The watery gray sunlight washed over Gotham, as warm and bright as the city ever got. The inky sky slowly paled to a slate-gray. A few feeble rays of light broke through. They could barely penetrate the greasy black smoke, nor could they completely erase the night's chills. Night still puddled at buildings' bases. Bums shivered in the cardboard boxes that served as homes. Seagulls streaked with petroleum shrieked impaitently above the skyscrapers, already swooping down to russel up breakfast.
Many would not have seen these early-morning sights. Most would still be asleep. Enjoying their last couple of hours in their soft, warm beds before Gotham summoned them. The mayor included.
But his most trusted bodyguard, Ruby Sinclair, was not. She hadn't slept a wink all night, in fact. Blame concern. Excitement. Memories.
Ruby sat on the windowsill in the attic, which had been her bedroom since adolescence. It was littered with precious stones and shiny things that she'd scavanged and collected over the years. Garnets, lapis lazulis, peridots, agates...the list went on. Some had found their way here legally. Others, not so much. Sitting near her bed were several gemology texts that the good Master Van Dahl had allowed her to take. There wasn't much else, beyond the table, single bed, and chair. The new Mrs. Van Dahl hadn't allowed for anything else. She'd said that spoiling the help would encourage laziness.
Imagine how she'd react now, seeing such a lowly handmaiden wearing her pearls! Her emerald rings!
Ruby toyed with her favorite ring as she watch the day's birth. It had a smooth, glass-like jewel the color of fresh blood. It could have been her namesake. But she wasn't sure. Its mystery was what drew her to it.
And its beauty. Ruby loved beautiful things; this was no secret. That was partly why she didn't love herself very much. Ruby wasn't ugly, per se. Just...plain. Average figure. Quite tall, a good four inches taller than her current master. Mousy, curly hair that never obeyed the brush. A round, chinless face with acne scars. Her nicest feature had to be her eyes: big and round, the deep indigo of lapis lazulis. But that was pretty much it. Nowadays, in the black suit that a bodyguard must wear, Ruby was handsome enough. However, the simple maid's uniform that she'd worn for years had allowed her to blend perfectly into the room.
Indeed, while Master Van Dahl had never failed to treat her kindly, his horrid wife treated her almost as poorly as she had the mayor. Her children had been no better. Once, that dreadful Sasha had spat on the table while Ruby had been polishing it, then laughingly inform her that she'd 'missed a spot'.
They'd gotten what they'd deserved.
Without knowing it, Mayor Cobblepot had saved Ruby from being under their thumb forever. He had gotten rid of them, and then hired her practically the next day. Her first job had been to get rid of Grace Van Dahl's body. She'd ditched it in a dumpster. Many would have run off screaming; Ruby hadn't. She'd actually rather liked it, and had admired Oswald's guts.
Before she knew it, admiration turned into something else.
Ruby closed her eyes, leaning her head back. "God, what am I doing?" She whispered. No one answered. She looked back down at the ring on her finger. It was beginning to shine from the incoming light. Oh, old friend. She remembered how she'd pulled off her mother's own finger the night she'd run away. The night she'd been...caught.
The skin on her hand rippled like water beneath a breeze. Ruby quickly covered it. The shaking soon stopped. She stared at her hand, contemplating, before concentrating. Prof. Strange's words echoed in her mind, terrifying yet comforting.
"Don't think too hard about it, just relax...Good...Envision what form you wish to assume and seize it."
Ruby did just that, keeping the image clear before her mind's eye. She watched as her hand began to...change. The skin, already a pale olive, drained completely of color. The fingers grew longer. The nails yellowed slightly. The patterns of hair changed. Only the ring stayed the same.
The transfiguration was soon complete. Ruby smiled. From the wrist up, her hand had taken on the spitting image of Mayor Cobblepot's. A fire grew in her chest, beneath her unbuttoned shirt. She reached towards it with her normal hand. Then, in a swift motion, the 'mayor's hand took the bodyguard's hand into an elegant stance, as if preparing to dance. Ruby had imagined it many times. Would it ever become a reality?
She sighed, dropping her hands. The illusion evaporated, returning her hand to its natural state.
