Cedric was chopping at the counter as Ruby walked by. With a small grin on her face, she stood behind him and poked him in the shoulder.
The weasel's ears twitched as he turned around. "Wha-"
His eyes widened. "You!" He pointed his knife at her, frowning. "Stay the hell away from me."
Ruby put on an innocent look. "What's wrong?" she asked. "What did I do? I just wanted to have a nice, friendly chat with you. Maybe in the back alley?"
Cedric looked incredulous. "No fucking way. I'm going to stay right here in, front of all these people, so you think twice about whatever you're going to do, you psycho bitch."
"Geez, okay," Ruby said as she backed off. "You didn't have to be so rude."
The weasel didn't respond as he stared at her, keeping an eye on her until she backed off to a safe distance before returning to his work.
Ruby spent the rest of the lunch hours washing the dishes, cleaning them as they came in. By the time the customers had left Ruby only had a few plates left. She finished cleaning them and wiped her hands down, watching as the other employees sat down and grabbed some leftover food.
Rowan was wiping down the tables when Ruby went into the dining room. She watched him clean for a few minutes before speaking up.
"Do we have a lunch break now?"
Rowan looked up and nodded. "We get an hour or so to eat and do other things. I usually just stay here and eat some food, although sometimes I wander around town a bit."
Ruby thought for a moment. "Great," she exclaimed as she stood up and removed her apron. "See you in an hour."
Rowan looked confused. "W-wait, where are you going?"
Ruby folded the apron and set it on the counter. "Places to be, things to do," she said vaguely as she quickly walked out of the door.
She began jogging the moment she left the restaurant, steadily increasing her pace as she neared the outskirts of the town. The sun was high in the sky and the air was clear as she ran back to Maia's place. Because the path was so rarely used by anyone, Ruby was able to sprint as quickly as she could, her boots crunching into the snow and sending shards of ice flying up as she ran forward.
The wall of the town quickly loomed up ahead, the wooden structure soaring into the sky as she drew close to it. Ruby took out her keys, unlocked the door, and entered Maia's house. Maia wasn't home yet, no on responding when Ruby called her name. The clock showed Ruby that she still had plenty of time left, her mad dash having allowed her to reach the house incredibly quickly.
Ruby leapt down the basement steps, her boots thumping on the wooden stairs as she landed in a crouch at the bottom. She slid open the wall panel, taking the safe key out of her pocket and unlocking the safe as quickly as she could. She took the bundle out of the safe, unwrapping her ragged cloak as she did so, and took out just the scythe.
After she had replaced the bundle and relocked the safe she began unfolding her scythe, running up the stairs as the scythe whirred open. The kitchen shutters were still open, so she jumped onto the windowsill and climbed onto the roof. No guards were near the top of the wall, so Ruby began carving. She created tiny cut-outs in the wall with her scythe to give herself a way of climbing without needing to rely on her weapon, making sure that they weren't too visible from a distance.
By the time she was done, Ruby estimated that she only had a little time left before she had to run back to the restaurant. She quickly flipped herself over the ramparts and onto the walkway, folded up her scythe, and looked out at the landscape. Her plan was to scope out the wall during her lunch break so that she could devote at least part of her time toward doing her job of protecting the wall. She didn't expect much, of course, and she was sure that the guards in the guard towers would probably see the Grimm before she did, but at least this way she was actually physically doing something.
The snow was nearly gone now, the unusually warm weather melting a good portion of the ice. Deciding not to take any chances, Ruby clipped her scythe to her belt and lowered herself back down the wall, clutching the new handholds she had made. Once she had climbed a safe distance, she leapt off of the wall, dissipating the force of the impact as she landed in a crouch and rolled forward.
Dusting the flecks of ice off of her t-shirt, she entered Maia's house again, stowing the scythe in the safe and getting a drink of water. As she washed the glass and replaced it, Ruby realized that she was really pushing her time limits at this point.
She quickly flew out of the front door, locking it behind her as she went, and ran all the way back to the Gray Wolf. She barely made it in time, Rowan's worried face scanning the window as she came into view.
The fox's face quickly turned into a smile as he waved at her. Ruby grinned back, straightening her hair and clothes before entering the restaurant.
