Chapter Eleven: The Power of a Name

There was no denying that Hatra was a shithole, but it was a shithole with character. Hatra was a massive claustrophobic mess of a city. It was originally constructed as a fort over a hundred years ago. Most of the land around the fort has been too unstable to build on, as a result any expansion had to be within the eight square miles of buildable land. As such, all the expansion had to be vertical. Due to Hatra's placement halfway between Vacuo and the Sanus continent's eastern coast, real estate within was in high demand. The result was hundreds of high rise building all built against each other. From the outside it looked like a massive walled fortress, the majority of the city sitting at around four hundred meters in height.

The air in the streets was heavy with the the constant humidity that plagued the city. Water dripped from walls, and pipes hanging over head; puddles lining the narrow passages they called streets. To someone unfamiliar with the place, they would normally find it suffocating; for Haziq however it was his home. Navigating the twisting alleyways and creaky catwalks between buildings, he felt a sense of comfort. A feeling that didn't just come from being in his home, but knowing that this was a place where he had power, respect, infamy.

Haziq wasn't a major play here; he was a middleman, but to even be able to call himself a middle man here held a certain prestige. One didn't get to where he was without being willing to sacrifice. He had spent most of his life working for his boss; Haziq had started working for him before he had even hit puberty. He never had any other choice after his parents ran off, and dumped him in an alleyway, but he'd never regretted a single day he'd spent working for the boss. Even as a child, the man had seen something in him. In their organization one didn't get special treatment for being a pitiful kid. It was a far too uncommon story for a kid to find themselves here all alone. So if one wanted to get fed, to have a place to live, to make money, they produced results.

They called themselves the Wardens, and they ran this entire city. There was no real governmental supervision in a dump like Hatra. As a result, law enforcement had been almost entirely pushed out of the city. Even so, major crime was quite low in Hatra. Here anything that made money was business for the Wardens. No one in Hatra made money without giving their due to the Wardens, and if someone got in the way of business there was an even steeper price to pay. The Wardens had made it clear a long time ago, that nothing interfered with their business more than serious crime. As such, justice in Hatra was swift and merciless.

Haziq's current task was yet another means to that end. He left this morning to relay information, and a job. Walking behind him, was another one of the men that worked in their massive organization, Daud, or as he was more commonly known, Easy D. The boy behind him couldn't stand the nickname. In this city nicknames came about two ways; you either did something great, or you fucked up. Easy D got his nickname by being easy to scam into selling product far lower than he should have. Most people, the boss would make an example out of; luckily enough for Easy D, even though he had no senses for business he had other talents that made him valuable to their boss.

Haziq stopped as they came to a nondescript door in the hallway of an apartment building. Beyond that door was the means to his end. He turned back to find Easy D shirking away, his demeanor frustrating Haziq. Not wanting to knock on the door with him looking so pathetic, Haziq snatched the man by the back of the neck.

"Stand up straight god damnit. What's wrong with you?" Haziq scolded the younger man.

"You know this isn't going to work! I've never been able to read this bitch. Why do you think now would be any different?" Easy D had asked Haziq the same question earlier, but had received no answer.

"Listen, I don't know if it'll work, but it's worth trying again. It's early right? Maybe we'll wake her up, catch her while she's tired and off gaurd," Haziq reasoned with his partner.

"Fine, fine, let's just get this over with," Easy D knew it wouldn't work. Or rather it would yield the same results it always did. He had never actually told anyone what he saw when he read her.

"Good, now put on your game face, and let's wake this bitch up," Haziq commanded, almost eager to get started.

Haziq reached his hand forward to knock, only for the door to swing open before him.

"Morning boys! How can I help you today?" the cheery greeting came from a young woman with red and black hair.

The men's faces paled in shock at being blindsided by her, "Ah, Miss Ruby, as beautiful as ever. What are you doing up so early in the morning?" Haziq smoothly answered.

"Talking to you two apparently. So the real question is, what are Haziq and Easy D doing at my door so early in the morning?" the woman replied in an upbeat manner.

"Can we come in? It's a somewhat…sensitive subject," Haziq pleaded with her.

In response to his request, Ruby stepped out of the doorway, holding it open for the two. They stepped into her tiny one room apartment. It wasn't anything worth speaking about. She had a bed, a desk and workstation, a closet, a dresser, and a bathroom. There was no decoration or sense of self to the room.

"As spartan as ever I see Miss Ruby," Haziq commented, looking around the room.

"You know, you should really live more like a lady. Even here in Hatra to live like this is just sad," Easy D added.

Ruby smiled at their criticism, "That's rather comical coming from the goons running around wearing pinstripe suits."

