Chapter 10
Pyrrha slipped her key into the door and unlocked it. It was a bit of a struggle with a bag in each arm, but nothing she could not handle. As she pushed the door open she was surprised to see Ruby on the couch, apparently just waking up at the sound of the door opening. Ruby rubbed her eyes and produced a groggy groan. Then her eyes locked on Pyrrha. Those silver eyes went wide and she screamed. She looked and sounded terrified, and the sound was enough of a shock that Pyrrha dropped the grocery bags. "Stay back!" Ruby screamed as she took hold of a lamp.
"What's wrong?" Pyrrha asked. She took a step forward. Ruby, still screaming, hurled the lamp. Pyrrha just managed to get her arm up to block the flying object, though it shattered, cutting her skin and showering her with shards of ceramic. "Ruby, it's me, Pyrrha!" She took another step forward. Ruby grabbed the other lamp and hurled it too but Pyrrha was ready. She caught it and placed it on a table near the door. Pyrrha was terrified. Ruby was losing her mind and nothing Pyrrha said stopped her. She was just attacking like a maniac. Pyrrha decided she had to subdue Ruby before she hurt Pyrrha or herself.
Ruby looked around for a moment and Pyrrha charged, kicking the coffee table out of the way as she went. The last thing she wanted to do was throw Ruby into it and seriously injure her. Ruby threw a wild punch as Pyrrha closed in. Pyrrha's MMA instincts took over. She caught the strike, pulled Ruby down to the ground and locked her in an armbar. Ruby kept struggling. Pyrrha had no idea what to do. Ruby was not trying to escape the hold like a trained fighter, she was just flailing. There was an audible pop and Ruby let out a high-pitched scream before her struggling stopped. Any continuation of the hold would only do more damage so Pyrrha released Ruby, rolling over and wrapping her in a bear hug. With the pressure of the hold spread over a larger area, it hopefully would not do Ruby any damage.
"Ruby, it's me, Pyrrha." Pyrrha pleaded in as soft and gentle a voice as she could. Ruby kept sobbing. "Ruby please, calm down, it's alright, I'm here." Still Ruby cried. "Ruby, everything will be okay, just calm down, please. I'm here for you Ruby, please." Ruby's breathing slowed and she stopped fighting. "Ruby, it's me, Pyrrha."
"P...Pyrrha?" Ruby gasped, out of breath and shaking. Pyrrha released her from the hold and Ruby did not try to fight. "Pyrrha?"
"Yes, it's me." Pyrrha said. "I'm sorry I hurt you. What happened? Are you alright?"
"I...I...had a hallucination I guess." Ruby admitted. "I saw...the man who shot me. I was so scared."
"There's no one here but me." Pyrrha said. She shifted into a more conventional hug, rubbing Ruby's back. "When I got here you just started screaming and throwing stuff."
"Oh no, I attacked you." Ruby groaned.
"It's alright, I'm fine, just a little cut." Pyrrha said. "I heard your shoulder pop and…I'm so sorry." Now Pyrrha was crying too. "I'm sorry I hurt you...I shouldn't…"
"No, this is my fault." Ruby wept. "My fucked up brain made me attack you. Why does this keep happening?"
"Keep happening?" Pyrrha asked.
"I've...been having hallucinations all along." Ruby admitted. "When I freaked out and said I had a headache my first day back at the gym, that was actually a hallucination. I had a few when Yang was here and one the other day when you were here but…"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Pyrrha asked.
"I didn't want you to worry." Ruby replied. "You have enough on your mind without having to worry about me."
"Does Yang know?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yeah, and I made her promise not to tell you." Ruby explained. "I saw how much it freaked her out and I didn't want the same thing to happen with you."
"But I'm always going to be worried about you." Pyrrha protested. "I care about you so much. I just want to help you."
"But you can't help me." Ruby sobbed. "No one can. My brain is broken and that's all there is to it."
"I still…" Pyrrha trailed off. "Your shoulder, I should take you to the hospital."
"No, it's not that bad." Ruby said. "I hate hospitals. I don't want to go to the hospital."
