Ever since Aurelia got her mentorship, Ruby saw less and less of her, but they still tried to make as much time as possible to catch up every now and then. Aurelia didn’t talk much about what kind of training she was doing, but it was enough for Ruby to see her happy despite looking extremely tired every single time they met.
On Ruby’s part, she decided not to tell anyone about what was going on in the workshop. Ruby’s idea was crazy and realized that if they really wanted to keep this secret, they would need to restrain their use of Mrs. Opal’s fabrics and drag it around for the remainder of the year so she wouldn’t notice. Using one of the unoccupied wooden models and covering with a blanket whenever she was around was enough to keep it hidden, the woman was hardly ever in the workshop itself.
Now, no matter how many crazy ideas she had, Ruby knew she couldn’t go all out considering the very few materials she had in hand. The other problem was that she couldn’t make something too bulky or Mrs. Opal would notice, so long and heavy dresses were out of the equation fast. But, just like her scarf was made for the winter, she knew she would have to make something that could withstand the low temperatures of the cold southern continent. There was no point in making clothes for style over usefulness in this place. “At least not yet.”
After a week of thinking, planning and sketching, Nina finally fell in love with what Ruby came up with. Then, with the design all planned up, Nina got hooked immediately and got herself ready to start working on it along the rest of the months they had left before the awakening ceremony. She knew they would have to out-source some materials, but it was an easy task considering their time limit.
“Okay, we got our white cotton and the fur. Not the best quality, but we can work with this. It’s been a while since I’ve made pompons, but I think I can handle it. Are you sure you can get the buttons?”
“Y-yes. One of my fathers is a Carpenter, I can get them without raising suspicion but… Ruby?”
“Hm?” She didn’t look up, her mind focused on the numbers and measurements of Nina’s torso. The measurer was definitely not as accurate or exact as she needed it to be, so she knew she had to adjust a few things in some places so it wouldn’t feel too snug.
“A-are you sure this is going to work?”
“Having second thoughts? I thought you loved the design.”
“I do! I really do! It’s gorgeous and I’ve never even seen nobles wear something like that, but… I’m just a tad nervous everything is going to backfire on us… don’t you think I’m showing too much skin?”
“Nina, I’ll be straight with you. If you back down now and decide not to do it, I’ll make it anyway and wear it instead. So, are you still in?” Ruby didn’t want to push Nina, but this was as important to Ruby as it was to the devil girl, she was not going to let this opportunity go to waste.
Nina’s eyes opened wide. “I’ll do it!”
“Great then! Now grab your tools sister, we’re going to show them what we can do.” Ruby winked at her, feeling her blood rush through her body at the excitement of working on a new project.
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“Come on girls! I know we’re by the end of the group but that is not a reason to be late! Less chatter now!” Mrs. Sianna was rushing from room to room, pushing the girls that were awakening tonight to go faster.
Ruby along with Aurelia, of course, were two of them. They hadn’t said a word to each other the whole day, though not because they had a fight or anything, but because they were both nervous about what was going to happen tonight.
Ruby had been waiting for this day to happen for a whole year and only now was she really understanding how Layla must have felt. How Theo felt after getting some Class he had never heard of? He must have been a wreck at the moment, not getting the Class he had prepared for after so long. Was she going to get the Seamstress Class? Unlike Nina, Ruby felt she could pull off any Class as long as it was good with a needle. But… what if-
“Ruby, are you okay?”
It was Aurelia’s voice that woke her out of her stupor.
“Sorry, yeah, I’m fine. I guess I was just daydreaming.”
“I get it, I’ve been doing that way too often these last few days. Is it ready?” Ruby took a step back and stopped fiddling with Lia’s hair, the girl looking at her reflection in the water with glee.
“As ready as it can be, I suppose. You like it?”