Haziq let out an exaggerated sigh, "I understand how you feel Miss Ruby, but the way you live, the way you dress; you'll never be able to find a man willing to marry you. I suppose I may have no other choice than to marry you myself."

"Wow, I'd never thought about it like that. To think that there really isn't a single man in all of Hatra who'd be willing to marry me," Ruby answered emphasizing the words for Haziq's sake.

"As crass as ever Miss Ruby," Haziq replied sighing.

"I'll be a lot less crass when you tell me why you're here," she answered jovially.

"Fair enough," Haziq gave in, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a photo, "This little shit is why I'm here."

Ruby grabbed the photo looking it over. The person depicted was a boy in his late teens, and had the same look about him as the rest of their gang, "What happened he steal from ya? Or maybe he screwed your favorite whore?"

Haziq scratched his head in frustration, "I wish it was so simple. Kid's name is Daniel, works under me, but he went missing a couple days ago. No contact at all. He's got a bit of a drug problem, so I'm worried that he got himself wrapped up in some bad shit."

Ruby eyed Haziq with a quizzical expression, "So? Doesn't this happen all the time? What's so special about him?" Ruby quickly clasped her hands over her mouth, letting out a shocked gasp, "No, don't tell me Haziq! Is he your lover?"

"Fuck this bitch, Haziq she has no respect! Why do we have to go to her for help?" Easy D exclaimed out of anger.

"We have to, because I can't risk fucking this up worse than I already have. The boss will have my head if I don't find the fucking brat," Haziq answered in a low voice.

Ruby's eyebrow raised at his statement, "The boss? Ooh, this is juicy isn't it?"

"He's the boss' nephew. I haven't told him yet, that's why I want you to find the little shit before the boss hears about this," Haziq revealed.

"And, what do I get out of this?" Ruby questioned.

Haziq pulled a tan envelope out of his pocket, handing it to Ruby, "Half now, half when you find the kid. Also, I got that address you wanted. You find the kid, I give you the address."

Ruby perked up at the mention of the address, "Alright, I'll find him. If he's so important though, why don't you find him yourself? You have a lot more resources in this city than I ever will."

"Word travels fast here. If rumour got out that I was running around looking for the boss' nephew, he'd hear real fast. If it were someone like you though, you could just tell everyone that he owes you some money. Boss won't bat an eye over a squabble like that. He's more the type to let the kid figure out those problems on his own," Haziq explained.

"Sounds reasonable. Do you have any leads on where I can start?" Ruby sat down, turning her gaze towards Easy D who had remained mostly silent; her cold gaze sent shivers down his spine.

"Only one, a girlfriend of his named Ella. He talked about her from time to time. From what I know, she tends to hang out at the clubs on the upper levels," Haziq informed her.

Ruby rolled her eyes at the statement, rubbing her hand on her forehead, "Let me take a guess, eastern bloc?"

Haziq smirked at her frustration, "Finally starting to get the lay of the land, huh? You guessed right."

Hatra being the lawless dump it was, had always attracted it's fair share of criminals and outcasts. The lower levels tended to be fairly tame, being down closer to the rest of civilization tended to keep people's heads on a bit straighter. The further you climbed up the city though, the more twisted it seemed to get. The worst example of this was Hatra's upper eastern bloc. It was where the worst of worst congregated. Even the Wardens tread carefully when they entered that place.

"I suppose I'll manage. Well if that's all your business with me, you can see yourselves out now," Ruby spoke letting out an exaggerated moan.

"Suit yourself, I was completely willing to sit here and discuss life and stuff with you," Haziq joked, turning for the exit.

"Well I for one couldn't be more eager to leave," Easy D hurried for the door, sparing no time in leaving.

"Have fun boys, don't get into to much trouble," Ruby mocked, as monotone as possible. The gangsters left her apartment, closing the door behind themselves

As they exited the room, Ruby collapsed onto her bed, dreading the start of her morning routine. She looked over at her clock, noting that she was already running late due to the impromptu meeting. Ruby turned her eyes to the letter on her desk labeled, 'Stevens,' after this job she would finally be able to mail it. It was long past due, but Ruby had decided to write a letter to the man's ex-wife. She had Haziq track down her address; now she just needed to finish this job.

Slowly forcing herself back out of her bed, Ruby finished putting on what she needed to before she headed out for the day. Just the same as every morning, Ruby would get out of bed and dress herself to go train. Before she stepped out the door, she stopped and grabbed a large metal plate, strapping it to her back.

