Suddenly, lightning strikes in the distance and with it the heavens open unleashing a torrent of rain. The thunder rolls over the room waking poor Ruby from her slumber. She coughs and sputters as she wakes her broken and beaten body barely holding on.
"Morning sleepy head," I mock as she strains to lift her head to face me. Silently I sprint to her bedside and gradually lift her pillows and head trying to help her. What little I can.
"Thank you," she meekly speaks as I finish arranging her pillows.
"Rust," she calls out as lightning flashes past the window illuminating my skeletal visage.
"So, you're here to finish the job," she says.
"Ha hahaha, if I wanted to kill you I would have done in the countless chances I've already had, I mock as step from the shadows.
"Then why are you here," she asks with a confused look.
"To atone for what I have done, I may be a murder, a monster, and a thief but I'm still a skeleton and skeletons atone for what they have done," I say.
"You think you're a monster,"
"Yes, I've know that since I pulled myself out of the sunken laboratories and looked upon the scorched world to find the inhabitants."
"I don't think you're a monster," she spoke with her voice full of compassion and hope.
"I think you're like a knight in shining armor just waiting for a quest," she finishes.
Suddenly she leaps from her bed with a grunt as the sound of IV lines pulling and life support wires tugging fills the room but that doesn't stop her from Hugging me.
"This is one of the few times I wish I could smile," I say as I return the hug.
"Despite what you have done, I don't believe you're a monster," she says a tear forming in her eye.
I remain silent as hold onto her.
"I have trouble sleeping during storms such as these, so could you comfort me, please" she nervously spoke.
"Of course," I replied as she began to move back to the bed.
I lie in the bed trying to use as little space as possible as she slowly rests her head on my chain mail shirt.
"Good night," she says as she drifts off.
"Good night," I reply as look down at her sleeping face.
Eventually I enter low power mode too joining her, in sleep.
I awake lying on my old bed from back then. The sound of the metallic springs creaking as I lift my mechanical body off the bed fills the room. Remind me to oil those springs I think as I sit at my wooden desk. Creak. Please don't break, please don't break I silently pray. Phew I think as I look into the old yet well-polished shield I use as a makeshift mirror. I take one of my many oil cans resting on my desk and deposit a few drops into the two corners of my jaw, ah better I think as I begin to rock my jaw on its hinges. Slowly I get up from Eventually I walk down the corroded steel staircase to find my father there talking to a customer. Dink, Dink. The bell on the door rings and slowly and cautiously a young woman enters the shop.
"Got an idea on what you're looking for," I say as I walk over to her.
"Well, I was thinking something a bit more civil," she says confidently.
"Nothing more civil than a blade," I reply as I point to one of the many Katana's resting on a display stand.
"That is true, but it is a bit hard to cut a loaf of gohan with Katana," she spoke with the same confidence as before.
"Ah so you're in need of a clever," I say as I walk to the drafting table.
After a few minutes of digging through the papyrus rolls in the tables many draws I find the schematic.
"This good enough," I say as I present the schematic for the clever. The dusty tome leaves my fingertips caked in soot.
Achoo. She sneezes, her calm, in control demeanor broken in an instant.
"I'm sorry these tomes are so old," I calmly apologize.
"It's okay, she says with a grin on your face.
"What's so funny," I say as she starts to laugh.
"I don't know I can just get like this," she said as she started to blush.
"Well shall we begin" I said as I moved to the Anvil.
"Rust, wake up," she shouted.