[5/16 - After Classes]
The bell rang through Professor Goodwitch's classroom as the final spar of the day came to an end. With the victory going to Pyrrha, Professor Goodwitch deactivated the shields surrounding the arena, offered her and another fellow student closing advice, and then turned on her heel as she left the classroom, signaling the end of Combat Class.
Students began filing out soon after, stretching sore limbs and chatting excitedly as the general flow of the crowd drifted toward the cafeteria. Clerval, however, had other plans.
He only had one usable combat uniform left, and the only other pair that's still in his possession had a long, crude tear from Initiation. With a quiet sigh, he resolved to find somewhere to fix it today before it got worse.
He asked his teammates if they had sewing kits or spare cloth to repair his uniform. To his surprise, Ruby chimed in as she pointed out a suggestion.
"Well, the Forge should have sewing kits; tears happen more than you'd think. And Miss Colt should have some spare material lying around." She took out her Scroll from her pocket to check the date.
She threw an enthusiastic fist into the air.
"It's Friday! I need to do my weekly maintenance on Crescent Rose. We can go after lunch!"
There was no real reason to refuse. Clerval nodded, earning a pair of sparkling eyes as she clasped her hands together in barely contained glee.
Weiss, who had overheard the exchange, hummed thoughtfully before giving a slight nod. "Fine. Weapon maintenance is important, especially for something as complex as yours. Just don't stay too long. We still need to review for Professor Port's lesson tonight."
Hearing the curfew set by her partner, Ruby groaned, dragging her feet dramatically as the group waited outside the classroom for Pyrrha. "I've been studying all day, every day, since our first day here. I need a break before my brain melts."
"I find drinking tea to be relieving when dealing with a headache," Ren offered calmly. "Bleh! Renny, your tea sucks!"
"Sorry for the wait, everyone!" Pyrrha called as she jogged over, freshly changed into a clean set of school clothes. With the group finally together, Jaune patted his growling stomach and led the way.
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They waved goodbye to the rest of their friends before setting off toward Beacon Academy's smithing area, stomachs full after a hearty lunch. As they walked, Ruby glanced over at Clerval. "So, about yesterday. Did you manage to find a job?"
He shook his head, explaining that the moment he mentioned being a Huntsman-in-Training during the brief interview, any interest vanished. Concealing his schooling wasn't an option either since applications required identification that clearly listed his course of study.
Ruby sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Yeah... Yang had to look for months before she finally landed her last job. And that was only because Dad knew the owner."
"All that effort, just so she could spend it all on Bumblebee. Pssh." Ruby blew a raspberry. "I could've used that money for way better things!"
Bumblebee? A bee?
Catching his confused look, she explained, "It's her motorcycle. Dad pitched in for her sixteenth birthday—after she got her license. She painted it bright yellow and modded it to be really fast."
She huffed, folding her arms behind her head as she walked. "Yang got lucky, saving for two whole years straight for Bumblebee. I didn't even have time to start a part-time job for my baby before suddenly getting into Beacon!"
She quickly added, "Not that I'm complaining—Beacon's been amazing! I got in two years early, my own team, a partner, you guys, and all that—" She rambled, "But still... there were so many mods I would've bought if I'd had the chance!"
He raised an eyebrow at the mention of her working a part-time job. In the week he'd known her—and after everything they'd been through together—he'd formed the impression that Ruby was more of an introvert who preferred comfort over dealing with strangers.
He kept the thought to himself. Instead, since the topic had shifted, he asked about her early admission into Beacon Academy.
"Oh, that? Well, there was this guy—something with a "torch" for a name—he was trying to rob the Dust store that I was in. So I went in with a fwoosh! and started fighting him. Hwah! Hiyah!"
Throwing some light punches with sound effects to help with the visualization, she continued. "And then he ran. I chased after him. He had company, and I almost got hit by a fire pillar when Professor Goodwitch came in to save the day! Then I met Headmaster Ozpin, and he gave me a spot!"
As she finished storytelling, she gave a thoughtful expression.
"Actually..." she said after a moment, tapping her chin. "I think the store that got robbed was hiring before the heist. I'll send you the location later—it's in the Huntsmen equipment district. Zone Nine."
Huh, Clerval thought, mentally filing it away. Another item added to his ever-growing list of things to do.
After a bit more idle conversation, they finally reached Beacon's in-house facility for smithing and equipment repairs.
"Welcome to the Forge!"
The Forge was cleaner than he had expected. Workbenches ran along the walls, stacked with tools, weapon parts, and half-finished gear, while glowing furnaces and powered machinery hummed softly in the background. In a corner at the back, racks of weapons and armor were neatly arranged on shelves, each accompanied by a small list of services with prices carefully noted on taped notepads.
Watching Ruby greet the blacksmiths and staff warmly, he couldn't help but ask how she knew so much about this place.