Stepping out of her apartment and into the stifling air of Hatra's streets, Ruby felt her motivation plummet even further. As much as she would love to take the day off, Ruby knew that if she did, it would make it that much harder the following mornings. Picking up her feet, Ruby began to run, ensuring she wasn't going in the same direction as the two gangsters. If there was one thing Ruby liked about Hatra is that it could always give her a great workout. The twisting winding streets, and the massive staircases connecting everything always left her dripping in sweat. It was always hard to say for sure with the way Hatra was laid out, but Ruby guessed she ran around ten miles every morning.

She would end her run on the roof, picking up a large steel pole filled with concrete. Once she was there, Ruby would train just the same as she would if she had her scythe. She still hadn't built herself a new weapon, finding that the parts she needed were much harder to come by in Hatra than they had been in Vale. Ruby had been practicing for nearly an hour when her concentration was interrupted when a projectile filled her vision. Ruby moved her hand just in time to catch the item; in her hand she held a bottle of water.

"You started late this morning," the senile voice broke the morning silence. A fairly plain old woman. She had white hair, that she wore down; her face was somewhat wrinkled, but not as much as you'd expect from someone her age. The clothes she wore were simple, and wouldn't stand out the least in Hatra. Perhaps the only thing that stood out about the old woman, was a black gem that seemed to be embedded in her forehead.

Ruby moaned, knowing the old woman would make things that much more difficult on her for it, "The Wardens paid me a surprise visit."

"You were late," came her simple reply.

"How would you even know?" Ruby argued. She had met the woman early on during her stay in Hatra. One of the Wardens had picked a fight with her, before things could get serious the old woman had kicked both their asses after hardly lifting a finger. The warden that had started the fight was uncharacteristically apologetic. As Ruby would later learn, the old woman had hardly done anything but flex her aura a bit.

Wanting to learn to better control her aura, Ruby had sought the woman out; hoping that she would be able to better understand whatever the strange silver light that manifested around her was. Though it had been a nightmare convincing the old woman to teach her, she had eventually been able to get her to crack. That was when she began her morning routine.

"Perhaps if you were a better student, then you would know the answer to that question. Let's go, we have work to do," the woman demanded.

Ruby groaned, following after the woman. As much as she frustrated her, Ruby knew she was right. Ruby was an awful student. The majority of the training consisted of exercises of precise control of her aura, and meditation. Ruby was much better suited to physical, aggressive training. What she was learning now, took a great deal of self control and patience. As much as it pissed her off, Ruby felt that even if she wasn't able to get the skill she wanted out of the training; she at least felt like she was far more in control of herself than she had ever been.

When she had first arrived on the roof, the sun was just breaking the horizon. Sparing a glance over her shoulder, Ruby now found it well above the horizon, "Hey old woman, how much longer are we gonna keep at this?"

"We will keep at it until I say you're done. Now have patience, child," the way she scolded Ruby only made it that much harder for her to concentrate.

"The wardens visited you this morning? That Haziq boy and his companion Daud?" She questioned Ruby.

She pulled this all the time, and Ruby had no idea how or why, "Yes, once again you demonstrate that you know everything. They came by this morning, had a job for me."

"You shouldn't have accepted. It would be in your best interest to go back and turn them down," the old woman stated plainly.

"What!" Ruby jumped up from her sitting position on the roof, having to grab ahold of a nearby railing as her legs wobbled underneath her. The woman would quite frequently demonstrate that she knew things she had no business knowing. This was the first time she had ever told Ruby what to do based on that information, "Just who are you to tell me what to do?"

The woman smiled, her eyebrows raising slightly, "My apologies if it seemed that way. I was simply making an observation. This endeavor will cause you a great deal of grief in the future."

"Oh, so you're a fuckin fortune teller now too?" Ruby mocked.

The woman sighed, "There is a great deal you still don't understand, child. Regardless, I know that you will still still go in search of the boy."

"Yea, sorry if I don't much feel like telling life advice from some senile bitch who can't even remember her own name," It was a frustrating subject for Ruby. From the first day she had met the woman, she had refused to tell Ruby her name. In fact, no one in Hatra knew the woman's name.

"A name can hold a great deal of power, giving others that name can give them power over it. Your name in particular holds great sway in certain places," the first part she had told Ruby before, but the second statement caught her off guard.

"My name? What the hell are you talking about?" Ruby demanded an answer.

"The name Ruby Rose is something quite incredible; as you will learn in due time," she answered cryptically.

Ruby's eyes went wide at the statement. Not once since she had fallen into the ocean, had she told anyone her last name, "We're done for today!" Ruby grumbled as she grabbed her things and headed for the door.

"I suppose we are," the response came as Ruby entered the stairwell.

Ruby stormed her way back through the twisting streets of Hatra, trying to calm herself down. She felt her pocket, double checking that the envelope she was given earlier was still their. Heading back to her tiny apartment, Ruby took a small detour, heading for the market.