But for how long could meagre transformations like that satisfy her? How many times could she convince Oswald to become one with her, claiming that this lent him both a new face and additional strength? How many times could she die a little inside each time it was time for them to separate again?
The answer to all of these was the same: not long at all. Ruby had known it for a while, but tonight it had simply refused to leave her be, to let her sleep. The only way she could silence that voice - her own, really - was to do what she'd been wanting to do since Mayor Cobblepot had first grinned at her, asking her to 'take the trash out'.
Tell him.
The mere thought made her heartbeat pound in her ears.
"Okay." Shaking hands tangled themselves in her hair. "Okay, okay. Just...just relax. You're...you're okay, girl." Oh, God. Talking to herself again. But who cared, really? This was Gotham City. "Don't be scared. For all you know, Oswald could feel the same way. I mean, what we did...it was so intimate. Unnaturally so. It must have had an impact on him, right? Right."
Ruby had gotten up as she spoke. Splashed cold water in her face from the water basin sitting under her mirror. Buttoned her shirt. Tried to push her hair back. Slipped on the jacket that completed the uniform. She stood in front of the mirror. Shaking. Clenching and unclenching her fists.
"Okay." She told her reflection. "You can do this. Just go down there, greet the mayor, and tell him how you feel. It's morning. He's almost always in a good mood in the morning. Good." Ruby saluted herself like a Girl Scout. Well, that made sense. She had been a Girl Scout. "Here we go." Her smile was wide and jittery.
The attic door closed softly behind her. Her hidden treasures gleamed as brightly as her hopes.
The Van Dahl mansion was a magnificent structure. Master Van Dahl's grandfather had worked alongside Ruby's great-grandfather to build it. It mostly employed a Gothic architecture, while refusing to conform to straight angles or proper structure. Every angle was slightly off, causing every door to close if left open. Some of the rooms were as large and opulent as royal ballrooms, while others were as small as closets. Luxury and ancestry reigned every single one of those rooms. Polished oak banisters, crystal chandeliers, golden angels posing on little tables...it was almost as complex as a human body.
Ruby had lived here for six years, and she had yet to explore all of the mansion. It could startle her at times, but it was always home. More so than hers had ever been.
This morning, it really felt like it.
For the time being, sunlight had broken through the smoggy barrier. Its golden light showered the mansion, turning every dust particle into a tiny ballerina. Walking through the shining corridors, her hand on the sleek walls for balance, was enough to fuel Ruby's courage. This was the day. She would tell him.
The sound of clattering silverware emerged from one of the dining halls. The one that Grace had died in after eating her own children. Ha! That still made Ruby laugh. Voices followed it. Russian...and English. One was Olga, the maid who still couldn't speak the language...and...
Ruby plastered herself against the wall, breathing deeply. Her hands had gone ice-cold while her head bubbled like a witch's cauldron. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. Oswald...he had a big day today. He had to visit a school with Nygma and all that. He probably didn't need sentimentalism messing that all up.
Ruby closed her eyes, trying to be quiet. Both inside and out. That was when Oswald's voice broke through, clear as a tin bell.
"What a beautiful morning!" That contented statement came with the shuffling of a chair. "Sun is shining, birds are singing..." A happy sigh. Ruby could see him now, in his black-and gold silk robe that his father had worn before him. That Ruby had saved up on for months to be able to buy, as a thank-you present. At this hour, his hair would be even more spikey and messy than usual. His eyes, that intense blue, would be shiny with anticipation. Ruby's heart throbbed at the thought.
"They say that fortune favors the brave." Oswald said. Then: "Do they have that saying in your country, Olga?"
Olga, as expected, said something Russian. Ruby rolled her eyes. Oswald chuckled. "I don't know what you're saying."
That makes two of us, my lovely. Ruby thought.
Olga said something else in Russian.
"It's not important." Oswald dismissed. "What is important...is that I have found someone."
Ruby's heart became a heated sculpture of styrofoam. Her stomach turned to jelly. She had to grip the pillar with icy hands to avoid collapsing. She felt like she would black out if she didn't breathe more deeply, but she was too scared to make a sound. Terror and joy were entertwining within her, rising and blossoming.