"What were you doing?" the fox faunus asked, going back to setting the tables. "Did you eat yet?"
"I'm fine," Ruby said, ignoring the growling of her stomach. "I was just taking a walk."
She sniffed the air, the smell of spices and roasted meats reaching her nose. "Do you think Mingan will let me eat if I finish doing my job?"
Rowan shrugged. "You can just go ask him, he's always in his office anyways."
"Is the food free?"
Rowan nodded. "Yeah, you can get some leftovers from the kitchen. Mingan is really nice about this stuff."
"Awesome," Ruby said, giving herself a little fist-pump as she walked into the kitchen.
The rest of the staff were sitting around at the empty tables, chatting with empty plates of food in front of themselves. A few of them got up the put the dishes into the dishwasher, cleaning their hands before sitting back down.
Ruby didn't mind, quickly scrubbing and rinsing the extra dishes as she worked, eager to get to her lunch. After neatly stacking the dishes, Ruby took a leftover slice of steak, put it down on a plate, and grabbed a fork and knife. There weren't any customers at the moment, so Ruby supposed that it would be okay if she ate. Not to mention all the other employees who were sitting around and talking.
She sat down at one of the empty tables to eat. Rowan came over a few minutes later, untying his apron as he sat down next to her.
Ruby swallowed a mouthful. "So, did you eat yet?" Ruby asked.
Rowan nodded. "I ate a bit before you got back," he said.
They sat in silence for a while, Rowan waiting for Ruby to finish eating before he began speaking. A single customer came in while she ate, a few of the staff getting up to prepare him some food.
"Do you want to know how I got into this situation?" Rowan asked quietly.
Ruby looked around, making sure that they were far enough from the other staff so that they wouldn't be heard. "Sure," Ruby said. "I was curious about that anyways."
Rowan hesitated. "Well, it's not really much of a story."
"That's okay," Ruby assured him. "Who knows, maybe you'll give me something to work with. And besides, we're friends, right? You can talk to me about whatever you want."
"Well, alright. To start off from the beginning: My parents don't really know what this town is like. They've been in the small fox community this entire time. I don't think they've even come to the main city since we moved here. They think that this entire settlement is nice and safe, and that it would be perfectly fine for me to go into this town and find a job by myself. I'm not even sure if they know that carnivores are supposed to dislike the 'plant-eaters' now."
"Wow. Why don't you just tell them what it's like?"
"I wanted to, and I still want to. But by the time I realized how… lawless this place really was, it was way too late."
"So what happened?"
Rowan sighed. "Cedric happened. He was really nice and all at first, but I think he was just tricking me. And then he asked me to help him rob people, and I refused."
"Good for you," Ruby exclaimed. "Robbing people is bad."
Rowan looked as if he were about to cry. "But I'm robbing people right now! He blackmailed me, remember?"
Ruby paused. "Well then, it's, uh, it's not your fault? Because he's making you do it?"
"I guess so," Rowan said dejectedly. "So that's my story."
"Hmmm." Ruby glanced at Cedric, who was sitting at one of the tables and talking to someone else. "What if I went up to him right now and gave him a few stabs?"
"W-what?"
Ruby pantomimed holding a knife and jabbing it forward. "You know, just walking up to him and giving him a few good stabs. That'll show him."
Rowan looked doubtful. "But then they'll see you, and you'll get into trouble."
"Maybe I could stab everyone?" Ruby suggested.
"Um, I don't think that's going to work. You don't even have a knife right now."
"Then I'll use my hands," Ruby decided. "A quick snap of the neck and no one will suspect a thing."
Rowan looked nervous, glancing around as his fox ears twitched. "I think you should calm down before you get yourself arrested."
"So is that a no?" Ruby asked. "I mean, you have to be decisive. After all, we're talking about killing someone."
"I-" Rowan stuttered. "I… I think I'm going to have to think about this for a while."
"Sure," Ruby said, absentmindedly kicking her legs. "So… what do we do now?"
Rowan took a moment to respond. "We just wait and serve any customers that come in," he said. "It gets pretty boring during this time." He looked at her. "Who was that rabbit faunus from last night?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, she's my friend. Like I said before, she's the one I moved in with after I decided to stop being a loner. Her name's Maia, she's a police officer."