Hatra's main market was a rather impressive sight to behold. It was set up in what was meant to be a ballroom in the lower-mid levels. The actual building itself was one of the shorter ones in Hatra, the market being on it's top floor. The stalls of the market occupied two massive open floors, with a giant glass dome overhead. Much the same as the rest of Hatra, even the market was a twisting mess of stall and booths. To the inexperienced shopper, it was like a vast maze.

Ruby had been here on a number of occasions; she had at first considered the trip a necessary evil. Despite that she now found herself coming here quite regularly, and actually somewhat enjoying the trips. Making her way through the maze of stalls, Ruby made a beeline for a specific shop. She already knew the trip was pointless, but continued her trek even so. After a short walk, she arrived at a nondescript stall, loaded with electronics and weapons parts.

"Hey Jen, got my part yet?," Ruby asked the woman at the counter.

A woman in her late 20's stood at counter, staring Ruby down with a smug grin on her face, "Pretty sure I told you yesterday, that it won't be in until next week."

Ruby scratched her head, a sheepish look on her face, "Oh, did you? I just get so scatterbrained sometimes. By the way where's-"

"Ruby!" the small voice cut her off and answered her question. Ruby looked down at the child attached to her leg, with a smile on her face. The girl was eight years old, with dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes, and adorable fox ears. Ruby knew the faunus side must come from the girl's father, as her mother had no noticeable faunus features.

"She's right there," Jennifer answered chuckling.

Ruby reached down and rubbed the small girl's head, "Hey Ferrah!"

Jennifer rolled her eyes at the two, knowing Ruby had only come to see the child. Leaning down behind her stall she pulled out a small box, holding it out for her daughter Ferrah, "Zachary's been expecting this, can you take it over to him for me sweetie."

"Okay!" the young girl exclaimed taking the box.

"Ruby, would you mind going with?" Jennifer asked already knowing Ruby's response. The man the box was going to wasn't actually expecting it until the next day, but she decided to give Ruby an excuse to make a certain stop on the way.

"Of course, Jen," Ruby happily accepted the request, already planning to make a stop along the way.

Ferrah tugged on Ruby's shorts, extending her tiny hand for her to take. Ruby reached down, taking the girl's hand in her own, and began their walk through the mess of stalls. Ruby made an effort to go visit the young girl as often as possible; frequently spoiling her at the market. She knew that Jennifer didn't always entirely approve, but at the same time she didn't complain much.

"Hey Ruby, did you go see the old lady again?" Ferrah innocently asked.

Ruby's expression turned somewhat sour at the mention of the woman, "Yea…"

"Is that why you're grumpy?" she questioned.

Ruby was surprised that the little girl had seen through her so easily, "Is it that obvious?"

"Yea, cause you're squeezing my hand a little. I thought you might be grumpy," she explained, Ruby instantly loosening her grip on young girl's hand.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry! I didn't hurt you did I?" Ruby panicked out of concern for the little girl.

Ferrah simply shook her head in response to Ruby's concern, "Why does that old lady always make you grumpy?"

Ruby pondered the question, at a loss for a solid answer, "Well, have you ever met anyone that acts like they know everything?"

"Like mom?" Ferrah gave her best answer.

"Not quite. See, your mom really does know everything, which is why you should always listen to her," Ruby corrected the young girl.

Ferrah looked up at Ruby with suspicion in her face, "Really?"

"Really, really! You know if I had always followed my parent's example things probably would have turned out a lot better for me. The old lady is more like someone who thinks that just because they know a couple things, that they understand everything," Ruby attempted to explain the situation to the girl, struggling to make sense.

"I don't get it," Ferrah pleaded.

"Yea, I'm not sure I do either. She just makes me really mad," she answered in defeat. Looking down she realized that something had grabbed the girl's attention. She knew full well what that something was. Ruby bent down to Ferrah's height, "You want some?"

Ferrah nodded her head in response, her eyes locked onto the stall covered in sweets in front of her.

"Only if you promise not to tell your mom, okay?" Ruby bargained with the young girl.

A short while later the duo had returned to Jennifer's stall, hand in hand, just as they had left, "Well I have to go work now; I'll be by again soon."

"Thanks again for spending time with her," Jennifer replied cordially.

"It's no problem at all," Ruby answered in kind.

"Bye bye, Ruby!" the ever boisterous Ferrah shouted.

"Oh, and by the way Ruby," Jennifer stopped the young girl from departing. Ruby turned to look back over her shoulder at the woman, "If you're trying to keep the sweets a secret, you should probably have her wipe the chocolate off of her face before you bring her back."

