Ruby stopped outside of the bar, realizing that she didn't have any cash on her. She briefly considered climbing back up to the roof to ask Maia for some money, but Ruby decided that Maia would probably get annoyed if Ruby risked revealing Maia's position.

Besides, she didn't have to drink. She was only here to socialize, and hopefully the lack of money would stop her from doing anything foolish.

Pushing the door open with confidence than she felt, Ruby walked inside, the soft hum of conversation mixed with some shouting immediately washing over her.

Emmett was sitting at an oval table with some other carnivore faunus, the group playing a sort of dice game that seemed similar to what Maia had shown her. Empty glasses littered the table, evidence of previous shots downed.

Ruby tried to nonchalantly sit next to Emmett, wondering how she should greet him. A few of the faunus looked at the newcomer, but after seeing where she sat, they immediately turned their attention back to the game.

Before she could do anything, Emmett saw her and grinned, his large incisors gleaming. "Finally joined us, huh?"

Ruby shrugged. "I guess so."

Emmett eyed her. "I'm surprised to see you up and moving about already, considering the injuries you took."

"It looked worse than it was?" Ruby offered.

"Of course," Emmett said, unconvinced.

Ruby tried to change the topic of the conversation, noticing the dice as they rolled by. "So what are you guys playing?"

Emmett scooped up the dice and dropped them into a wooden cup. "Just bar dice," he said, shaking the cup. "Loser buys drinks for everyone. You in?"

Ruby watched as he threw the dice onto the table, the white squares bouncing and rolling before settling on a number. "I don't have any money with me. I mean, I have a job now, so maybe after the next payday…" she trailed off.

Ruby squeaked involuntarily as Emmett grabbed her waist and scooted her closer to him. "Then you're with me tonight," he laughed, handing her the cup of dice. "Let's test your luck."

Ruby now recognized the game, Maia having taught it to her the previous night. The game consisted of a few rounds, depending on the number of players. Each round's winner was determined by the dice that was rolled, and the winner of the round was able to sit out for the rest of the game. Eventually there would only be two people left, and the loser would have to buy drinks of some sort for rest of the players.

Each round consisted of each person having three rolls, the goal of the game being to match up similar dice in the smallest number of rolls. Ones were wildcards, aces, but otherwise the higher the number the better. After each roll the player could set aside as many dice they wanted, as long as they set aside at least one ace.

Emmett's warm body pressed against her, Ruby took the cup and tossed the dice onto the table, three dice quickly coming to a stop while two rolled around for a bit before settling on a face.

Emmett whistled. "Three ones and two fours. That's pretty damn good."

The other faunus also looked suitably impressed, a few sneaking glances at her. One of them shook her head. "Fifty-four in one, how the hell do we beat that?"

The two ended up winning the round, the game ending with an unfortunate lynx having to pay for the drinks. Emmett took a look at Ruby, who hadn't gotten a drink for winning the round, and ordered a drink for her himself. Ruby wanted to protest, but in truth she was curious as to what an alcoholic beverage would taste like.

The drinks arrived quickly, Ruby's glass filled with some sort of dark-red liquid. Raising it to her nose, she sniffed it, an aroma of berries and citrus coming up from the glass.

"Go on, it won't hurt," Emmett urged, noticing her hesitation. "It's just sangria."

Gathering up her courage, Ruby took a gulp, expecting some sort of burning, bitter sensation. But the fruity wine tasted more like juice, with only a slight bite of alcohol beneath the thick sweetness. Encouraged, she took another swallow, a mild buzzing sensation filling her.

The dice game started up again, Ruby and Emmett alternating throws. The group opened up more as the night wore on, the alcohol lowering their inhibitions. The duo only lost once, Emmett good-naturedly paying for a round of drinks.

The hours passed in a blur as Ruby finished her drink, Emmett ordering her another one. Sometime during the night they switched to a card game, Ruby continuing to play with Emmett.

"Where's Maia?" Emmett asked offhandedly, shuffling the deck of cards.

It took Ruby a few moments to respond to his question. "Uhh, she said that she had a case to work on," Ruby said, repeating what Maia had told her.