Rowan looked around for a second before speaking, his voice hushed. "What are you two trying to do?"
"Huh?"
"Why were you two on the rooftops last night? I know you guys said you would help me, but what's your goal?"
"Uh… I'm not supposed to tell you, sorry. But in general, we want to do something about this whole mess between the carnivores and the herbivores."
Rowan's eyes widened. "Does it have something to do with the attacks on the herbivore faunus communities?"
Ruby kept her mouth shut, avoiding Rowan's questioning gaze.
Rowan frowned. "I'm not deaf you know," he said, indicating the fox ears on his head. "I've heard Cedric talking about something like that, and I've also heard rumors about this sort of thing."
Ruby got up, smiling apologetically at Rowan. "Oh look, I think they're done eating. Gotta go do the dishes, bye!"
Ignoring Rowan's protests, Ruby quickly walked into the kitchen, scanning the room for things to clean. When she was done with the dishes, she went back outside and sat next to Rowan again. This time the fox faunus avoided mentioning the incidents between the carnivores and the herbivores, instead just shooting down Ruby's plans of getting rid of Cedric and suggesting his own.
The afternoon passed slowly, the occasional customer breaking the monotony while Ruby talked with Rowan. Cedric was always with someone whenever Ruby looked over at him. When the customers came in for dinner, the weasel always made sure to stand near someone else or otherwise stay out of her reach.
After the dinner rush was over, Ruby hurriedly untied her apron and walked to the door, eager to meet up with Maia.
"See you, Rowan," Ruby called.
Rowan was also untying his apron, getting ready to leave. "Bye, Rose. See you tomorrow?"
"Yup," Ruby responded as she pushed the door open and walked outside.
A gust of cold air immediately hit her, the weather getting chilly again. Ruby ignored the biting wind as she looked around, taking a few seconds to find and recognize Maia. The rabbit faunus was wearing a thick hood, her ears hidden under it as she huddled against the wall. A scarf adorned her neck, the thick material squeezed into the hood.
"You're really not cold, huh?" Maia muttered, seeing Ruby's t-shirt.
"Nope," Ruby said, giving Maia a hug.
Maia waited a few seconds before freeing herself from the embrace. She picked a direction and began to walk. "First we'll go to the laundromats, because you need to be able to do your own laundry. Then we're going to get you some more clothes."
Ruby looked pensive. "I get my paycheck on Friday. Can we wait until then or something?"
Maia raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to wear that t-shirt for a week?"
"Well…"
"No way," Maia stated, grabbing Ruby's arm and tugging her forward. "You are not wearing the same outfit for five days. What would your coworkers think of you?"
Ruby smiled as she let Maia drag her along. "Okay, okay. Nothing too fancy, though. I just need a few changes of shirts and pants."
"Of course," Maia said. "This is my money you're spending after all."
The laundromat was in the middle of the city, the stone and brick ceiling advertising its services with a large sign on the front. A few Dust-powered lights illuminated the sign, the sun setting as the night took over. The glass front provided a view of washers and dryers lining the inside of the shop, quite a few of the machines in less than stellar condition. People were sitting on the chairs provided inside, reading a book or checking their tablets as they waited.
Maia kept her hands in her pockets as she talked. "I don't think I need to tell you, but avoid the broken-looking machines. They suck at cleaning and sometimes they just eat your lien. Also, you should stay with your clothes and bring something to do. Don't leave your clothes unattended."
Ruby nodded. "Should I bring laundry detergent or something?"
Maia shook her head. "You can buy it at the laundromat. Any other questions?"
"I'm good."
"Then we're going to go get some clothes for you. Any colors you prefer?"
"Uh-"
"Actually, let's just get more neutral-colored shirts. You'll want to look tidy, but you shouldn't stand out." Maia glanced at Ruby. "You're not going to keep your shirts clean, are you?"
Ruby averted her gaze. "Well, you know, blood comes out easily. I mean it's really hard to avoid getting them dirty with the whole thing with Emmett, plus people attacking me…"
"Right, okay. Cheap t-shirts and jeans it is," Maia decided, striding forward.
