3rd Person POV:
"So, there I was, surrounded by a dozen evil ravens, ready to pluck my eyes from my skull."
It is nighttime the day after Parents' Day, and Ruby, Max, Neil, and Nikki are all sitting in Ruby's and Nikki's tent. They listen to Ruby telling her heavily modified stories as a huntress-in-training, awe on all their faces. "Wait, wait. Ravens aren't known for that." Neil protests, confused.
"Er… sorry, I meant vultures. A dozen vultures were circling my friends and I and all hope seemed lost. That's when I decided to get bold and use my sniper rifle. Bang! Bang! Bang! One by one, the vultures fell. Heck, even my crazy step-sister fired a shotgun shell into a vulture's mouth. Eventually, only one was left. Thinking quickly, I took the most logical path to dealing with the vulture; I smacked the rifle into its head, breaking its neck in the process. We feasted on their corpses for days to come!"
A moment of silence passes. Then Nikki starts clapping loudly. "I loved that story! Tell it again!"
"Wait. Vultures are known for eating corpses of dead animals and even people. So, technically, wouldn't that make you a cannibal?" Neil asks, rubbing his chin in thought.
"Neil, shut up. I'm trying to comprehend this story." Max hisses back, also awed. "I had no idea how kick-ass you are."
"Eh, no biggie." Ruby waves off the compliments. She then lets out a loud yawn. "I'm so tired right now. Night, all." She then jumps into her bed and falls asleep almost instantly. The three campers, remembering the last disaster that occurred because she was woken up, decide to leave the girl alone and get some sleep.
As the sun rises over the mountains, Ruby starts waking up to the sounds of shuffling feet outside. Realizing she's overslept, Ruby instantly jumps out of bed and runs out, only to find the main campers heading towards the mess hall. Except as the campers reach the mess hall, they see a troubled-looking David and Gwen standing in front of the doors.
"Hey! Breakfast is inside, and I'm hungry!" Nerf says.
But as he's about to pass, Gwen starts speaking. "Campers, we have a quick announcement to make about today's activities."
"Right, Gwen." David adds, looking more anxious than Gwen, "Today, we're going to raise money to replace Quartermaster's stolen hook."
Everyone then turns their head to see a sniffling and sobbing Quartermaster, staring at the stump where his hook usually is.
"What kind of monster would do such a thing?" As he sobs even louder, Ruby takes a step back from the sight, completely unused to seeing the orgy master break down like this. But what Ruby, and every other camper, fails to notice is Gwen tucking the hook into her shorts and slipping her green shirt over.
Eventually, the campers ignore the sight and walk inside to get breakfast. It is an uneventful meal, but with the inclusion of a crying Quartermaster. Once finished and the plates turned in, QM then starts sobbing louder than before as he cleans the plate using a new hand attachment.
"Why's he so upset?" Max demands, looking at the elderly man, "He's got, like, a thousand different hand attachments."
"Most of them arguably more practical than the last." Neil adds, confused.
"I concur." Nikki replies, then pulls out one of QM's hands, this one being a fist with the forefinger sticking in the air.
"Where the hell did you get that?" Ruby asks; not even she has successfully stolen one of QM's hand attachments, and she's tried.
Gwen takes notice and runs over. "Nikki, don't touch that! You don't know where it's been." She then confiscates the hand, holding it up by the erect forefinger.
"Like up someone's asshole?" Ruby suggests.
Her attempt to gross the counselor out works. "Ew." She then throws the hand aside.
"Aw." Nikki complains, hoping to use it somehow. Just then, David walks over to talk with the quartet.
"Quartermaster's hook is his favorite. And besides, it's not just about the hand. It's-it's-it's the principle of the matter. Do you really want to spend the rest of the summer having to look at that sad face?" David asks, then points towards QM. The miserable man then blows his nose on the wet rag in his hands before using it to clean the plate.
Many campers expressed their disgust at the sight, and desire to stop it. "I'll help. I really don't trust Quartermaster's gross germs." Ruby admits.
"Exactly!" David speaks up. "Now, brace yourselves, kids. We need to raise five…hundred dollars. He then points to a nice-looking counter with the name 'Fun-Raiser' on top of an irregular shape showing the faces of QM, David, and Gwen.
"Where did you get that?" Gwen asks inquisitively.