She gave a sheepish smile, revealing that she'd been coming here every afternoon—mostly to say hi and to get familiar with the equipment—before Weiss drags me off to do whatever she wants.
Ruby spotted an empty workbench and gently set her Crescent Rose to the side. She then zipped over to a nearby storage container and pulled out a box filled with sewing supplies, handing it to him. Meanwhile, Clerval placed his ripped combat uniform that he grabbed earlier before they arrived at the Forge on the workbench.
"These should be enough for a quick fix," Ruby said, holding up his uniform. "But you'd need more work if you want to fully repair the tear. See this?" She pointed to the largest rip. "The fabric's a bit warped here—I'd go with a flat-felled seam. Oh, and here, and here." She tapped a few more spots. "Eh... No, an overlock stitch would be better."
As Ruby rambled on about stitching techniques and which areas needed special attention with a cute frown, he simply stared at the uniform in his hands. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he listened anyway, planning to look up the techniques and instructions online later.
Unless his Personas know how to sew...
[I am Thou, Thou art I, Wanderer.]
[As you have no experience in such art forms, we cannot assist you, even if our legends once possessed such skill.]
Midway through disassembling Crescent Rose, Ruby glanced over at Clerval and noticed him staring intently at a video on threading a needle on his Scroll. Putting two and two together, she let out a small laugh, quickly reassembling Crescent Rose in a single breath before moving to his side.
"Wanna give me a chance? I'll be gentle and fix it up, I promise!"
With her suggestion given, he gave a thankful nod as he handed her the needle and thread in his hands.
Rolling up her sleeves and lightly moistening the thread with her tongue, thinning it beforehand, Ruby threaded the needle with practiced ease. She studied the tear carefully, adjusted the fabric, and began stitching, her movements fast and steady.
In just a few minutes, Clerval watched in amazement as she effortlessly stitched one of the many tears. Once finished, she gave the repaired area a gentle tug and nodded, satisfied with her work before continuing.
Impressed by her skill, he couldn't help but ask about her mastery with the needle and thread.
The question made her slow her movements. She paused, fingers hovering over the fabric, and mulled it over for a moment before beginning to explain.
"... My mother was a Huntress. Dad and Uncle Qrow always said that she was one of the best that they knew. But during a random mission when I was young, she died."
"I barely remember the exact story when it happened, but Yang did. Dad never really gave any details on what happened. All I knew was that Mom went to a faraway place."
"Dad and Yang are amazing, don't get me wrong, but they were horrible at using the needle! They'd rip cloth faster than they repaired it!"
"And then, one day, back when I'd just started at Signal Academy, I had an accident while practicing my new Semblance." She glanced to the side, a small smile on her face. "And it tore a big hole." Her hands paused on his uniform as they moved to gently touch the red hood draped around her neck.
She looked up at Clerval.
"This hood was my mom's. The only thing we managed to save after she... It was still in good shape. It meant a lot—to me, to Yang, to Dad, to Uncle Qrow. And when I saw that I'd caused the tear... it felt like I did this to Mom herself, you know?"
She continued sewing after a moment to reminisce.
"Dad, Yang, and even Uncle Qrow all tried their best to fix it, but every time they worked on it, the tear just got worse. In the end, they didn't dare touch it, afraid they'd make it irreparable. They could have taken it to a seamstress, but I told them I wanted to learn how to do it myself—to make up for what I did."
"So, I trained for over half a year, painstakingly ripping and repairing cloth of the same material until I could finally get it right. Eventually, I fixed Mom's hood and even reinforced it to make it more durable. After that, I became the seamstress of the house!"
As she finished her story, she gave the clothes a quick inspection before grinning with pride. She snipped the thread and carefully burned the ends to smooth out any loose fibers.
Handing the uniform back, Clerval gave it a quick check, impressed by how flawless the repair looked. It was as if it were brand new.
"Done! How'dya think I did?"
"Flawless," he praised.
She gave a sheepish smile at his words.
In that moment, the voice of Mary rang throughout the deepest part of his psyche.
["I am Thou,"]
["Thou art I."]
["Thou hast established a new path,]
[bringing thee further into your odyssey."]
["With the birth of the Star Arcana,]
["Thine soul shalt be blessed to call forth stronger Personas of the Star Arcana..."]
She coughed lightly into her fist, trying to hide the flush creeping across her cheeks.
"Um..." She twiddled her fingers, taking a deep breath before clearing her throat. "You know… we never really see you at night. And, well... everyone's been wanting to hang out with you—Not everyone persay—"
Blake comes to mind.
"But details. So... Instead of owing me a favor, could we play Wazio Cart together instead tomorrow?"
She said slowly, her eyes going wide, sparkling like a puppy's, as she tilted her head slightly, giving him a hopeful, earnest look. Seeing that she had genuinely helped him without expecting anything in return, he offered a soft nod in agreement.
The crushing hug she threw around him almost made him reconsider.
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STAR (XVII): Ruby Rose
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