He paused for a fraction of a second, resuming his normal movements so quickly that Ruby thought she might have imagined it. "That's a shame," he commented, dealing the cards. "Her company was always a pleasure."

Ruby's inebriated mind thought nothing more of the odd event as she took another sip of her drink, looking down at the cards that they held.


They stayed late into the night, the weekend hours keeping the faunus at the bar longer than usual, but eventually it came to an end. People started leaving the bar in groups, the faunus walking home together, some leaning on others for support.

Ruby could barely stand as the two of them got up from the table. Her mind fuzzy and her legs a little wobbly, she nearly tripped over her own feet, relying on Emmett to keep her upright.

The jaguar faunus handed her a small tablet. "Call Maia," he said. "I like you, but not enough carry you all the way home."

Ruby nodded, taking the phone and dialing Maia's number. She still had enough sense to walk a good distance away from Emmett, slumping against the wall and tilting the tablet's screen so Emmett couldn't see it.

After a few rings, Maia's face appeared on the screen, her image blurry in the dark lighting.

"Ruby?"

Ruby cupped her hand around the speakers, trying to keep the conversation private.

"Hey Maia," she slurred. "Pick me up?"

Maia nodded. "Give me a while. I need to pack up the stuff, check on Rowan, and pretend that I just walked from home. Will you be ok?"

Ruby nodded, the simple motion nearly making her lose her balance. "I can sit inside and wait for you," Ruby mumbled.

The camera view shifted as Maia began packing up her equipment. "Alright," she said. "Stay safe. I'll come for you as soon as possible."

Ruby smiled, giving her a drunken wave before ending the call.

Stumbling back over to Emmett, she handed him the tablet. "Thanks."

Emmett tucked it back into his pocket. "Not a problem," he said. "I've got to go now. Take care of yourself."

Ruby just sat down and leaned back in the chair as she watched him leave, walking away on steady steps. Her head lolled back in her seat as she considered her plight. I should drink more, Ruby thought to herself, giggling. Then I wouldn't get as drunk the next time.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the bartender leave his counter, opening a door in the back and stepping inside.

The room suddenly felt oppressive, the air feeling stuffy and uncomfortably warm. Looking around, Ruby saw that the tables around her were empty, the faunus she had been playing with already gone. In fact, the whole bar seemed to be empty, Ruby having sat there for longer than she thought.

Wondering if the alcohol was making her paranoid, Ruby tried to stand up, only to find herself being shoved onto the ground, a chair smashing into her head before her dulled nerves could react.

Two hulking shapes filled her blurry vision. "Where do you think you're going, huh?"

Ruby tried to talk, but her jaw felt out of place, bones shifting in the side of her head, blood running down her cheek. The next time the chair was swung at her, she flared her aura and raised her arms, trying to grab the chair. The wood shattered on her forearms, one of the faunus swearing as he saw the dark red tint around her.

And then a reddish-green color filled her vision, the aura the color and consistency of mud. Ruby could barely move as the aura swamped over her body, immobilizing her limbs and crushing her chest. Her lungs started burning as she tried to draw a breath, the aura compressing her thoracic cavity.

One of the two faunus grunted in satisfaction as he strained, sweating beginning to drip down his forehead as he kept up the pressure. Ruby felt her joints begin to move out of place, her aura dimming as it was slowly worn away. A few of her thinner bones began to crack and fracture, bending under the stress.

"That's enough," one of the voices cautioned. "We're just sending a message."

One of the blurry shapes shook his head. "Didn't you see how Emmett clung to her all night? Sending a message isn't enough, we need to scare that fucker."

"Then hurry up, before anyone gets back. We paid off the bartender, but that doesn't stop anyone else from coming in."

Ruby felt her ribs beginning to give away as the pressure increased, the man clenching his fists as he focused. With a final burst of aura, she tried resisting again, a glow of red briefly overpowering the muddy aura.

And then both lights faded, one of the men stumbling and bracing himself on the table, gasping.

The other one sighed. "You moron," he said, bending down and rolling up his pant legs. "Why would you try that on an aura user? Now I have to finish her off."

