Ruby opened her eyes and jumped awake, her fight instincts kicking in. Looking around, she found herself in a room that reminded her of her trip to the Hawaiian islands. A nice boudoir was sitting in the corner, along with a desk, complete with a holographic monitor. Getting out of bed, Ruby looked for the tower but found nothing.

“Oh, you are awake,’ a gentle voice spoke in surprise from the door.

“Just so you know I was not crossing the border,” Ruby spoke as a woman walked in. Her cat ears flicked in clear amusement. 

“Well, I doubt my husband will punish you for crossing into Menagerie. You did deal with a rather troublesome grim. He will be more upset with paying a Hunter team to come out here when the prey had just been killed.” The woman responded with a giggle, “My name is Kali. May I have yours?”

“No, you may not have my name, but you can call me Ruby, Ruby Rose,” Ruby responded, drawing confusion out of Kali.

“What?” Kali responded, her ears falling flat and her head tilting.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ruby said after seeing the confusion. 

“Well, the doctor tried to use his semblance to diagnose you but was unable to see anything aside from the large amount of Aura surrounding you. He figured you were just exhausted and said it could take around 18 to 22 hours to wake up.” Kali spoke up while opening the window. 

“First Question, where are my clothes,” Ruby said while getting out of the bed, “The second question is, what is Aura? The third Question is, do you know where I can get some grub and Żubrówka?” 

“One, I had them cleaned and patched. Two that can be explained at dinner. Three, I don’t know what that is, but we will be having Sashimi, along with Miso Sea Bass.” Kali said with a small smile.

“Are there any cookies?” Ruby asked with some hope.

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” Kali said as she opened the boudoir and got some clothes, “I did have these prepared in the meantime. I know how attached Huntsmen are to their outfits. Your War Scythe is in the Armory if you want to have it back during your stay.”

“I am not terribly concerned with my Scythe. I can do some maintenance later, but I am more worried about getting the lay of the land.” Ruby said as she put on the Hakama.

“Well, Kuo Kuana is the only settlement here on Menagerie. Outside of that, vast deserts with a sparse series of Oases. The coast has bountiful fishing, with several coral reefs, an atoll a few miles offshore, and shoals that we keep regular traps from the high tide schools. Our pests are Grim, mostly of the aquatic kind, so most of our fishers are of an aquatic heritage with aura and a weapon. On land, we primarily have Sandworms, as you have seen, along with Deathstalkers and Carnagesnappers.” Kali said as she helped Ruby finish putting on her clothes.

“Well, thank you for letting me shack up for the day and helping me out like this. What can I do to repay you? Deal with a big threat. Search for someone. Hell, I know how to make Damascus Steel.” Ruby offered as she twirled around, briefly getting a feel for the clothing.

“It is no trouble, really. You already killed Dunemouth, and he had eaten seven convoys from the oases this month. I also doubt you can find Blake anytime soon.” Kali said as she opened the door again. “Feel free to explore the house; just please don’t enter Ghira’s study. He is entertaining a Huntsman Team that was brought in to kill Dunemouth.”

“Alright, what time is dinner? Also, where is the Armory?” Ruby asked as she stepped out of the room.

“1830 hours, and follow me,” Kali said while gesturing in a direction.

“So what is with the cat ears? I mean, they are adorable, but I have yet to meet someone who has them outside of Cosplay.” Ruby said, getting a look of shock from Kali.

 

===========================

 

Sienna Khan was worried; her agents in the Menagerie Guard had reported a dangerous human being taken into the Belladonna House. While she did not agree with Ghira on how to get equal rights, she did respect the man. If the reports she heard are accurate, then there is a huge timebomb in their house. Walking up to the door, she knocked on the door, hoping it was not too late.

“Oh, Sienna, how are you? We just set the table. Do you wish to join us?” Ghira said as he opened the door.

“Oh, yes. Dinner sounds lovely if you don’t mind me intruding,” Sienna said while taken aback by his calm demeanor. ‘Doesn’t he know how dangerous of an individual he has in his house right now?’ She thought to herself.

As Ghira led the bewildered Sienna toward the dining room, she heard an enthusiastic voice emanating from behind the door.

“Look, Kali. If you want to make a proper Pazookie, you need Vanilla ice cream, and you need to pair it with an espresso or some other bitter drink.” The timebomb next to Kali said while taking notes.

“Ruby has been talking about different cookie recipes for the past half hour. I have never seen someone so passionate about cookies.” Ghira said with a chuckle. Sienna, however, was frozen as she felt her fight/flight response kick in and glitch out from the monster in front of her. 

“Monster,” Slipped out of Sienna’s lips in a deadly whisper, too quiet for even the faunus in the room to hear.

“Wow, I have been called a demon, a devil, a freak of nature, Rakshasa. But you are the first one to call me a monster. Congratulations, you may call me Ruby, Ruby Rose, what might I call you.” The Devil King spoke with a victorious smile. The feeling of existential dread rapidly receded as the young girl spoke.

