Chapter 5: The Ungrateful Patient

When they reached the heroes' housing unit, Phoebus immediately led Ruby to Heriette's room and informed her of the situation. Ruby found a girl with feline features gasping for breath sitting on a recliner chair. The girl had twitching white cat ears protruding from the top of her brown hair and a matching white tail. Her eyes were also non human since her irises were slits instead of rounds.

This is the first time that Ruby met with Phoebus' faunus friend and it is truly fascinating to see her kind again. The fauna are interesting creatures with a mixture of human and animal-like features. They come in many variations like cats, dogs, snakes, insects, birds, reptilian, or fish though mythical creatures such as harpies, mermaids, fairies, and centaurs differ themselves from faunus because mythicals have divinity while faunus are more like humans, mortal and ephemeral. They intermingle with humans and may live in a common territory but some still experience discrimination and violence.

Heriette's brown eyes met with Ruby's golden ones and she suddenly vomited on a nearby bucket. The Witch did not miss the look of fear that crossed the faunus' face as she met her gaze. Leanna, a well-known sniper, was there to rub circles on her back and give her water.

Ruby inspected her state and noticed an awful swelling on her leg with two puncture marks exuding a vile purple venom. She was also sweaty and salivating like a dog, or actually, a cat, chained under the sweltering sun. Heriette was looking at her with dazed vision like she was an apparition about to collect her soul. Her attention suddenly went to the marksman behind Ruby. 

"Phoebus it hurts! I'm going to die."

"Just hold on Heriette you'll be fine I brought someone here to help you." Phoebus reassured taking the small hand of the faunus on his rough calloused ones.

"I don't like her, she's dangerous. She's scary." Ruby ignored the cat girl's statement and took out a book from her basket.

Her repulsion towards Ruby is unpleasant but understandable. Some witches were known to use fauna as slaves and some even use them as ingredients for their brew but Ruby refrain from doing such things because she considers them as people too like humans. Meaning she has equal distaste for them but she doesn't act on it. A witch has more important things to do than to mess with the mundane lives of mortals.

She's still confused why some people persecute witches when every phenomenon around them is caused by their foolishness. They think that floods and landslides are caused by witches but in truth their immense deforestation is causing it. Plagues occur because of their poor hygiene and minimal thought for sanitation. They shit anywhere and everywhere including the irrigation then they blame witches for poisoning the water.

Celestina Ada was burned at the stake because she was seen reading a book on a stormy night when the judge passed by her home and hid under a tree. The man was struck by lightning and the tragedy was blamed on poor Celestina for being literate. Yes she was a witch but her main forte was to make potions and remedy not conjure storms. The world lost a brilliant soul because of ignorance. How disappointing.

In truth witches desire nothing more than to gain more knowledge and understanding about the world. They are what you would call scientists, researchers, chemists, pharmacists, astrologers and many more. Although witches are capable of doing such phenomena, they only fight back when they are threatened. However, Ruby will admit that causing a few mayhem on foolish creatures is quite fun. There's really a bit of satisfaction in seeing people suffer.

"Based on the color of the venom, it's a kind of Lamia lady cobra. A very lethal poisonous snake and your friend here is absolutely dead because your physicians did all the no-no in snake bites. Tourniquet, ice, cut across the swelling area, exacerbating the problem." Ruby explained looking mildly amused and speaking as if life is not on the line.

"Then you're no good at all! Do something you witch!" ordered Harlow, Heriette's magician boyfriend, in a very exasperated voice. He's clearly been crying for hours now and his stupidly annoying face is making Ruby laugh.

"Can you identify which snake bit him from this book?" Ruby turned the book towards Phoebus who pointed at a green snake with purple blotches bordered by black.

"Okay, now everybody leave and let me work my magic. Don't worry it's not necromancy in case she dies since I didn't practice on that art but I'm going to need Phoebus to hold her down." Ruby ordered clapping her hands.

"You bitch better not kill her or else I'm going to kill you." Harlow threatened.

