Rumi's first challenge in living fully as herself is explaining her patterns to a frantic Bobby, and she thinks of it as a dress rehearsal for addressing the subject in front of the rest of the world. No, she didn't get a whole mess of tattoos, she's not harming herself, and she's not slowly dying of something spreading through her veins. (It can be argued that those last two are only not true anymore; she was definitely harming herself with all that guilt and shame before, and the spreading of the patterns would have killed her if she hadn't learned to live with her demon half.) He's clearly still not actually happy about not understanding the situation, but he loves "his girls" enough to trust her when she says she's all right and he doesn't need to worry. Even though she knows him well enough to know he's still going to worry.
The second challenge is when demons start showing up everywhere, stronger and bolder than ever and showing their patterns openly, and it's sheer luck that Huntr/x doesn't actually hurt anyone before realizing that they're fans. Fans showing their love and support by replicating Rumi's patterns in body paint, in marker, in temporary tattoos, to varying degrees of success. That mostly fizzles out after the interview, the one she does in a glittering tank top that leaves her upper chest and arms bare, the one where she tells the truth: She was born with some of the patterns, and others grew with her, and they show that something almost broke her apart but the people she loves helped her put herself back together. The trend dies down after that, with most people realizing that it's disrespectful to turn someone's "medical condition" into a fashion trend. (And, at least according to Mira, anyone who doesn't get that deserves to get hit with a polearm.)
The third challenge is keeping her composure when the other big trend starts appearing at signings and fan events, and Rumi only sees it because she recognizes herself in it. Jackets furtively removed, sleeves rolled up over arms that haven't seen the sun in a long time, long hair pulled back to reveal faces that have been hiding behind it. Scars, birthmarks, flaws, exposed to the world for the first time with a renewed hope that they'll be accepted because someone else was brave enough to do it first. Quietly, trying not to let the others know (or to let her voice break), she spends a little more time with those fans when she sees them, and makes sure that all of them walk away knowing how beautiful they are.