“I love it.” She smiled, noticing how the tight braids in only her left side of the head made her look even more badass in combination with her scarf and old combat gear. “Thank you for doing this, I was hesitant to ask ‘cuz you always do your hair in the strangest ways, but I really like how it turned out. You sure you ain’t aiming for Beautician?”
Ruby smiled at the compliment, but after all this time, she knew her direction pretty well.
“Are you feeling as nervous as I am?” Asked the human to her friend.
“I’m confident, though that doesn’t make my heart go any slower. I feel like…”
“Like you can’t concentrate?”
“Like I want to punch something.” Both spoke at the same time, pausing for a second to analyze what the other had said. Then, both started laughing loudly until Mrs. Sianna came to stop the nonsense and gave them their black robes.
It took them both a second to calm down, but quickly fell down to a more serious tone.
“Hey Ruby… I, eh, I would like to talk after this whole thing is done. I kinda wanted to-”
Ruby’s attention had been on her friend, but then one of the other girls came knocking fast on the door.
“Ruby? Sorry to interrupt, but there’s a girl waiting for you downstairs.”
“Oh, it’s time already? Damn, sorry Lia, we’ll talk later okay? Nina’s here already.”
“Ah-yeah, sure. You told me to expect a show, so I’ll make sure to be there!”
As Aurelia’s face deflated a bit, Ruby quickly went downstairs, excited for what was going to happen tonight. She had told Lia to expect the unexpected, which the beastkin was all in for, but didn’t divulge more than that.
When Ruby arrived downstairs, she saw a tall figure clad in a dark robe that hid everything with the exception of her eyes, nose and a little bit of her mouth. Even her hair was hidden under a thick hood. If Ruby didn’t know any better, she would have thought Nina to be the boogeyman or something similar, considering how her eyes glowed a bright yellow and she had a very contrasting pale white skin.
Not knowing if her heart was racing now because of fear or excitement, Ruby quickly addressed the elephant in the room.
“So? Are you wearing everything?”
“Ruby! Yes. I’m-I'm not sure about the hair though, I had to do it in the alley behind my house where no one was watching. My family really wanted to see how I had dressed as a Seamstress and the only thing I could tell them was that I had made this myself, and so I lied, and then slipped when they got distracted with my other twenty brothers and sisters. And-and-and Ruby! I’m freaking out! I’m not sure I can do this.” She grabbed Ruby by the shoulders, anxiety pouring out from every pore.
“Nina! Nina stop! Listen to me,” Ruby stopped Nina in her place, who was already making motions to take everything off.
“We’ve worked on this outfit, from head to toe, for months! You’ve put sweat, tears, and blood onto everything you’re wearing right now. I have too, and you know that. Remember how we talked about showing them what our dreams are made of? This is your chance Nina. You’re doing this, okay?”
“R-right! Yeah I-eh- I’m sorry. I’m just a little nervous.”
She was down playing it pretty hard, but Ruby nodded in agreement and showed herself confident despite her own nerves.
“Tits up, Nina. It’s showtime. Let’s go, I’ll check your hair on our way.”
“Right! Tits up.”
Just like last year, Nina and Ruby went to the same temple, though this time they joined the rest of the cloaked figures who were waiting for the ritual to begin. As expected, Nina would go before her since the orphanage kids were basically in the last batch of kids with the exception of the farmers.
Unlike last time, this time they had arrived less than an hour before the beginning of the ceremony to start, so she used her time to hide in a dark corner and make sure Nina’s outfit and hair were in perfect shape. The devil girl had already tried it on before while in the workshop, but hadn’t had the chance to wear it for long and test it since Mrs. Opal was always around even if she didn’t check on them very often.
Ruby could tell that the thing was a bit tight on the back, but Nina could still move without much restraint, so she was thankful that the cotton fabric was a little bit elastic.
"Damn, this thing has so many flaws, but luckily it will hold without issues. Thank god we had so much time, or otherwise we wouldn't have been able to hide all the details." She thought while straightening Nina's outfit one more time.