"If I don't kill you first." retaliated the witch who directed him an evil smirk.

"Leanna please take Harlow out for a bit while I help Miss Orchid Butterfly with healing Heriette." Phoebus requested on the lady sniper. Ruby noticed the soft gaze the marksman was directing towards Leanna making her scoff. The sniper complied and guided her brother out of the room leaving the three alone in the room.

Ruby took a dagger and a vial containing a purple liquid from her basket. She bit the cork off of the container and made the marksman hold it. Ruby placed the dagger against her hand and split the skin open drawing out blood. She hissed a little before dropping her blood on the vial. The purple liquid turned gold and shimmered like sunshine when her blood mixed with the substance.

Ruby twirled the tube and retrieved a big syringe from her basket. She pumped the liquid into the syringe and turned towards the marksman nodding for him to hold the humanoid feline down. Phoebus complied and grabbed Heriette's limbs.

"No! I don't want what that witch is doing Phoebus please stop her! Get away from me!" Heriette thrashed wildly but Phoebus held her steady, relentless at keeping her at bay.

Ruby held her index finger out in front of the faunus' face. Purple butterflies made out of light suddenly appeared and fluttered in beautiful patterns. The wild look on Heriette's eyes disappeared replaced by the blank look of someone under enchantment as she kept her gaze on the butterflies. The witch carefully stabbed the needle of the syringe into Heriette's neck and emptied its contents.

Seconds passed with nothing happening until she started convulsing. A loud scream left her lips as she shook in her chair. Phoebus looked at the witch with a betrayed look and held his friend's hand in a futile attempt to comfort him but Ruby only retained her passively calm composure. The door burst open and in came the magician crying and cursing. Ruby took the bucket and placed it near the foot of the faunus.

"What did you do? What did you do you bi-?" before Harlow could complete his sentence, Heriette pushed him away to puke a purple substance on the bucket spilling some to the magician as well.

"And now she's expelling all the poison out of her system while her blood gets purified." Ruby explained monotonously while applying sanitizer on her hand.

"You're all welcome by the way."

"Eww, puke on the bucket not on me, babe." complained the magician making Ruby smirk in amusement of his dilemma.

"Just always check her vitals especially her blood pressure and give her this the same time tomorrow." Ruby passed Phoebus a serum, the marksman suddenly engulfed the witch in a tight embrace quite uncharacteristic of him.

"Thank you, Miss Butterfly. You don't know how thankful I am to you for saving my friend. She is like a sister to me." Phoebus released her from his embrace which quite disappointed Ruby due to how brief it was but something is still better than nothing.

"Well, I'm sure of that but you must be aware that I don't work for free. The payment is also double since you disturbed me early in the morning so it's a sixteen gold." Ruby reluctantly removed Phoebus' coat from her shoulder and handed it back to the marksman.

"The price is nothing for the service you have done so I'll make it a 30." Phoebus handed her a small sack filled with golden coins.

"Well thank you, but can you please stop calling me Miss Butterfly? That sounds like an old sugar mommy nickname. Call me Ruby. Now if you don't need anything else, a love potion or my phone number, I'm going home now to get breakfast. Pleasure doing business." Ruby curtsied and started heading towards the door.

"Ruby, you're still only wearing a slip." Phoebus reminded.

"Oh, am I?" A bright light suddenly encased the witch's body for a second before disappearing again. Her purple slip was replaced by a red and white off-shoulder dress with a black collar. A red cloak was wrapped around her shoulder and the purple butterfly covering her right eyes was replaced by a red one. Her long silver hair was tied in a braid decorated by the same red butterflies. Ruby pulled the hood over her head and winked at the marksman before exiting from the door.

Unbeknownst to the two is another set of ears overhearing their conversation, carefully watching the witch when she mentioned a certain object. The gears in her mind started grinding to machinate a plan that would give her what she wants.

Leanna's gaze lingered on the door where Ruby left. By her side, is her brother smothering the cat faunus in a tight hug and kissing her cheeks.

"A love potion, huh? Wouldn't that do just the thing."