"I bought it!" David replies happily. Max and Ruby slap their foreheads simultaneously. The red-haired counselor then realizes his mistake. "Oh." He then presses some buttons on the remote in his hands, increasing the amount to 575 dollars.
"So, like, what's the plan?" Ered asks, swishing her hair. Ruby then looks to the counselors, wondering the same thing.
Gwen instantly answers that question, looking even more stressed. "Great question. Great question. Does anybody have a plan?"
"What if we made an ad for TV?" Harrison suggests. Ruby just shakes her head at the suggestion.
"Oh, I love that! A heart-breaking call to action! Crammed with so much depressing imagery, you'd have to be heartless not to donate." Preston adds, already thinking of the possibilities of what to put in for this ad.
"Yeah. That's good." Gwen replies, warming up to this. Ruby just sighs, knowing it will do more harm than good.
"I don't know, Gwen. Don't you think that's a little…emotionally manipulative?" David asks with uncertainty.
Gwen just gives David a deadpan expression. "Yes! Come on, kids. Time to raid the film camp supplies."
"I'll lead the way. Come, campers, to victory!" Ruby shouts, then leads the campers and Gwen towards Site B. "Remember, I will do the talking here. These guys are very sensitive."
Within minutes, they reach Site B and Ruby leads them towards Film Camp, a small shack on the top of a nearby hill with a large garage nearby. "Cut! Cut!" An angry, drawling voice shouts from inside the hut. The campers just listen to the outburst as they try to figure out where the tape would be located. "Come on, shake that booty. Put some passion into the movements."
"Would you like me to rip the competition a new one?" A second voice, obviously a young girl, asks.
"Goddamn it, Barb!" Ripley shouts, but before they can argue any further, the campers storm in.
"Alright, you little shits. Where do you keep the video tape?" Gwen demands.
The short director, who now has ditched the top hat and has grown a short stubby beard that wraps around his mouth with a brown jacket over a button-down blue shirt, just glares at Gwen with fury. "I shall not bow down to the will of a miscreant like yourself. Your theories of life suck! En garde!" He then pulls out a rapier, twirling it in his hands before switching the sword between hands. Ruby, already having lost patience, pulls out Freckles and shoots the blade out of his hands.
"Can you do it now?" Ruby asks, smoking still flying out of the pistol's barrel.
Ripley, scared nearly shitless, chuckles weakly. "Of course, of course. Follow me." The group then follows Ripley as he pulls out a large ring filled with keys to the entrance of the garage. Picking one key, he slips it into the keyhole. Promptly, the door swings inward. "Can I go now?" He chuckles nervously.
"Beat it." Ruby replies; Ripley does so without much more persuasion. Everyone then enters the musky garage filled with piles of scrap metal as tall as the warehouse itself. Ruby's head jolts back and forth, taking in the sight. There is almost literally everything in here, including: tuxedos, an old-fashioned costume with a white ribbon and several chains draped over the older suit, a black spandex suit with a red flame on the front, phones, giant boxes of makeup kits, green teddy bears, miniature whiteboards, empty blue power-aid bottles, basketballs, and for some reason, shotguns.
She then notices a table in the far corner of the room, where numerous tools are laid out and six neat looking gadgets are laid on the wood table, anything from a motion tracker to a weird red box with straps and what looks like an attachable piece where the eyes go that glows a vibrant blue to three types of swords, including a glowing blue double-bladed sword with an orb inside. Instantly, Ruby grabs the rod-shaped blade with the glowing blade and the motion tracker; in case Max tries to pull anything on Ruby.
"Whoa, check out these costumes." Harrison exclaims, looking at four white and grey spandex suits with the zipper on the front and several places where the suits are cut so as to accommodate different pieces of white armor; one has a gauntlet, another an arm cannon, another with boots, and the last with a strange helmet with a glass front.
"Eh, they'll rid up on the crotch too much." Preston comments, looking at the wooden red archway that resembles a demon's mouth, complete with crazy black eyes staring at him, horns, and fangs dipping down. "I love this arch. It gives off a spooky vibe that makes me want to scream like a little sissy. Oh, let me at it."
"Found it!" Nerf shouts, holding up a roll of film. But then, he accidentally crushes it with his hands. "Oops."
"You klutz!" Gwen shouts, looking at the broken tape.
"Now hold on." Space Kid replies, pulling out another tape. "I've got something here." He then looks at his arm and screams. "Ants!" He then drops the tape and it smashes on the ground.