Ruby's eyes locked onto Ferrah's, the young girl immediately covering her face with her hands, and attempting to wipe the excess chocolate off, "See, told you she knows everything."

Ruby returned to her quaint apartment in a significantly better mood than she had been earlier. As she entered her apartment, Ruby spared no time in stripping off her clothes, and heading for the shower. She was never big on dressing up, but she felt it would be best not to stand out too much tonight. That being said, in Hatra dressing up to go to the upper levels carried it's own meaning.

Standing in front of the mirror too make sure she got things right, Ruby started by putting her hair into sloppy pigtails. Afterwards applying a little too much makeup. She had very little experience with the stuff, so it helped that she'd stand out less if it looked bad. Once she was done in bathroom, Ruby moved back to her bedroom putting on a cutoff T-shirt and torn up shorts. The clothes showed off a generous portion of her scars, and accentuated her curves. Once she felt she had the look right, Ruby grabbed a handgun and a large knife off of her desk.

Anywhere else, if someone walked around with a knife and a handgun sticking out of their clothes, it would draw quite a bit of attention. Luckily for Ruby, she wasn't anywhere else. She missed the feeling of having a proper weapon with her, but had found that for most situations in Hatra she didn't need anything so excessive.

She knew before she even stepped out of her door, that tonight would be a headache. Even so, she had a job to do; one that had something valuable riding on it. Regardless of her conviction, as Ruby left her apartment the old woman's words echoed in her head.

"Old bitch," Ruby mumbled under her breath, realizing as she did so the woman would already know it.

Ruby wasn't one to be swayed by cryptic warnings, staying her course and making her way for the upper eastern bloc. It was a bit of a walk, and Ruby was making a concerted effort not to use her semblance unless it was absolutely necessary. After making her journey she came to what most people in Hatra referred to as, The Devil's Gate. The name wasn't far off the mark as far as appearances went. The difference between the rest of Hatra, and everything beyond the Devil's Gate was like night and day. The, 'Gate,' itself was the break between two buildings, with a makeshift bridge connecting the two. Surrounding the bridge, was an assortment of junk, cultic signs, and neon lights.

Knowing better than to be intimidated, Ruby didn't break stride as she confidently strode over the bridge. The upper eastern bloc was essentially the armpit of Hatra. People lay strewn about the streets, strung out on drugs or fucking in alleyways. Everywhere you looked was illuminated by flickering neon lights; accompanied by the sounds of death metal or electronic music blasting from every direction. The sheer amount of sound was nearly deafening.

A club in the upper eastern bloc was all the direction she was actually given, which here was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Luckily for Ruby, she had a decent guess as to where to look. She had never been to any of the clubs here, but she had heard more than enough to ever have the desire to. Even out of the myriad of shithole clubs here, even this place has a sense of exclusivity. If this kid's uncle was the kingpin of the Wardens, then exclusivity is likely what he would be looking for; which would mean that's where his girlfriend was most likely to be at. Doing everything she could to exude confidence, Ruby made her way to the heart of the upper eastern Bloc.

It didn't take long to find what she was looking for. Before Ruby was a large crowd, either strung out or rioting; she couldn't really tell which it was. On the other side of the crowd sat an assortment of armed thugs, all covered in tattoos and piercings with eccentric haircuts. Between the thugs a curtain covering a massive hole in a wall. Beyond, sat what used to be luxury suites at the top of an apartment building. From what Ruby had heard most of the walls and floors had been knocked down inside, the entire top three floors being turned into a massive club.

As Ruby walked up, she instantly started drawing attention. Luckily, it was exactly the kind of attention she was looking for. Men and women alike stared at her, many attempting to grope her and yank on her as she walked through the crowd. Ruby did her best to knock as many of them away as she could, still trying to appear entirely comfortable and confident. She had already resolved herself to having to take a scalding hot shower when she got home.

As she came out the opposite side of the crowd, Ruby kept her pace; heading straight for the entrance. One of the thugs stepped in her way, grabbing her arm to stop her. Ruby spit in his face, the action eliciting a smile from the guard. He reached up, wiping the spit from his face then licking it off of his hand. Ruby gave her best fake smile, shoving the guard aside and walking through the curtains before her. If she had felt that the music was deafening before, this was something else entirely. The place was crowded beyond belief, people rubbing and dancing against each other filling every inch of space. Or at least Ruby thought they called that dancing.

Ruby scanned her surrounding looking for a specific type of person. It didn't take long to find what she wanted. Near the center of the mess of people sat a circular bar on an elevated platform, a single man covered in neon adornments standing in it. Slowly pressing through the discord, Ruby eventually came to the bar. The man standing in it immediately took notice of her; leaning himself over the bar to get closer to her. Ruby mirrored the man's action, putting them only inches apart.