"But you need medical attention." Pyrrha insisted.
"So take me to the gym." Ruby suggested. "The training staff can fix my shoulder. It doesn't even hurt that much, really."
"What will we say happened?" Pyrrha asked. "I can't just say you went crazy and I dislocated your shoulder."
"We'll tell them I tripped, or fell off a stool, or we got too vigorous during sex." Ruby said. "I really don't care. I just don't want to go back to the hospital."
"Fine." Pyrrha sighed. "I'll take you to the gym to get patched up. We'll just say you slipped in the kitchen."
"How did this happen?" Glynda asked, examining Ruby's shoulder.
"I slipped in the kitchen." Ruby lied. "I guess I landed awkwardly."
"And how'd you get the cut?" Glynda asked, pointing to the bloody bandage around Pyrrha's arm.
"I was cooking and Ruby was bringing me a knife." Pyrrha lied. "When she slipped she just got me a little."
"You think that will need stitches?" Glynda asked.
"No, it's not deep." Pyrrha replied. "I'm just worried about her shoulder."
"Doesn't look like there's any serious damage." Glynda said. "Nothing torn in there. I can pop that back in."
"Shouldn't we wait for a trainer who is actually a physician?" Pyrrha asked.
"No, this is basic stuff." Glynda said. She put one hand on Ruby's shoulder and grabbed her bicep with the other. "This is going to hurt, a lot."
"I've been shot in the head." Ruby said. "I don't think it'll be…"
With a pop Glynda jerked Ruby's shoulder back into joint. Ruby squealed in pain and writhed for a few moments. "All fixed." Glynda reported.
"I wasn't ready." Ruby admitted, crying a little.
"Is there anything she needs to do to help it heal?" Pyrrha asked.
"Just ice it and don't do anything strenuous." Glynda suggested. "That means no therapy for a few days. We'll start back up once it stops hurting."
"Doc, is Yang in today?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yes, and stop calling me Doc." Glynda sighed. "I think she was kickboxing with Peach."
"Why don't you tape her shoulder up and put some ice on it?" Pyrrha suggested. "I need to ask Yang about something."
"Go ahead." Glynda said, digging through the drawers, looking for the athletic tape.
Pyrrha headed back into the gym looking for Yang. She found her in one of the back rooms, kickboxing with Peach as predicted. Peach was a world-class ex-fighter herself, but Yang was clearly getting the better of the exchange. Still, something about Yang's movement seemed different. It was almost as if she was not quite as sharp as usual. But it was subtle and she was still kicking ass at a high level, so Pyrrha just figured she was having a bad day.
"Hey Yang, got a minute?" Pyrrha asked when there was a suitable break in the action.
"Sure, what's up?" Yang asked, walking over to the edge of the cage. "I think Peach over here needs a break anyway." Peach scowled but did not protest. "I hear Ruby had a nasty fall. She didn't hit her head did she?"
"That's not exactly what happened." Pyrrha admitted in hushed tones.
"What, did you get a little too freaky during sex or something?" Yang asked straight out.
"If that's the rumor that spreads I'm fine with it." Pyrrha sighed. "The truth is she had a hallucination - yes, I know about them - and she attacked me. I did my best to subdue her without hurting her, but...well...you know what happened."
"She attacked you?" Yang gasped, still at a whisper so that no one else would hear. "God, this is worse than I thought. I thought she was getting better but it's only getting worse."
"I don't know what to do." Pyrrha said. "I'm so afraid of hurting her again"
"I don't know what to tell you." Yang said. "I couldn't help her. If you can't help her I don't know if anyone can." Yang looked at the ground and shook her head. "I need a drink." She said under her breath.
"What was that?" Pyrrha asked.
"Nothing." Yang said. "Do your best I guess. You probably know Ruby better than I do right now. Just do what you think is right for her."
"I'll give it some thought." Pyrrha said. "Keep kicking ass."
"You too champ." Yang said with a fake smile.