Gwen groans out loud, slapping her face. "I'll get it." She then walks over to the chest, and pulls out the last roll of empty film. "Alright, kids. I've got to keep David in check. You go film this commercial, and I'll be back to check it." Gwen then leaves Film Camp.
"So, what do we do?" Nerris asks.
Preston rubs his hands together, a grin forming on his face. "We will only do the greatest play of our lives."
POV Shift:
Weiss Schnee can't stand this.
The sheer idea of sitting in a hotel room in the middle of a dingy town is insane. She should be out in the world, helping people wherever she can, but not only is she without her rapier, she promised to stay as close to Camp Campbell as possible when Ruby has found her robot and is ready to go back home.
Sighing in exasperation, she skulks over to the couch and grabs the remote. She'll do some training to stave off the boredom, but decides to see what people in this world like to watch on television first.
The television hums to life and the channel then starts showing several men wearing excessive amounts of protection charging at each other. One throws the egg-shaped ball to another and they charge down the field, only to get tackled by another player. "No thank you." Weiss says, pressing the channel button, which takes her to a list of channels. "Football? Wait. If it's football, why don't they use their feet?" Weiss just shrugs, never having been a sports fan, and switches through the channels. "Reality, reality, reality. What is with all these reality shows?"
She then lands on something that catches her attention, which will start playing in five minutes. "Bohemian Rhapsody?" Weiss asks, leaning forward. "What kind of name is Bohemian Rhapsody?" She then clicks the play button to read the summary. "'Bohemian Rhapsody is a movie based on the true story of Queen's journey from the start of the rock band to their now-legendary 1985 performance at Live Aid concert in Webley Stadium. The story chronicles lead singer Freddie Mercury's tempestuous journey from an outcast immigrant struggling to find his place in a rejecting society to his becoming a beloved and world-famous artist.' Okay, this I have to see." As a touring singer, Weiss already feels a kinship towards this man, Freddie Mercury.
She instantly clicks on the movie as the last program finishes up. But before the movie plays, the commercials start.
"Every hour…" Weiss jolts toward, eyes bulging. She must have hallucinated but she could have sworn to have heard Ruby's voice in an uncharacteristically somber tone. "Children at Camp Campbell are neglected…" The words appear on the screen in bold white words. "Without their Quartermaster able to provide for them, many campers are left hungry, and afraid. And with no one giving them the attention they need, many of them will die." As the monologue progresses, it shows three different depressing images; the first is Nerris, having thrown her sword away and is cradling herself in the fetal position while looking scared, the second is Dolph being splattered in different colors of paint while looking at the ground in a dejected manner, but it's the third that makes Weiss's breathing hitch; an image of Ruby lying on her side, screaming in silent pain while covering one of her eyes as a thick red substance trickles from the covered area, Freckles lying on the grassy ground smoking and an antique metal sign holding up a target post. As Ruby's narration concludes with 'die,' the image turns grey and lifeless.
The commercial then switches to an image of Preston sitting on an old green and yellow striped chair in the counselor's cabin, Nerf sitting on Preston's lap. "Hello, there. My name is Preston Goodplay, and for a monthly donation of just 500 dollars, you can help campers like little Nerf here get the love and affection they deserve." Weiss actually feels rather sorry for the campers in that moment, despite knowing it's a scam.
"Otherwise, I'll die. In fact, by the time you're watching this, I'm probably already dead! And it's all your fault." Nerf adds, spit flying at the screen but not hitting it.
"And I take my thoughts back." Weiss adds, not believing they could fail this in such an epic manner.
"Is that what you want? You want to kill kids? You disgust me." Preston replies, glowering at the screen.
"Call now and donate to receive a free tote bag." Harrison concludes; the screen is now blue with an image of a tote bag bearing QM's face and the phrase, 'Take the Time to Lend a Hand.' In the bottom of the screen is the phone number; 555-CAMP.
As the ad finishes and the screen goes black, Weiss just stares in bewilderment. "I swear, if even one person donates, I will question humanity's sanity." Weiss just shakes her head. "Ruby, what do you get yourself into half the time?" She then falls silent as the image then comes back, showing a man lying asleep on a rumbled bed.
Shift Back:
Gwen, Ruby, and Preston stare at the computer raided from the derelict Computer Camp as the commercial finishes. Preston is amazed at the product, Ruby is trying not to laugh at how absurd the ad was, but Gwen is just mortified. "Nailed it." Preston exclaims, wiping a tear from his eye.