"What can I do for you, bunny?" the man asked licking his lips, "You lookin to buy? I got it ya know; dusty, pink K, sparkle time."

Ruby grinned, "Hmmm, I'll take some sparkle," she answered pulling lien from her pocket, "While you're here, maybe you could point me towards Ella?"

He took Ruby's money, leaving three pink crystals on the counter, "Hmmm, Ella Ella Ella. What's you wanna see Ella for baby? I'll keep you company."

Ruby chuckled, the man leaning forward holding his tongue out in front of her. Grabbing the man by the neck, Ruby pulled him forward so his face was next to hers, pulling out her knife and holding it against the side of his face, "I come in here like this, and you ask why I want Ella? Where is Ella?"

The turned his face towards Ruby's, forcing the knife to sink into his flesh; licking the side of her face, "Ella is at the top, where only the god's tread."

Ruby let the man go, grabbing the drugs off the counter and walking away, "Only those who are truly worthy can find their way!" she heard the man shout from behind her.

The top, Ruby knew would refer to the third floor. Now she only had to find her way there, which didn't look like an easy task. Looking up, Ruby could see catwalks and staircases running and intersecting in every possible direction above her. She knew these people were crazy, but Ruby figured they probably weren't that clever. Instead of deciding on one of the countless paths, Ruby walked to the far side of the club, walking along the wall until she found an open window. Peeking out the opening, she rolled her eyes at how obvious the solution to their little puzzle was. Stepping through the open window, Ruby planted her feet on the fire escape, quickly making her way up the stairs.

'The Top,' as the man had called it, seemed even more bizarre than the first floor. Everyone here was wearing tattered vibrant clothing, and their behavior was beyond describing. Ignoring the insanity of it all, Ruby tried to figure out where Ella would be. She stepped lightly as she made her way through all the people, most of them seemingly oblivious to her presence; too absorbed in their own little worlds.

"I hear you've been looking for me," a soft voice spoke from behind her, Ruby turning around to face a pale young girl, wearing a tattered frilly dress.

"Ella, looks like you ended up finding me," Ruby answered amused.

"So what is it someone like you, needs from me?" the young girl asked with a great deal of intrigue.

"I'm looking for Daniel; he owes me some money. I was told you could point me in the right direction," Ruby answered smoothly.

Ella rolled her eyes, turning away from Ruby, "Fuck me, I should have figured."

Ruby followed the girl as she walked away, "Look, I don't plan on hurting him, I jus-"

"Bullshit!" the girl spun around, grabbing Ruby's hand and pulling her along, "I know why you're here, even if I am shocked."

"What are you talking about?" Ruby question, feigning confusion.

"You're becoming somewhat famous here, you know? People talk about you a great deal," Ella smoothly changed the topic.

"You know who I am?" she hadn't been in Hatra that long, so hearing that people already knew of her came as a surprise.

"You really think you don't stand out that much? You suddenly show up here, bust up some of the Wardens without killing a single one. Most people would have been killed for such an insult, but you… you incur the Warden's wrath, and instead of dying you strike up a deal with him," she explained with a great deal of vigor in her voice.

"Nothing that exceptional; I just played my cards right," Ruby explained.

"No, the things you've done since you've arrived here, that's what makes you different! Most people who go around here helping others and running odd jobs for the Wardens, leave either bodies or vengeful assholes in their wake. You're completely different though, as if you're some kinda...peacekeeper," Ella enlightened Ruby, "Tonight is a perfect example! Normally when the Wardens need something here, they walk in busting up the place and waving guns around. You came up here like a perfectly normal person though."

Ruby only rolled her eyes, "Well you know why I'm here, so are you going to tell me where your boyfriend is or not?" she thought that the atmosphere was starting to get to her. Ruby felt almost sick, her body slightly numb.

"Oh, come on! Lighten up a little, have a good time," Ella plead, "Who cares about my asshole boyfriend?"

Ruby felt her vision start to spin, colors starting to grow brighter and more vibrant, "Fuck. What did you do to me?"

Ella got close to Ruby, "You want to know why I think you got here so easily? You think you're acting crazy, acting like one of us. You're not acting though; you're crazier than anyone else here aren't you? Next time though, I suggest you not let strange men lick your face."

Ella broke away from Ruby, walking towards the exit. Ruby realized she had been drugged; the substance was quickly taking hold of her. Calming herself, Ruby thought back to the conversation she had on the roof earlier, remembering the old woman's words.