The ride back to the apartment from the gym was mostly silent. Pyrrha had no idea what to say and it seemed neither did Ruby. "I'm really sorry." Ruby finally said as they walked in the door. "For everything. Attacking you, not telling you, everything."
"It's alright." Pyrrha said, forcing a smile. "I understand your side of it. You didn't realize what you were doing when you attacked, and you didn't tell me about the hallucinations because you were worried about how I would deal with that information. I'm sorry I hurt you."
"I'll be fine." Ruby shrugged. She winced as she moved her injured shoulder. "I'm gonna' go paint." Ruby retreated into her studio, leaving Pyrrha alone in the main room.
Pyrrha had no idea what to do. She knew the current situation couldn't continue, but how it had to change was beyond her. Pyrrha was so afraid. Afraid that Ruby would have another episode and hurt herself or Pyrrha or someone else. Pyrrha was just as worried that in trying to stop Ruby from hurting someone, she would hurt Ruby, worse than she already had. Thinking about it did not help so Pyrrha busied herself cleaning up the leftover debris from Ruby's hallucination. There were shards of lamp all over the floor and the coffee table had split badly. The lamp Pyrrha had caught had the wire ripped out of it, so it would need to be replaced.
Luckily the neighbors had either been out of the building, or somehow not heard Ruby screaming, or just had not cared. Otherwise there would have surely been some awkward explaining to do. The fact that the police had not arrived at their door wondering who had been murdered was something of a miracle. Beside her screams, the terror in Ruby's eyes had been so apparent, so visceral. That had probably been the scariest part for Pyrrha. Seeing Ruby like that, whatever the context, was unbearable. Pyrrha now felt tremendously guilty. Ruby had been living in a nightmare for weeks while Pyrrha was oblivious. She wondered how Yang coped with it, having known all along.
After cleaning up Pyrrha sat on the couch and turned on the television. She did not watch it so much as stare blankly at the screen, not really taking in what was displayed. Her mind was focused entirely on Ruby and what had happened earlier. She hardly noticed when Ruby emerged from her studio. It was already pretty late. Ruby walked over and sat on the couch beside Pyrrha, leaning against her. Pyrrha began absentmindedly stroking Ruby's hair. Her finger brushed against the scar and her heart sank. Some muffled sounds broke her train of thought, words she did not quite hear.
"What was that?" Pyrrha asked.
"I was just asking about the damage I did." Ruby said. "I guess the lamps and the table were busted."
"Yeah, but it's no big deal." Pyrrha confirmed. "I can have them replaced."
"How about we redecorate instead?" Ruby suggested. "When I moved in furnishing the place was kind of rushed, and I was never really happy with the aesthetic. This is the perfect excuse to make some changes."
"That could be fun." Pyrrha said. She was thinking that it could be a great distraction to get her mind on a different track. "We can go look at some stuff tomorrow."
"This is great!" Ruby exclaimed. "I always thought the walls were really boring. We could get some cool wallpaper to fix that. And the tables are sort of old, so we could get some modern stuff instead."
"We'll need some lamps too." Pyrrha said.
"Hopefully ones that don't shatter when thrown." Ruby laughed. Pyrrha was not laughing. She just frowned. "Not that I'm expecting a repeat. I was just joking."
"Yeah, I know." Pyrrha sighed. "I'm just...not in a joking mood at the moment."
"Sorry." Ruby said.
"I was so scared, seeing you like that." Pyrrha admitted. "And not because you were screaming and throwing stuff at me either. I was scared because of how scared you were. I had no idea what was happening, but I could tell something was terribly wrong with you. I just…" Pyrrha broke down and started crying.
"I'm sorry." Ruby repeated. "I should have told you about the hallucinations. I just didn't want you to worry. When Yang found out it really freaked her out, and I didn't want the same thing to happen with you." The odd tear dripped down Ruby's face.
Pyrrha sniffled and wiped her eyes. "It's all over now, and I forgive you for everything." She said, shifting her position to hug Ruby.
"I'm glad." Ruby said, reciprocating. "I hope it never happens again."