"I'm going to keep this if you don't mind." Ruby replies, holding up the film containing the drafted images of QM and the filming that took place to get the images, on top of the attempts to narrate the final product.
"So. What do you think?" Preston asks Gwen, who breaks from her stupor.
"What do I think?" Gwen demands. "Preston, this commercial was supposed to be about the Quartermaster's hook hand! Not about we neglect and kill children!"
Preston then shows images that Ruby has on the old-fashioned film regarding QM and Space Kid's not-so-happy reaction to them. "Yeah, all this footage just turned out be more…disturbing than sympathetic. According to our focus group. Thus, we chose to limit his visibility in the final edit."
"He wasn't in it at all!" Gwen argues.
"He was on the tote bag!" Preston barks back, pulling out the tote bag from the ad.
"Wait. How much did it cost to get these made?" Gwen then takes the tote bag, and asking in a suspicious manner.
"Not as much as it cost to put televised air time."
"What?" Gwen is now furious, slamming her fists on the table. She then pinches her face. "Hold on. How did you even pay them to put it on televised time? We are on a…tight budget!"
"We put it all on Mr. Campbell's credit card." Ruby replies, holding up a Wells Fargo credit card. "I found this in the attic one day."
"Give me that." Gwen snatches the credit card from Ruby and stomps away from the site, livid. Ruby then hears a rustling in the nearby bushes and looks over, only to see nothing.
Ruby makes her way over to the main group of campers who are just milling about and tries to figure out what to do for the day. But upon reflection, Ruby realizes something major. QM's hook hand seems cheap, 100 dollars at the max. But why are they so eager to pay off a man that creeps them out half the time, especially Ruby? And why are the counselors so urgently trying to get money?
Ruby's thoughts are interrupted when she hears Nikki shout, "Yar! I be coming for that booty!" and jumps onto a random patch of dirt, instantly digging with one of QM's many hands; this one being a shovel. Not even a moment later, a large pillar of black oil erupts from the ground. "Aw. Oil again? Where's a treasure map when you need one?" She asks as she buries the oil pillar using dirt from another spot on the ground.
Ruby just shakes her head, not wanting to know what's going through Nikki's head. She then gets back to the main. "Well, what did she think?" Ered asks, swishing her hair.
"Oh, she hates it." Ruby replies. "But I think it could be great! We need to find a way to make people watch."
"Yes, but how do ve do that?" Dolph asks, raising his hand.
"I've got it!" Preston shouts, walking over to the group. "I was going back to the counselor's cabin to pitch our masterpiece to them once more, and I heard they will be organizing this extravagant fundraiser. The entire town of Sleepy Peak is going to visit, pizza will be available to all, and it will be held at my camp!"
"Uh, okay? What does this have to do with anything?" Space Kid asks, confused.
"Don't you see? There's a projector there. If we could hack it or whatever, then we could play the ad and get people all emotional!"
The campers let out roars of approval of the idea. Then they look at Ruby. "What?"
"Can you do it?" Harrison asks.
"Oh, ye of little faith. If I can make guns from scrap metal, then I can hack a damn projector."
Mustering as much stealth as possible, the group makes their way towards Theater Camp. But as they make their way over, David and Gwen spot them.
"Oh, good. We need you guys to help out on a special project we have tonight." Gwen says, giving out two buckets of white paint before they leave to pick up pizza.
As Space Kid and Preston paint over the theater camp sign, making the new title say 'QM's Fun-Raiser,' Ruby makes her way inside the stage. "Hard to believe it was just yesterday when I got to know more about Max." She mutters, blushing slightly as she remembers the hug. Shaking her head, she grabs a step-ladder and positions it below the projector sitting on a wooden platform suspended over the stage. "You're kidding me. Who even uses these projectors anymore?" Ruby mutters, setting the chip containing the commercial on the side before making herself comfortable on the step-ladder. Sometimes, just how poor this camp is simply baffling to the girl.
The rest of the campers, once finished, hide behind the stage and look up at Ruby, who gives the thumbs up. They wait and wait and wait; before long, the entire population of Sleepy Peak arrives to see what the counselors have in store, chomping down on the free pizza. Sadly, Ruby notices that Weiss isn't in the crowd as well.
