Ruby opened the door to the Beacon workshop and froze when she saw Mercury working on a pair of prosthetic legs. A blush crossed her cheeks as she looked away and started to make her way out. “S-sorry, I didnt mean to intrude-”
“You dont need to look away, its fine if you want to watch,” Mercury said as he focused on tightening up a couple of screws. “They’re just prosthetics.”
“Well, yeah, but… they’re still part of someone.” Ruby made her way over to the workbench and placed Crescent Rose down to work on. “They may not be flesh and blood but in the end, they still make you you.”
Mercury shrugged. “They’re just tools to me.”
Ruby looked over at Mercury curiously and watched him work on the prosthetics. He may have said they were just tools, but the care he put in to make sure everything was tightened, cleaned, and working said otherwise. Watching him felt like she was watching herself with Crescent Rose. Sure, it was a tool to use against the grimm, but it was much more than that. An extension of herself, a desire of keeping others safe.
She unfolded Crescent Rose and smiled. “I’ve seen how people treat tools, and the care you’re putting into them isnt that. They mean much more to you than that. Did you build them yourself?”
“Oh, yeah, I did,” Mercury answered as he looked over at Ruby. “How could you tell?”
“From how well you seem to know them.” Ruby started to undo a few bolts from Crescent Rose so she could remove the barrel. “Some of the huntsmen that know my dad have prosthetics, and while they know enough to keep them clean, they’ve always had to come to him for repairs.”
“And you got all of that, just from watching me?”
Ruby nodded. “Its the same for me with Crescent Rose. She’s my baby and I built her from scratch.”
“Would you like to see how they work?”
Ruby stopped what she was doing as if her mind had stopped working. Merely handling another’s weapon was akin to holding someone’s hand. Working on a prosthetic though? That was about as intimate as you could get without dating. The idea of working on something that precious to someone, potentially being close enough for that level of care… it was certainly a fantasy of hers.
And yet, she couldnt help but let her excitement take over. “S-sure.”
Mercury moved over and Ruby made her way to him and his prosthetics. Her eyes were practically glued to them as she looked them over. She could see the shocks near the feet for walking and running, the hydraulics that allowed portions of the prosthetic to lengthen if needed, a barrel for a hidden weapon that led down to the foot… it was much more intricate than she had originally thought. She moved her hand carefully over the case that held everything in place as if it were a delicate doll that she didnt want to break.
Mercury put a hand on her shoulder. “I still have a little work I need to do on them if you want to help.”
“I-I’d love to, but… are you sure?” Ruby asked. “You built them and if I mess something up-”
“You said you built Crescent Rose, right? Then I trust that you’ll be careful enough not to ruin anything here.”
Ruby nodded. “What do you need done?”
“The barrel’s need to be replaced, I need to re-adjust the shocks, and then I need to calibrate the hydraulics since I changed out the pistons for them. I can normally do all that myself, but its easier when I have a second person with me.”
“Why not get one of your teammates to help?”
“Cinder isnt exactly what I’d consider helpful with this kind of stuff and Emerald’s busy. Besides, I have someone here I’d like to get to know and this might be the best way for me to learn more about her.”
Ruby nearly choked on air as she heard him. She nervously ran her hand through her hair as she tried to hide a blush. “I-I wouldnt say I’m worth getting to know-”
“And why not?” Mercury smiled a bit at her. “We’re still classmates, even if it is temporary. So I think that’s still reason enough.”
“Well, what would you like to know?”
Mercury thought for a moment as he started to take out the shocks. “What would you be doing if you werent training to be a huntress?”
“I… never thought about it,” Ruby answered. “I’ve known for a long time that this is what I’ve wanted to do. Maybe it was the stories I was told or believing that things could be changed with the right people, but I havent wanted anything else.”
“So you never thought about doing anything else?”
“Not really. Why, what would you be?”
“Probably be an assassin like my dad was or a mechanic.” Mercury finished changing out the shocks and smiled a bit. “I think we can finish the legs later.”
Ruby looked at him and pulled away from the hydraulic piston. “I thought you needed this done?”
Mercury closed the casing to one leg and started to put it back on. “I do, but it can wait. There’s something a bit more important I need to take care of.”
“To see what else you would’ve liked to have done.”
Ruby nodded and started to put the tools away. “Then its a date.”