He slid a handgun out of his ankle holster, racking the slide and loading a round. Ruby was still on the ground, desperately trying to push herself up. She felt her head slam back into the ground as a boot stomped onto her neck, holding her in place. The man held the gun against her forehead, taking careful aim.

A gunshot echoed across the room. The faunus' body suddenly collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, Ruby jerking her head out of the way as his body fell to the ground. It took Ruby a moment to realize what had happened as the blood poured out of a hole in his head.

A cry of pain drew her attention away from the corpse. Ruby blinked her eyes as she watched the other man collide with a table, the wood cracking as his unconscious body hit the ground.

Maia's worried face filled her vision. "I think I got here just in time," she said quickly, breathing a little heavily. "You okay?"

It took Ruby a moment to catch her breath. "I'm fine," she assured her, her voice a little raspy.

Maia helped her sit up, Ruby beginning to put her dislocated wrists back into place. "You should probably go handcuff the guy or something," Ruby pointed out.

Maia nodded, taking one more glance at her before pulling out her handcuffs. "Do you know these two?"

Ruby shook her head, rolling her shoulders and feeling the fractured bones moving back into place. "Do you know them? Are they famous criminals?"

Maia handcuffed the bison faunus, pulling out her tablet. "Nope," she said, shaking her head. "This whole thing is gonna be a bitch once people find out about it. Herbivores will follow their example and start attacking, carnivores are going to grow paranoid and start hurting even more people…"

She swiped the tablet open, punching in numbers.

"What should I do?" Ruby asked. "Will I need to testify? What if the council member recognizes me?"

Maia shrugged. "This is an open and shut case, considering that I was here and saw them attacking you. And like I said, the council members don't even take any interest in these incidents, and the carnivores on the police department will keep this thing mostly quiet. The only problem is that the friends and families of these two will start raising a ruckus."

The bison began struggling, apparently having woken up. "I want a lawyer," he demanded.

Maia scoffed. "Where do you think we are?" she asked. "Shut up, I need to make a call."

A few rings later, someone picked up, a voice coming through the tablet. "What's going on, Maia?"

"I have one dead, one handcuffed at Porfirio's bar. I witnessed the pair assaulting a snake faunus. One had a gun to her head so I shot him, the other I subdued and subsequently handcuffed. Victim has minor injuries. Send a motorcycle and a transport vehicle."

The voice chuckled. "What the hell have you been doing, Maia? Alright, they'll be there soon. ETA five minutes."

The call ended, silence suddenly filling the room. The bison turned his head, snorting angrily at the two. His eyes widened as Ruby finally stood up, stretching her arms and legs and massaging her mending bones.

"I crushed you," the bison spluttered. "I broke your bones, I nearly tore you apart. How are you standing?"

Ruby scratched her head, looking at the ceiling and trying to think of an excuse. "Maybe you're weaker than you thought," she suggested. "I, uh, I was faking it too."

"I felt it!" he said angrily. "Stop lying!"

"Shut up already," Maia interrupted. "Anything you say will be used against you. Also, I just recorded that."

The bison's eyes bulged, a vein throbbing dangerously in his temple. "Why are you helping these creatures?" he spit out. "We should be working together to stop these killer carnivores. Are you also blind to what they've been doing? Or are you just ignoring them like all those other fucking corrupt police officers?"

Maia sighed. "You picked the wrong person to attack," she said, shaking her head.

A light of understanding came into the bison's eyes as he saw how Ruby looked at Maia. "Oh, so you're sleeping with the little meat-eater," he sneered. "Tell me, how is she in-"

Maia punched him, his head whipping around and his body slumping to the floor. "Oops," she said unconvincingly. "Must have hit him a little too hard."

Ruby laughed, smiling.

A truck arrived a few minutes later, a badger faunus jumping out of the driver seat and walking to the back of the truck. The bison was awake again, looking surly, a bruise forming on his jaw. Maia waited with the handcuffed faunus as the badger pulled a motorcycle out of the back, walking it to the entrance of the bar.