The counselors then get themselves set up and, wearing nervous grins, stand tall. The red curtains pull apart to reveal themselves to the audience. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! It warms my heart to see so many people coming out for a good cause!" David starts, managing to hide his anxiety better than Gwen.
"Hey! Is there more pizza?" A random man in the crowd asks, holding up an empty plate. Everyone looks to the stage in a questioning manner.
"No?" Gwen asks, knowing it's the wring thing to say. Instantly, the civilians start leaving.
David, knowing the audience is about to beat it, adds, "By no, we mean yes!" Ruby raises an eyebrow; she has never seen him this stressed in her entire life. Instantly, everyone sits back down with warm smiles.
"Pizza Bros. Yeah, it's me again." Gwen says in an exasperated manner. She then clicks the remote and the amount of money owed raises to 1000 dollars.
David chuckles nervously. "As I was saying, we're here for a good cause. To raise money for our poor, poor Quartermaster whose hook hand was stolen." He then clicks a remote he keeps in his pocket, and the lantern flashes to life, showing images of QM.
Ruby grins wickedly as the moment is almost upon them. QM then walks onto the stage, no longer sobbing but still cradling his hand. The audience exclaims in pity then shifts to disgust upon seeing the elderly man.
"And in order to replace it, we're going to need…" Gwen starts, finally getting off the phone, but Neil interjects with multiple pieces of paper.
"To invest in our futures!" He then points towards the surprised audience.
"Neil! What are you doing?" David asks, becoming even more nervous.
Neil either doesn't hear the question or simply ignores the counselor as he walks towards the other side of the stage, sweat breaking out on his face. "That's right, folks. I'm talking about Neil Boxs. It's not a fad, it's not a scam, and I did invest quite a lot of my dad's money in it. And so should you!" He then jumps down from the stage and starts handing out sheets of the paper. "For one night only. I'm offering those savvy enough to purchase an official certificate good for one Neil Box."
"Don't you mean, Neil book?" Another man in the audience asks.
In response, Neil give him the first sheet. "No. Box with an 'x.'"
Ruby looks down at the campers, and they give the thumbs up. She nods and pulls out the slides Gwen had assembled, replacing it with the advertisement. It starts playing as soon as Gwen tries to take control of the situation.
The counselors then try and take back control of the fiasco when Ruby feels someone tapping on her shoulder. She turns around and looks at Max. "Where were you all day?"
"Get the fuck off this ladder and I'll tell you." Max replies in a determined voice. At first, Ruby just sits still; but then she sees his determined look and jumps off the ladder, interested in hearing what he has to say.
As Ruby also walks over, she sees Nikki walking over with an oil-covered human skull in her hands. Ruby claps her hands over her mouth; was Nikki trying to get the camp shut down?
"So, why don't we start the show off with a song?" David asks, pulling his repaired guitar seemingly out of nowhere. In that moment, Max pulls out the chip and stands in the middle of the ladder.
"Oh, you're going to sing alright, David." Max says as the screen then shows his sneering face blown up on the screen.
"Now what's happening? Who is that?" A random woman in the audience asks.
"And where is the pizza?" The first man asks, making grabbing motions in the air. Ruby snickers at the sight, but wants to see how this develops.
"These counselors aren't here to 'help' the needy. They're here to steal all of your money!" Max exclaims, pointing his finger at David and Gwen.
Ruby looks at the counselors, who change from nervous to downright horrified. Her eyes narrow in accusation, wondering what in the world happened that would cause Max to make this accusation.
"Max? What are you doing?" Gwen asks cautiously, holding her hands up.
"That's funny, Gwen. Because I want to know what you're doing with the Quartermaster's stolen hook?" He then holds up David's phone, showing an image of the hook hand sticking out from under Gwen's shirt. That made Ruby's eyes bulge and even the audience gasps. Instantly, Ruby runs towards Gwen and grabs under the shirt, where the hook hand is shown to all.
The campers, in shock, start walking out from their cover to interrogate the counselors. "But, why?" Nerf asks, taking the hook from Ruby, who pouts slightly.
"And why keep it in your shorts?" Harrison demands, "That's, like, asking for trouble."
The civilians start complaining as well, voicing their own bouts of hate. Gwen, the farce being thrown off, hold her hands up in defeat. "Um, I can explain…" She starts, but a sobbing David interrupts.