“You look beautiful Nina, you’ll get an amazing Class.” Ruby smiled at her before covering her once more.
“T-thank you.” Nina blushed a bit and smiled, fumbling with the black cloak a bit.
Soon enough, it was time for the newly sixteen-year olds to start ordering themselves, the queue growing longer and longer as the teenagers dissolved themselves from their own groups and left their parents behind, moving to their corresponding positions. Once Ruby saw Mrs. Sianna with a bunch of cloaked figures coming right behind her, she knew it was her time to go.
Human and devil exchanged glances, determination in the eyes of both of them. There were no more words to be said.
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Nina’s heart was racing. The ceremony had started and the Priest had not made any flourish nor taken his extra time with the prayers like most year, probably paid off by one of the merchants from the inner city who couldn’t make it to the main cathedral and needed to save face.
Her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw her family watching from the sidelines not more than twenty feet off the center of the courtyard. Her six dads and four moms were watching four of her brothers and herself, all expectant of what was to come. None of her brothers, however, was aiming for a fancy Class or trying to become a guilder; except for her of course.
Her family, just like most devil families, are not fans of breaking tradition and the fact that she was aiming for something that was meant to be out of her family’s station was a show of defiance she didn’t want to show, but this was her future in play.
More than once she thought she was betraying them, breaking rules and decades of tradition, but Ruby, despite being ostracized and looked down by anyone for breaking the norms, kept on doing her thing. Every day she came up with the weirdest ideas, expressions, and committed some of the most awful faux pas she has seen in her life, but nothing stopped her.
Ruby had introduced herself as a Future Breaker, but she soon learned that being one is not necessarily bad. She had taught her she could make things she didn’t know were possible, that she could achieve things above her station, and more importantly, that her dreams were valid. In the past six months that she got the chance to work with her in this project, she realized that her own ambitions were as important to her as her family’s love for tradition.
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For the longest time, she thought about choosing her family over her own happiness, reason for which she never stopped her mom when she got Mrs. Opal as her mentor. She didn't want to lose them. However... despite the fact that Ruby had no parents, almost everyone in town hated her and she basically had no friends, she never seemed alone.
Ruby could be many things, but she was never lonely.
It took time for Nina to notice this, but when she did, she realized that her family was not a family because of traditions, they were a family because they loved each other.
Knowing that, for the first time since she could remember, Nina held her head high.
The line moved quickly and after a while she could see her family clapping and hugging eachother as one of her brothers had achieved the Class everyone expected him to achieve. Now, some of her siblings and parents were quickly looking in her direction as the queue moved up...
She inhaled deeply and held it for a second before releasing.
For the first time in her life, she looked at them right in the eye as she started to step forward. The crowd this close to the circle was hardly quiet, but Nina’s ears couldn’t hear a single sound as if the whole world went quiet. Slowly but with confidence and determination, she reached the circle that was meant to give her Class and change her future, but she stopped just a few inches from it.
“Ruby taught me so much these past few months. I’ve improved my sewing skills and worked on an outfit that I couldn’t see myself even imagining, but now… Now I feel like I can do so much more.” She thought while a little smile appeared on her face.
As she stopped, people started to pay more attention to her, not knowing why she was not moving along. The quick-tempered ones got a frown in their face real fast, but that didn’t make Nina flinch. Before anyone had the opportunity to argue, she turned around to look at the crowd and started to take her robe off.
A couple of her parents quickly got worried and were about to hurry her along, but she cut them off.
“Hello everyone! I hope you all can hear me. My name is Nina Hellflower, from the Hellflower family. Tonight, I would like to show you all my new outfit, designed and crafted by Ruby and I while working at the Guilded Mirror. I hope you all like it!” She raised her voice as she addressed everyone with the lines her human friend had told her it was very important to say.
As her robe flew through the air, everyone around went wide eyed and gasped at what they were seeing.