The next day it was off to a local furniture store to begin the process of redecorating the apartment. Ruby grabbed a shopping cart and headed for the lamps. Pyrrha wandered off into the store, knowing Ruby would do a far better job of picking things out than she could. Ruby already had a pretty good idea of the sort of lamps she wanted. For a long time she had had her eye on some designs that incorporated stained glass into the lampshade and the base. They were not the most practical in terms of lighting the place, but the apartment had plenty of natural light most of the time and the pair liked to keep it fairly dark in the evening.
For Ruby there was only one major concern. The lamps she adored were made almost entirely of glass. If she had another hallucination and threw one, it would not just leave a huge mess but probably seriously hurt whoever was on the receiving end. Ruby had another option in mind though, a pair of lamps with ornate metal bases, topped with lacy shades. They were a bit heavy, and could be used for one hell of a bludgeoning, but Ruby figured it was safer than something that would leave razor-sharp pieces all over the place. Overall the stained glass better fit the aesthetic she wanted, but she had to decided what was more important, appearance or the potential for another episode.
Ruby told herself everything was going to be alright. She had been telling herself that for a while now. She decided to put that into practice and settled on the stained glass lamps. She carefully loaded them into the cart and wheeled them to the front of the store. There she got a clerk to assist her and went looking at tables. This was just the first stage of the redecoration, but it would require a new coffee table and new end tables. The ones already in the apartment were rather old and had come from a yard sale. Ruby never really liked them but at the time it was that or nothing. Now, with the clerk doing the heavy lifting, she picked out a set of modern, minimalist wooden tables stained black.
With the heavy and fragile stuff put aside Ruby went to look at wallpaper. The current wallpaper had been there since she had moved in. It was plain white with a black border on the top and bottom. In other words, it was painfully boring. It was not long before Ruby found exactly what she was looking for. The design she picked out featured roses and vines in front of a black background, with gold trim at the top and bottom that formed elaborate geometric designs. There was none in stock, but Ruby put in the order. With everything for the first stage of redecoration sorted, Ruby went looking for Pyrrha.
Pyrrha was looking at the store's selection of rugs. Samples of each design were hung up in what amounted to a big vertical book, making it easy to go through them or compare. Pyrrha flipped back and forth, over and over, going through all the choices several times but never really seeing them. Her mind was elsewhere. Pyrrha knew both she and Ruby were playing pretend, acting like everything was normal as things spiraled out of control. Pyrrha desperately wanted to believe in the fantasy but she was far too rational a person to do that. Something had to be done, and if nothing was, change would be forced on her sooner than later.
"Hey Pyrrha." Ruby said.
Pyrrha jumped and turned to face Ruby. "Oh, you startled me." Pyrrha gasped.
"That's a nice one." Ruby said, pointing past Pyrrha.
"Uh...oh yes, nice." Pyrrha struggled, still behind on the conversation.
"Do you want it?" Ruby asked.
"Oh...um...sure." Pyrrha replied.
"I didn't think pink was your color." Ruby shrugged.
Pyrrha spun around to face the bright pink rug hanging behind her. "Oh, no, I was talking about this one." Pyrrha said, hurriedly flipping to another. What she landed on was a brown and red rug with geometric designs on it.
"I never accused you of having good taste." Ruby laughed.
"Well, if you don't like it we don't need to get it." Pyrrha said, relieved that Ruby had given her an escape from the conversation. "Maybe you should pick one out. It think a rug would look nice under the coffee table."
Hardly looking, Ruby quickly flipped to one. It was red and gold with patterns similar to those commonly seen in Mistral. "I love this one." Ruby said. "I can't believe you didn't pick it out."
"Somehow I missed it." Pyrrha said, forcing a laugh. "It's perfect."
"Yeah, it'll go great with everything else I picked out." Ruby said.
"How'd that go?" Pyrrha asked.
"Great!" Ruby enthused. "I found the perfect stuff. The apartment's going to look amazing once it's all in place. You just have to pay for it and schedule delivery. I hope it's not too expensive."
"Nothing's too expensive for you." Pyrrha said.