"We're sorry! We needed to raise money to keep the camp from shutting down, and we didn't know what to do, so we did a bad thing and then we lied to everyone and we're so, so, sorry!"
Ruby just stares at the tear-stricken David with horror, having flashbacks to all the times she's had her. While she's seen so much she'd rather forget, she also has made many close friends here. To know that might come to an end brings a tear to Ruby's eye.
"The… camp's shutting down?" Nikki asks, looking at the counselors with large eyes.
"If…" Gwen starts, pushing David away from her, "if we can't get enough money."
"Is that true?" QM asks, walking forward. Ruby backs away from the elderly man, having no clue as to what he might do.
"Yes, Quartermaster." David answers. He then wipes the tears from his eyes. "At the end of the week, Camp Campbell…"
"You stole an amputee's prosthetic hand for a god damn profit?!" QM demands, fury etched in his voice.
Ruby jumps, taking an even larger step away from QM. Though the other campers walk off the stage and away from what will inevitably occur.
"Oh, wow. When you phrase it like that, it really does sound fucking aw…" She's interrupted once more then QM grabs her by the throat with his other hand.
"Quartermaster!" David tries to stop the carnage, but Quartermaster punches David away from him, throwing Gwen on top of him. Ruby screams slightly and dodges to the side, avoiding getting crushed by the two adults. Meanwhile, Max watches with glee and the civilians start cheering QM on.
"Now, now we know you're mad. But we were going to give it back. Swear to God!" Gwen shouts, trying to QM listen.
But he, in response, pulls a boxing glove hand out of nowhere.
"Swear to me…" He says darkly before jumping onto the counselors and brutally laying the smack down on them; to the point where Ruby covers her mouth, more horrified than amazed at how strong QM is.
"Oh, that's got to hurt, folks. But I think we can make it hurt a little more." Max adds in the manner of a spectator, walking down from the ladder. As QM continues on his vengeance quest, which causes David to scream loudly. "Rotten tomatoes, 20 dollars. Folding chairs, 100 dollars. Step right up, and you can donate your money to a cause you can believe in: watching two dickheads get exactly what they deserve!"
Max stares at Max in amazement, and a small smile forms on her face. "And the giant step-ladder here costs 150 dollars. Who wants to take this to auction, ladies and gentlemen?" She adds, stepping towards Max's side. The audience pulls out hundreds of dollars in cash and starts fighting each other over who gets what piece of merchandise. "Damn. I haven't seen people fight over merchandise this much since the Jeff Williams concert." She mutters as she gives the blonde man a rotten tomato. He then promptly throws it at Gwen's face.
The two counselors then fall towards the two friends as they count how much money they earned in the last five minutes alone. "Gotta say, I respect the underhandedness of this whole scheme, but you guys forgot one thing; people don't always give out of the kindness of their hearts. But they'll definitely pitch in to fuck over someone they hate." Max then clicks the remote, bringing the counter to 0.
"Holy shit, kids! You did it. You're a gen…" Gwen is pulled out from under David, screaming.
"I've never been more proud." David adds while being strangled before he too is given one last beat-down.
The two friends look at each other. "You wanna go?" Ruby asks.
"Nah. You have the last word." Max replies, stepping aside.
Ruby then jumps onto the bench, lifting her hands up dramatically. "He's used to serving up shitty potatoes, but tonight he's serving up justice. Give it up for the Quartermaster!"
The pissed groundskeeper then throws the counselors onto the grassy grounds, looking tired and beaten up beyond recognition. Within moments, the campers and QM encircle the bedraggled campers. QM then grabs his clothes with his good hand and pulls ripping his clothes off. Ruby gags violently at the sight of his large potbelly and two enormous silver nipple rings; upon looking at the rings, Ruby runs towards the forest and everyone can hear the sounds of retching.
Nerf, ignoring the noise, hands QM one of the folding chairs. "Now let's really get this show started, folks. Place your Neil Box!" QM, letting loose a loud scream, dives into the air and brings both his body weight and chair down upon the counselors.
As a result, a loud bang could be heard even from the quiet town of Sleepy Peak.
AN: Well, this was fun writing. Quick question: did I have Ruby too much in this and I should cut her time off in future chapters, or was this just fine?
I will keep this very brief, but I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This is a time for spending time with family and rekindling past relationships torn apart by bad mistakes.
Now, to be perfectly blunt, if you're somehow offended by that, then can you please just leave?