Nina’s ashy gray straight hair had a pair of long pigtails, adorned by two cute white pompons in each side right below her horns. Despite the cold, her shoulders were outrageously bare, showing skin no commoner lady would ever dare to show. But what was surprising was the garment she was using. It was as short as a summer dress, leaving room for the devil’s girl tail to move around without complaint, but it also seemed thick as a coat.
The piece was a woolen winter-white Lolita-inspired coat, having no shoulders but a flaring skirt. Filled underneath was a makeshift crinoline to make the skirt bloom and create the hourglass shape every woman desires. The top edge along the chest, beginning of the shoulders, and back was covered in a thick stripe of wolf-like white fur, just like the hem of her long sleeves. Moreover, adorning the coat was a pair of hanging wool pompons from where each sleeve started and, right on the torso, were six buttons arranged symmetrically in two columns of three.
Finally, completing the look, Nina’s legs were covered by a pair of thick white woolen leg warmers that she used over her socks and hid her worn white shoes.
If Ruby didn’t know better, it was basically like a white version of a Mrs. Claus costume, but replacing ribbons for pompons. However, that didn’t take away the beautiful visage that Nina was right there and then. After posing for a second, she got into the magical circle and started to float like every single teenager becoming an adult had done so before. Everyone, however, was too shocked to even say anything, busying themselves trying to understand what they were looking at.
By the time Nina’s feet touched the ground once more, the whole temple was in eerie silence despite the number of people inside of it. Everyone was just gawking at Nina, looking like the main model of a Lolita magazine wearing an outfit no one had ever seen before.
The silence remained across the whole building for a moment until Nina herself broke it. Her face was blushing red for the attention, but was also elated at what her eyes were seeing.
“WE DID IT! RUBY, WE DID IT! I’M NOT A SEAMSTRESS!!” Nina started laughing out of pure joy as her whole family froze in place. Then, in a split moment, the whole building exploded in gossip, chatter, and the yells from Nina’s family. Several gazes landed on Ruby, despite the fact she was covered by her cloak.
[https://i.postimg.cc/dQ8VP4Bz/Chapter-18-Lolita-Outfit.png]
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Ruby had done it. She had had six months to back down and not go with the plan, but unsurprisingly she never wavered. She always knew this was something she had to do. After Opal claimed credit for the creation of her scarves, she never felt the same. After all her time living as Amy back on Earth and never making it, losing credit for something as small yet so important as the scarves left her feeling like shit. She was hurt, angry, but above all, what she really needed was validation.
She was tired of the struggle, tired of having to prove her skills to everyone, and tired of people looking down on her for being a Future Breaker and an orphan. She was so more than that. So, when the opportunity presented itself, she couldn’t help but take it despite the possible consequences.
She needed to design something people had never seen. She wanted the surprise, the amazement, and the shock. Ruby just wanted the recognition she had never been able to get before.
Out of all the ideas and sketches she had made, Nina leaned more towards the cute aesthetic, which shocked the auburn-haired girl, expecting her to like the gothic or dark style she had drawn first. But then again, the new Lolita-inspired outfit she drew seemed so different from anything the devil girl had seen, that she immediately agreed to do that one, entranced by the cute yet simple style.
Now, while she had told Nina to tell everyone who the designers and makers of the outfit were, she hadn’t told her to yell that she didn’t get the Class everyone was expecting her to get.
“Oh my goddess, do you see that? She’s showing her shoulders!”
“Outrageous, but what are those things in her legs? I’ve never seen socks like that.”
“Woman, why are you looking at the socks? See that? That’s frozen wolf fur, I’ve never seen that cheap crap look so nice.”
“Nice? You think that’s nice? Pervert, stop looking at her bare knees, she’s a child!”
“She’s a woman now, she has her Class. She must be freezing though…”
“It’s that Ruby girl, isn’t it? The future Breaker.”
“Did she ruin that girl’s Class?”
“I was there last year, you know? I saw it with my own eyes how she ruined even her brother’s Class.”