“S-s-sienna K-khan,” Sienna Khan studdered out in fear.

“Geeze, I did not realize how fearful you are. It's like the cats and dogs back home. Come on, sit down and grab a plate; the food is fresh off the stove.” Ruby said with a smile.

“Yes, milady!” Sienna said in a jumpy manner, robotically finding a seat.

“Just so you know, I am not a noble, as well as a guest in the Belladonna household. You may call me Ruby or Rose the great and powerful!” Ruby said with a joking smile.

“Yes, Lady Rose,” Sienna said with a calmer voice as her instincts started calming down.

“Oh that reminds me, Kali, you mentioned a person named Blake? Are they missing, or have they threatened your family?” Ruby asked with slight curiosity.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, Blake is our daughter, and she stubbornly followed her own heart and left with a boy named Adam,” Kali said in a worried tone.

“You mean the new head of the Vale Brotherhood? He had recently reported that one of his operatives deserted a week ago.” Sienna said with a thoughtful look. “But I am getting concerning reports from that branch of the Fang.” She mumbled to herself.

“Well, I can investigate for you while I look for Blake,” Ruby said with a shrug.

“Wait, what?” Sienna asked out loud.

“You will look for Blake for me?” Kali asked at the same time.

“I mean, you clearly took care of me while I was out. It is the least I could do that, and I need an ID of some kind. I can pay for that with the forging method of Damascus Steel; it is far superior to the Mild Steel you are using for your weapons. I can also show you how to make better steel for armor.” Ruby said while filling her plate.

“And what is Damascus Steel?” Ghira said with a raised eyebrow. 

“It is a weapon steel that can channel pr-aura within itself, allowing it to cut far more effectively than regular steel while being tough to damage,” Ruby responded as she poured some of the Miso sauce on the Sea Bass, “It is what my Warscythe is made of. If one were to put their aura through the weapon, it would channel it with an estimated 90% efficiency.”

“You do know that most Huntsman weapons have a near 35% channeling efficiency, only going to 40 if the Huntsman personally made their weapon, right?” Ghira said as he slumped in his chair at the thought.

“No, but that just means that you would have the superior weapon steel right?” Ruby responded. 

“Yes, but the issue is, if Atlas were to get word of it, then they would come crashing down like a Hammer,” Ghira mumbled numbly.

“If the country of Atlas is anything like I have heard, then chances are they probably have better steels for their purposes; it would be the Huntsmen Academies and current huntsmen who would flock to Kao Kuana for the material. Plus, there is no machine that can make proper Damascus, as the process is more expensive the second you lose the human touch. Part of the process is channeling your Aura into the metal to form the channels while it is hot and during the quench.” Ruby said while eating the meal. “Also, Sienna, I do hope you have a backup weapon. A whip is good for crowd control or nuisance attacks but not much else.”

“Umm, I don’t have any other weapon, Miss Rose,” Sienna said with a whimper as the full attention of Ruby laid upon her.

“I would recommend you learn some martial arts, maybe getting some armor. Bracers would be good as they can be used to block blades, and if you want a simple weapon to learn, I would recommend a shortsword. I am not saying you should get rid of the whip, as it has good reach. But if someone closes the distance, then you are going to be stuck between a rock and a hard place.” Ruby responded, “I can spar with you after dinner; it would be a nice warm-up from sleeping all day. But it will also let me know your fighting style and how you can augment it for better lethality.” 

“As you wish, milady,” Sienna said with a tremble.

“I am not your king,” Ruby grumbled under her breath. Getting a flinch from the tigress.

“Sienna, why are you visiting anyway? It is rather surprising that you would visit, much less join us for dinner.” Kali said, trying to steer the conversation away from unappetizing discussion.

“Um, yes, well, ugh. I got some rather concerning reports from the menagerie branch that there was a very dangerous individual in your home. I was hoping to assist you if you needed it in handling the problem.” Sienna said, sweat pouring out of her.

“Who is that?” Ruby said with genuine excitement.

“Ruby, I think she is talking about you,” Ghira said with a gfaw.

“Oh, well, at least you care. Any good leader should come to the need of another in a crisis. But next time, bring an army. If you hope to kill an unknown, you don’t hold back until you know they are dead.” Ruby said with a bloodthirsty grin, “Oh, and if you are a King.”

“High Leader,” Ghira interrupted her.

“High Leader, then you need some personal guards; after all, you will always have someone vying for your head,” Ruby said while rolling with the interruption.

“I do have some Personal Guards; they are nearby in case I need backup,” Sienna said with dread filling her gut.

“I would like to see them. First, to check if they are capable, then to see if they are properly equipped.” Ruby ordered with a glare, “Oh, and make sure you call them in after dinner and get them to attack me.”

“Yes, milady,” Sienna said while under Ruby’s glaring eye.

“Good. Also, you should not have your guard too far away; it would not be rude if they were to post themselves outside the domicile. You are a Leader. Act like it.” Ruby said with a grumble.