"Fuck that," Ruby thought to herself. Flexing her aura, Ruby began one of the many exercises she had learned. She forced her organs to go into overdrive, filtering the drugs out of her body at an incredible pace. By the time she was done, and her mind had gone back to normal she found Ella slipping out the fire escape. Ruby immediately bolted after the girl, shoving her way through the crowd. Arriving at the fire escape, Ruby looked down, to find Ella exiting back onto the first floor of the club. She knew that if she followed after the girl she would lose her in the crowd. Ruby turned around, sprinting back for the opening between the floors. She vaulted over the catwalk contorting her body between the walkways below. She landed hard on top of the bar from earlier. Dropping into a low crouch, Ruby readied her aura launching herself from the bar towards the exit, fracturing the surface below her. She was unable to avoid crashing through a few people, quickly pushing herself back to her feet and walking out the entrance.

Once she found herself standing back outside, Ruby realized that she was smiling. Ella had said that she was just like them, all the broken people who would rather hide from reality. Ruby figured she probably wasn't entirely wrong, but if she weren't at least somewhat crazy then she wouldn't be so damn good at what she does. After a couple minutes had gone by, Ruby had what she was waiting for. Ella stepped out from between the curtains, a smug grin on her face. Before she had a chance to notice Ruby, she had already stepped forward and grabbed her by the arm.

"What the fuck! You should have been out all night, how the fuck did you get out here?" Ella was entirely flabbergasted by Ruby's appearance.

Not bothering to answer her question, Ruby pulled the girl along; they had made their way into an alleyway when Ruby stopped, "Alright, let's try this again. Where is your fucking boyfriend?"

"Fuck you! Why should I tell you anything?" Ella cursed.

Ruby pulled out the drugs she had bought earlier, holding them out towards Ella, "A trade. You tell me where he is, and you get these."

"You think you'll get me to talk for some fucking sparkle? You're wasting your time," Ella confidently rebutted.

"Fair enough, guess we'll do things the hard way," Ruby stated plainly, pulling out the handgun from her waistband, cocking it and pressing it against Ella's leg.

"Okay! Fuck, fuck! I'll tell you!," Ella cried out panicked.

"See, not so hard was it?" Ruby answered smugly, the gun still pressed firmly against Ella's leg.

"I haven't heard from him in days. The last time he called me he talked about scoring some drugs, that's all I fucking know!" Ella explained, her voice uneven.

Ruby frowned at the girl's answer, angling her gun slightly and pulling the trigger.

"Aaaahhh, fuck! You fucking bitch!" Ella screamed in pain.

"That one was only a flesh wound," Ella continued to scream in pain, Ruby smacked her across the face, grabbing her chin, "I don't like being lied to. So you're going to tell me everything, or the next one will be worse."

"Okay, fuck me! I was telling the truth, but Ezekiel would know where he is," Ella explained continuing before Ruby had a chance to ask more questions, "He's a good friend of Daniel's. He's a druggie that sees himself as some kind of fucking prophet."

"Good, now where do I find Ezekiel?" Ruby demanded.

"I...I don't know. He drifts between drug dens all over the city," she hurried to get the information out of her mouth.

"Then who's his dealer?" Ruby questioned further.

"Fuck if I know, one of the Wardens. I just know he gets his shit cheap," Ella answered impatiently.

Ruby smiled at the answer, "That's all I'll need, the pain should dissipate enough for you to walk in the next few minutes."

Ruby had begun to walk away, when Ella furiously looked down to examine her leg, "What the fuck are you talking about! You put a hole in my fucking…" Ella had looked down to find a complete lack of blood.

"Rubber bullets!" Ruby shouted over shoulder.

Ella was in complete disbelief, "You really are fucking crazy, Peacekeeper!"

Ruby smiled as she walked away. She pulled out her scroll, dialing Haziq's number; the phone rang three times before he answered.

"Miss Ruby! Did you find our boy?" he questioned excitedly.

"Not quite yet. Put Easy D on the phone and I should be able to find out where he's at," she replied.

"Easy D? What for?" Haziq asked intrigued.

"It'll be faster if I don't have to explain," she moaned in response. Ruby could hear the younger man cursing in the background at the mention of his name.

"Fair enough, I'll let you talk to him," a rumbling sound could be heard as the scroll exchanged hands.

"Yes Miss Ruby, how can I help you?" Easy D asked politely as he took the phone.

Ruby smiled at his forced tone, "Where can I find Ezekiel?"

The line was silent for a moment, "Not sure, but I can call him and find out. Just stay on the line."

Ruby heard the scroll on the other side switch to speakerphone, and heard a dialing on the other end.

"Heeey, EZ, what's goin on brotha!" Ruby heard from the other side of the call, "Yea, I got this hot new shit we're pushin, I was wonderin if you wanted in!"