“No kidding!?”
“Oh my god, mama look! I want tiny balls like that in my outfit too! They look like bunny tails like mine!”
“Look at her hair, it’s horrendous, but like- I think I would wear it much better, don’t you think girls?”
“That’s so scandalous!”
"Boss, there's no way that's an object right? She would be freezing!"
"Yeah, I know, that has to be an item. Go tell our recruiter to approach the Hellflowers later. We need to have a chat."
"Daddy, you have to get me that coat! She looks so pretty."
“What has she done to my child!?”
"THE FUTURE BREAKER DID IT!"
Before Ruby could actually say anything, the rumor mill started to spread and the volume of several voices started to go higher and higher. Nina went back to her family and was quickly exchanging arguments with all of her parents and siblings, stealing glances in the direction of Ruby.
The queue started moving once more, but her moving forward was interrupted by an arm taking her out of the line in a sudden pull.
“Stupid girl! What have you done!?” Opal was red in the face, quickly grabbing Ruby by the wrist. “TELL ME! What is this nonsense Nina’s spilling of working for nobles now!?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“Don’t play the fool now, girl! This is your doing, isn’t it? I just spoke to her, Nina got the Winter Costumier Class and now she’s spewing all this nonsense of making outfits for the nobles! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?”
Not seeing it coming, Opal, still holding Ruby's wrist with one hand, used the other one to slap her in the face, hard, throwing her to the snowy ground.
Ruby fell to the hard floor, feeling the pain in her face flare in an instant as her right hand touched the sore cheek. Her face was of pure shock, her eyes watery in an instant looking around for someone to help her.
The whole place was packed with people, men, women, and children in the hundreds who came here for the sole reason of looking. Many were focused on the ceremony or in their own family members, but just as many were still gawking at Nina’s outfit. There were also quite many who were looking at the drama that was going on between her and Opal but… no one was moving, they were all just looking and chatting outloud. Ruby looked around, but no one moved an inch for her.
She looked for Guards, but to her demise not even the ones looking were moving towards her. They all seemed to take new positions around the courtyard, but no one was moving to defend her. What truly broke her heart was seeing Theo by the far end of the temple, shock in his face staring back at her, but also unmoving.
“GIRL! LOOK AT ME! YOU ARE FIRED, SO FIRED!!” Opal grabbed her again by the wrist and started to pull her, looking to hit her again.
Despite the pulling, the yelling, and the stares, Ruby’s eyes were glued into Theo’s, waiting as if the whole world had frozen. The hits didn’t stop, but she waited and then waited some more, but he did nothing. She could feel her left arm and shoulder bruise, but when her eyes were already tearing up, things finally clicked in her mind. When she came to the conclusion that no one, not even Theo, was actually going to do something, she came to her senses.
Suddenly, she didn’t feel more doubt or anxiety in herself, she could see things clearly now. Then, time finally seemed to unfreeze as her chest was ignited by pure rage.
“LET ME GO YOU STUPID OLD HAG!” She yelled in pure instinct as she pulled her wrist out of her grip, her eyes finally looking at the old elf in the eye.
Opal tried to grab her again, but she dodged it and confronted her, slowly moving to the center of the temple and closer to the magic circle.
“I’M DONE WITH YOU. I’M DONE WITH ALL OF YOU!!” She screamed.
Her eyes landed on an Aurelia-sized cloaked figure who was kicking and fighting while being restrained by a larger man with rabbit ears and other people.
Now, everyone was watching her again, quickly gossiping about what was going on.
“YES, YOU GOSSIPING LITTLE RAT, I’M THE FUTURE BREAKER. DID YOU HEAR THAT EVERYONE? I’M THE FUTURE BREAKER AND I, RUBY, RUINED THAT KID’S CLASS!!” She screamed to the top of her lungs, pointing with her finger at Nina. The devil girl and her family freezing in place at being called out.
Ruby was the center of attention, her arms stretched out as she addressed everyone in the temple.