Could...could it be?
Oswald continued, as if to himself. "What good is love if it's one-sided?"
Ruby had to cover her mouth to keep from crying out with happiness. Oh, God, she had known it! That night, when she and him had first become one...when she had revealed her secret to him...and he'd told her that she would be his shield...it hadn't been her imagination! He had felt something!
Ruby couldn't take it anymore. Steeling herself, knowing what wonders would happen in just a few moments, she stepped out from behind the pillar and -
"I have no choice," Oswald told Olga, "but to confess my feelings to Ed."
The loud squeak of rubber against wood made Oswald's head turn. Ruby, his faithful bodyguard, was standing in the doorway. Her eyes were wide, her jaw dropped. Even from this distance, Oswald could see patches of skin rippling unsteadily. It was rather unnerving to behold. But beneath that nastiness, yet another wound caused by Prof. Strange's scalpel, was a warrior. One that Oswald couldn't help admiring.
"Ah!" He smiled. "Good morning, Ruby."
"G...g..." Ruby looked away. Swallowed hard enough to make her throat click. She forced a smile. "Good...morning, Mr. Mayor."
Oswald tuttered good-naturedly. "Oh, come now, Ruby. You and I are passed such formalities, unless we are in public." His eyebrows, thin as twigs, wiggled confidentially. Thin hands gestured to the opulent saloon. "Within these walls, you may simply call me by my first name."
"Y-yes..." It was killing her right now, seeing that sweet smile and bright eyes, knowing the limitations behind them. Knowing that she would never see them in their purest of forms. Ruby's vision was already blurring. "Yes, Os...Oswald. Thank you."
Oswald frowned. He had seen Ruby wake up teary-eyed before. Night terrors were mostly to blame. She had always assured him that they were nothing that she couldn't handle. Given what she could do, Oswald had believed her. But this...this just seemed...different.
"Is everything alright?" He leaned forward, careful not to knock over his poached egg. "You look-"
"I'm fine." That smile widened a little. "I...I think we need to dust this place up, though. It's really getting in my eyes."
Oswald reclined in his chair. Fingers drummed against the sleek surface. "Hmm." He hummed. "Are you certain?"
"Y-yes. Of course." Ruby cleared her throat. "I just...uh, wanted to know when we are to leave."
"Oh!" Oswald relaxed, smiling at the thought of polishing his new status. "Right! Thank you for asking, then. It will be at around ten this morning."
"V-very well, Oswald." Ruby dipped her head in a humble little bow. Just as she had during her days as a handmaiden. "Th-thank you." With that she spun around and hurried down the hall. Oswald watched until her black sihlouette melted into the corridor's shadows. He turned back to Olga. She had just finished setting the morning feast on the table. "Adorable woman." He remarked. "She is the only one of Strange's monsters that doesn't deserve a bullet in her brain." He chuckled fondly. "Her penchant for jewels reminds me of my mother, in all honesty. She is quite pleasant company."
Olga said something in Russian before taking her leave. Oswald shrugged and began digging into his breakfast. As he fed his belly, he began to wonder how he could satisfy his heart.
Ruby slammed the attic door closed. Leaned against it. Panting, and her run back up the stairs had had nothing to do with it. Her mind spun in her brain like ice cubes in a drink.
Oswald and...and Edward Nygma?
Oh, God. She had never suspected a thing! Yes, Oswald had spoken of the tall riddle-lover, but she had always assumed (hoped?) that they were just friends. Ruby had spoken with Edward on numerous occasions, and while he seemed very intelligent and fearless, he didn't really seem like Oswald's type.
But then again, what was Oswald's type? According to him, he'd never gone out on a date. Hell, he hadn't even mentioned a first kiss! For all they knew, Oswald's type could have been a blue-haired porcupine!
"I have no choice but to confess my feelings to Ed."
That sentence drove a javelin in Ruby's chest. The kindness that had followed had been salt rubbing in the wounds.
The tears finally broke free. Wailing, Ruby fell to the floor and hugged herself. Even as she cried her body changed, shifting and twisting into different forms. But the biggest change of all was the laceration in her heart.