There was silence for a moment, Ruby figured Ezekiel was talking, "It's everything man! It's an upper, a downer, this shit will expand your fuckin mind!" a brief silence filled the line again, "Hey, that's what I like to hear. Of course my best customer gets a discount. I'll even do you the courtesy of coming to you!"

Ruby heard the other line disconnect, "He's on the top floor of blue apartment building, just inside the Devil's Gate."

Ruby hung up her end of the line, immediately setting course for the Devil's Gate. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she didn't have to go out of her way to find the kid. Now she just had to hope that he was still alive. It only took her a few minutes arrive at the specified building. Making her way inside, she had to cover her nose at the smell. It was exactly what she had expected a crack house to smell like.

She only took a moment to find the stairs, quickly arriving at the top floor. As she came out, she found a massive open space, littered with trash, people laying around strung out, and drug paraphernalia.

"Well hello there, goddess," a man wearing only his boxers and a giant ugly necklace said to her as she walked onto the floor.

"Give me a break. Ezekiel?" Ruby moaned.

"That is I. Beholder of the heavens, and the one chosen-"

"Shut up. Where's Daniel?" Ruby boldly cut him off, wanting to hurry up and get home.

"Aaahh, you come seeking one of the enlightened. Daniel is in a place beyond the reach of the mortal mind. To reach him you mus-"

Ruby grabbed the man by the throat, slamming him into the wall, "Where, is, he?"

Ezekiel raised his hand, pointing to someone who was sat cross-legged staring out a window. Ruby dropped him, marching over to the person. Things were going to get a lot more difficult if he was dead, and Ezekiel's words didn't bode well. Ruby reached the person in front of the window, pulling him back to look at his face. Ruby smiled, pulling the photo out of her pocket to be certain. It was Daniel, and he was alive if not high off his ass.

"Alright Daniel, time to go," Ruby ordered, yanking him to his feet.

"Are you the goddess?" he questioned in his strung out stupor.

Not bothering to take the time to nurse him to sobriety, Ruby yanked him along behind her, at the same time pulling out her scroll, and dialing Haziq. This time the man answered on the first ring.

"I got your boy," Ruby answered in annoyed tone.

"Aaahaha, I knew you'd find him!" Haziq exclaimed in joy.

"I'll be bringing him to yours. He's high off his ass, so have fun dealing with that," Ruby explained.

"Good, good. So long as he's alive, everything's good. I'll see you soon," Haziq replied, hanging up the phone.

"Good news man, she's got him!" Haziq informed his partner.

"Well, looks like you get to keep your head," Easy D joked.

"It's not the best head, but I certainly would prefer to keep it," they both chuckled at the joke, "She'll be here soon to drop the brat off; which reminds me, I never thought to ask whether you were able to read her the last time we saw her,"

"No, same as always. A few flashes, but nothing that makes any sense," Easy D lied smoothly.

"Shame, if you could read her, I bet we could get some good shit out of it," Haziq complained.

"Whatever, I think it might be best that I can't. She's different than other people here," Easy D reasoned, sitting down.

"Different how?" Haziq questioned.

Easy D scratched his head looking for an answer, "You know, she just acts like being here is normal. No one wants to live in Hatra. If you do then you're a nut job. The people that live here do so because they don't have any other choice. Her though… she owns it. She acts like living here is the most normal thing in the world."

"I think I get what you're saying. She is different, but I'm not so sure that's a bad thing," Haziq answered casually.

"No one's told me what this bitch's deal is yet either. I leave on some business for the boss, and when I come back this bitch is here, and… and everyone's lookin at her like she's always been here," Easy D continued to bitch.

Haziq's eyebrow raised at his statement, "I'd forgotten you weren't here when she showed up. Regardless, you know we don't make it our business to look into people's pasts here."

"Yea yea, I know," Easy D answered while rolling his eyes.

"Even so, I've never been one to stand on tradition. So I suppose I can tell you what I know," Haziq spoke sheepishly.

Easy D's face perked up, "Wait, you're serious? You have information on the bitch?"

Haziq's mouth turned into a wide toothless grin, "Sit back and let me tell you a story my friend."

A/N: I bet you guys didn't expect another chapter for months. This chapter was quite a bit of fun to write. Somehow i had originally expected to make this whole arc one chapter, but it's definitely gonna be four or five. Real talk though I am hoping to get one more chapter out in the next couple weeks, after that at the soonest it'll be 4-6 weeks for another chapter. I'm about to leave before long to spend 30 days living in the fuckin desert so I don't think I'll be doing much writing. Well, leave a comment and let me know what you guys thought!