"Thanks for bringing the stuff, Gerald," Maia said, pulling the prisoner along with her. "Can you handle this fella? He's got some sort of aura that lets him squish people. He's out of juice for now, but I don't know how long it'll take for him to get back on his feet."

"Not a problem," Gerald grinned, turning his attention on Ruby. "Is this her?"

Maia nodded. "Her name's Rose. She's a close friend and she lives with me. Rose has a few mild injuries, so I'm going to escort her back home and get her settled down."

Gerald whistled. "That's a mighty fine coincidence," he said, shoving the prisoner into the back of the truck and slamming the doors closed. "The investigators will be on the scene soon, do you mind waiting for them? You know how slow they are, especially when you wake them up at this time of the night."

"I can wait for a few minutes," Maia agreed. "Especially since you brought the motorcycle."

"Great," the badger exclaimed. "See ya later, Maia."

The two watched as the truck drove off, the single vehicle driving down the road.

"So why did you tell him?" Ruby asked. "I mean, the fact that we're living together."

Maia sat down on the motorcycle, motioning for her to take a seat next to herself. "To get your reputation established, of course. Once we get more people to know you, you'll be less suspicious. You don't want to seem out of place and unusual. If it's known that you're living with me, people will have less questions when they meet you."

"That makes sense," Ruby said, a little disappointed.

"Are you okay?" Maia asked, staring intently at her. "I heard some bones break back there, and I'm pretty sure he was suffocating you. For a second, I thought I was too late."

Ruby wiped away the blood on the side of her face. "Like I said, I'm fine. I don't think anything was completely broken."

Maia had a strange expression on her face. "I see," she murmured, pulling out a handkerchief and carefully helping Ruby wipe away the blood.

The sensation of Maia's fingers lightly brushing her skin sent shivers through Ruby, making her squirm a little, but she tried to hold still, delighting in the little shocks that ran down her spine.

It was over all too soon, Maia pulling back and standing up, beginning to pace.

"What happened?" Maia asked. "Did they take you by surprise?"

Ruby nodded. "I think I had a little too much to drink," she admitted.

Maia stopped, looking at her. "Wait, I didn't give you any money."

"Emmett paid for my drinks. We played cards and stuff, and he was actually pretty nice the whole time."

Maia hummed thoughtfully. "Just stay on guard when you're with him, alright? Remember, he's one of the ringleaders behind the whole slew of faunus attacks."

"I won't forget," Ruby promised.

A grin spread across Maia's face. "So how was your first time drinking?"

"I guess it was alright," Ruby admitted. "I think I'm still a little, uh, tipsy. I might have drunk too much."

"Drink a lot of water," Maia advised. "Or else you're going to wake up with a nasty hangover."

Ruby nodded. "I'll do that when we get home. Can you check the time? I still have to go work tomorrow."

Maia checked her watch. "It's nearly 3AM. But don't worry, the investigators will be here soon, and with the motorcycle we won't have to walk all the way back home."

Maia returned to sitting on the motorcycle, letting Ruby lean on her. Ruby gratefully snuggled up against Maia, already feeling sleepy.

"Maia?'

"Yes?"

"Do you feel bad about killing that person?"

"Not really," Maia said softly, stroking Ruby's hair. "It's kill or be killed, and he was going to shoot you, so it wasn't a hard choice to make. Besides, in the neighborhood I used to live in, we had to make these choices all the time."

"But do you think that what you did was wrong? Does it make you a bad person?"

Maia took a moment to respond. "I don't think that taking a life is a good thing, Red. But if I help more people than I hurt, then I don't think that I'm a bad person."

Ruby sighed happily, a little comforted. "I like that," she said, lapsing into silence.

The two of them sitting on the motorcycle, illuminated by the solitary street lamp, Ruby dozed off, her head resting on Maia's shoulder as she slipped into unconsciousness.


Note:

Totally sorry about the delays, spent the past few days building three bridges for physics and writing some essays. During the coming break I'll have to fill out six college applications along with their supplementals, but I'll hopefully be able to adhere to a more standard schedule XD

So yeah, I'll try to update more frequently now, so sorry.

Thanks for reading, please review and comment, feel free to PM me :D