𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖀𝖓𝖇𝖗𝖔𝖐𝖊𝖓

The One in Red

Dante continued to wander the forest, killing any beast that stood in his way. The most challenging creature he encountered was a pair of snakes connected at the hip. With each kill, he was coated in a strange blood that disintegrated with the death of his mark. 

He didn't need to use his blood vials since his rally ability alone would be enough to sustain him. With each wound and cut he received from the these black beasts., he would repay it ten times over, until the ugly thing fell.

Meanwhile, a girl in red watched him from a distance.

Dante felt it immediately, a set of eyes on him. But it felt more like a human's than a beast's. It smelled human, too. As he continued to scan the surroundings, more of the beasts came to challenge him, a human invading their territory.

—

Ruby Rose was not up for this.

She and her team received word of a White Fang patrol that got massacred with no explanation. Their bodies were already festering and had attracted quite a bit of Grimm.

Whoever, or whatever, did this really did not care how they died. It appeared that what killed them just wanted to make a big mess. Fast forward to now, Ruby was following a Huntsman in black slashing apart every Grimm that stood in his path.

Nothing seemed to stop him, until...

He looked directly at her. 'He can't see me. It's impossible.' She blinked and the man was gone. She turned and he was directly behind her. She was on the ground, her Crescent Rose still in her hands. If he tried to attack, she would...

Then the man crawled on top of her, caging her in with one hand on the ground and the other holding the scythe to steady himself, as she sniffed her neck.

He sniffed her.

Ruby didn't know how to react, since this was her first time being literally sniffed. "Eep—" He smelled like fresh blood and dead Grimm, and she didn't know how to react to that either.

"Well, that's good." The man said, deciding that he was done sniffing her. "You're not dangerous, or infected..."

"What do you MEAN infected?! Who are you?!" She yelled as she cocked the sniper rifle, and she saw the man tense. I mean, who wouldn't with a gun pointed at them?

"I'm sorry if I harassed you or made you uncomfortable, miss... What is your name?" He raised his hands in surrender.

"Ruby Rose." Ruby calmed, seeing that the man did not actually pose a threat.

"Alright, Miss Rose..." The man transformed the scythe back into a curved sword and stowed the shaft on his back, now kneeling before her in a form of apology. "I apologize."

Rose was starting to get embarrassed now. She did not expect this form of apology, just as she did not expect this bloodied man to go sniffing her.

"I-It's fine, it's fine, it's fine. Get up, get up."

The man rose once more. "Again, I apologize for... what I just did."

"It's alright. I'm sure it was for good reason." The man was about to leave, no doubt about to head off to hunt once more. "Hey. One question..."

"Why are you covered in blood?"

"Be careful asking questions that you do not want to know the answer to, Miss Rose." The man turned to look at her, with a look that suggested asking more questions would not be good for her health.

After a few seconds of tense silence, the man sighed. "I must go. Beasts to hunt and all."

"ONE more question," Ruby asked.