow theme. Well, it was mainly her long blond hair, Ruby digressed, but the point still stood. Outside of Yang's hair, she wore a tan jacket with an exposed midriff and puffy sleeves. A belt hung over her waist attached to a simple survivor pouch which Ruby was sure Yang always kept a certain digger inside. A pleated brown piece etched with a flame symbol she found cool hung off the right side of her belt where she wore black compression spandex shorts that only reached her upper thighs beneath.

She'd decked herself out to look both appealing and confident at the same time. Other than looking 'cool' for the boys, there was likely another reason as every time her eyes weren't on Ruby, she'd be scouring Beacon's crowd for someone else. This was something Ruby wished Yang would be doing right now rather than staring at her again.

Obviously, reality always seems to differ from what we want, and what we receive.

"You didn't even respond to my Bee's knees, joke," Yang muttered with a frown.

Ruby squinted. Bee's knees?

Yang shook her head. "You weren't even paying attention earlier, were you?"

"W-What do you mean? Of course, I was! I'm just excited is all! This is Beacon!" Ruby interjected, trying to inject as much bubbly enthusiasm as she could. However, there was a stark difference between trying to be bubbly, and being bubbly.

Yang inwardly scowled, figuring that Ruby was hiding something from her, but not prying too deeply as she was also guilty of hiding things. Still, Ruby was at that age, and she swore that if it was a boy who couldn't take no for an answer...

Yang sighed, placing a hand over her face and shaking her head while she, Ruby, and many other passengers disembarked from the Bullhead and into Beacon's school grounds.

The place was beautiful, opening into a white central plaza with an open fountain at the center. The gardener and décor designer of the place must have been of exceptional quality to even include a marble statue of a Huntsman at the middle of it all.

In any case, sight-seeing was the furthest from Yang's priorities. She rolled her eyes, and noticed that vacantly vigilant, almost pensive expression on Ruby's face again.

So much for excitement, right?

"Excited, are you?" Yang raised a brow, Ruby's features stiffening as she caught herself.

"Y-Yeah, how can I not be?" She stammered hurriedly.

"Even if you're the odd one out on special admission? You know, the bee's knees?" Yang repeated what she'd said earlier, and this time she knew Ruby processed it as she nearly tripped over her feet.

Oh. Oooh, that's what she meant by bee's knees. O Brother Gods.

"B-But I don't want to be the bee's knees," Ruby tucked her neck into her shoulders, glancing at the people around her and praying that none knew that she was younger than all of them. She didn't want to stand out. Just because she was on a personal mission didn't mean she'd cured her poor social skills. "I don't wanna be any kind of "knees"! I just wanna be a normal girl, with normal knees- Yang, now you made me think about it! Nooooo!"