“I DID IT! I DID IT TO HER, I DID IT TO MY FROZEN-IN-PLACE BROTHER OVER THERE, AND I’VE DONE IT BEFORE, AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON’T GIVE A SHIT WHAT YOU ALL THINK OF ME ANYMORE!! I don’t give a shit…” She whispered the last few words to herself, a statement to be forever engraved in her mind.
She was done with the weak and mild, she was done with playing dumb and trying to impress everyone so they wouldn’t doubt her. It was enough. She was tired of being insulted and looked-down upon, like she was a nobody. Treated like a stupid girl who couldn’t do anything but ruin things.
“I’ve been so fucking stupid. All this time I’ve been trying to prove them wrong, putting my heart and soul into even the smallest thing for what? The validation of some random people from some low-key city not many people know? No, not anymore. I am from another world, for crying out loud, how did I expect to be normal? This isn’t how things should be. Not for me.”
“YOU WERE ALL RIGHT. I CHANGE PEOPLE’S FUTURE. I’M A FUTURE BREAKER THROUGH AND THROUGH, AND AS A FUTURE BREAKER, LET ME ASSURE YOU PEOPLE THAT I PLAN TO DO IT AGAIN." Her throat was feeling hoarse and her eyes were watery, but she did not stop.
"SEE THAT GIRL OVER THERE WHO IS WEARING THE MOST ADORABLE OUTFIT YA’LL HAVE SEEN IN YOUR LIVES!? THAT’S MY AND HER DOING. SEE THAT!? WELL, YOU CAN ALL EXPECT ME TO BREAK THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD THEN!! BECAUSE THAT OUTFIT RIGHT THERE? THAT ONE? IT’S GOING TO CHANGE HISTORY! HISTORY I SAY!! MARK MY WORDS EVERYONE, BECAUSE THIS? IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING!” She finished yelling, her face red as a tomato and her throat a mess as she got closer to the magic circle.
“MOVE IT KID-” She pushed some random kid who was in front of the line and went for the circle first.
Despite the whole show, the hundreds of stares, and the absolute silence that followed her monologue, the Guards didn’t make a move to arrest her or take her away. She didn’t know anything about the laws or any special rules that Guards were supposed to protect, but at this point, Ruby couldn’t care less.
She was a heaving madwoman at this point, much like Layla had been last year but for completely different reasons. Some of her anxiety and edge went away at the surprising sensation she felt when she started to float.
She had been really excited for this moment for a whole year. She had been really hoping for this to go without a hitch. After she decided to make the outfit for Nina, she knew there would be troubled waters down the road, but never at this level.
Now, as she floated in the middle of the magic circle, she felt like she was in the middle of eternal darkness. Forever floating in the void and with no path to go. Her eyes closed and now there was absolutely nothing, just the faint feeling of a still beating heart. Was she really alive? Was this really happening? After a whole year and change of being in this new lands she still felt like an outsider, but the thing is… she is an outsider.
“I am an outsider. I've always been an outsider and no matter what happens, I will always be one. I'm an outside but that will not be my weakness anymore, it’s going to be my number one strength from now on. My strength.”
When she came to this new resolution, something stirred inside her, something she had never felt before. Then, the darkness was gone by the light of a thousand stars. Her eyes opening as her feet touched the ground once more. Everything had been so fast and nothing had seemed to change, with the exception of one thing.
Congratulations! New Class Acquired!
Name: Ruby
Class: Fashion Breaker – Level 1
Stats:
Strength – Minor
Intelligence – Moderate
Dexterity – Extreme
Vitality – Very High
Spirit – Moderate
Skills:
Analyze – Bronze Rank 1: Gives basic information about an item or object.
Granny’s tool kit – Bronze Rank 1: Summon a basic sewing tool kit.
Fashion Break – Bronze Rank 1: Newly created designs can be turned into sewing patterns. Limited uses.