In stark contrast to the laundromat, the clothing store Maia took her to was in the outskirts of town, the plain brick building surrounded with a few unoccupied structures. A simple sign on the front advertised cheap clothing, the empty window frames giving a glimpse into the shop.
"What's with all the empty buildings?" Ruby asked.
Maia looked around. "Would you want to live here? By yourself, alone, isolated?"
"Uh, maybe?"
Maia thought for a moment before grinning a bit. "Okay, so I guess that describes where we live. But most people want to live with others, in their own communities. These buildings probably won't be used until the population in this settlement increases."
The door was made out of plywood, the hinges squeaking a little as Maia pushed it open. The thin deer faunus at the desk looked at them, squinting suspiciously at Ruby and sniffing the air.
He cleared his throat. "No carn-"
"Ah shut up already," Maia interrupted, ignoring his protests as she walked into the warehouse.
Ruby giggled as she followed Maia. "I can see why they like you," she whispered.
Maia shrugged. "I can't help but get annoyed when I see people like them, whether they're carnivores or herbivores. You just came in to buy clothes, it's not like you're torturing his family or anything."
"Err, right."
"And he still tried to stop you from buying clothes. It's people like them who keep this conflict going. If the civilian population just cooled their heads and thought things through, we could easily identify the troublemakers on both sides of the issue."
The store was mostly empty, the only other customer in the store a mouse faunus that was browsing through the shoes. Maia and Ruby walked down the racks of the clothing, Maia periodically pulling off a dull-colored shirt or two. Ruby choose a few pairs of jeans and a few pairs of sweatpants, making sure to only pick ones that weren't brightly colored and were ordinary looking. She also chose a few sets of underclothes, picking sensible tops and shorts.
They finished quickly, the two of them meeting back up before bringing the bundles in their arms to the checkout. The deer faunus glared at them the whole time, grumpily counting their clothes and demanding the lien. Maia pulled out her wallet and dropped the plastic cards onto the counter before grabbing two large paper shopping bags and scooping the clothes into it. They each held a bag as they walked out the door.
The sky was completely dark now, the streetlights illuminating the sidewalk as they began to walk home. Ruby felt something hit her eyelashes, making her blink.
"It's snowing again," Ruby said, tilting her head back and trying to catch the snowflakes in her mouth.
Maia clutched her clothes even tighter around herself, staring at the snow with a vengeance. "Great. Decent weather for a few days and then this shit again."
Ruby looked at her. "Don't we still have a month or so of winter left?"
"Don't remind me."
The two of them began to walk quickly, their pace nearly a jog.
"So, no bar tonight?"
Maia shook her head. "Not in this weather. I'd rather stay home and stay warm."
"What about Emmett?"
"He'll understand. He knows I hate the cold."
By the time they reached Maia's house a layer of white powder had already built up on the ground, a gust of wind making the rabbit faunus shiver. Maia grimaced as she tried to warm her cold fingers, puffing warm breaths into them before reaching for the key in her pants pocket.
Ruby set her bag on the ground. "Here, let me do this."
"Thanks," Maia said, stuffing her hands back into her pockets.
Ruby pulled out the keys and unlocked the door, beckoning Maia to go in first. She picked up the bags and stepped into the house, shutting the door behind her. Maia had already turned on the lights, a soft glow spreading throughout the room as the lantern came to life. The rabbit faunus pushed a bit of snow off of the counter and closed the kitchen window shutter.
"Did you eat yet?" Ruby asked as she began heading for her room.
"Yup," Maia responded, surprising her. "I didn't want the meat in the basement to go to waste, so I ate at the restaurant and I was going to have you cook at home. Are you okay with that?"
"That's perfect," Ruby assured her. "Now you won't have to go out in this weather, and I can save money."
"Good. I'm going to make some tea. You should put the clothes in your room and get some food for yourself."
By the time Ruby was done sorting out the clothes, folding and placing them into the drawers, Maia was already boiling water, the stove fiery and hot.
Ruby went down the basement stairs and slid open the cooler box. She chose a large random chunk of meat, checked to see if the ice in the box was still solid, then closed it.
"Maia?"
"Hmm?"
"Do we have any spices or anything?"
Maia was dumping tea leaves into the kettle. "Yeah, they're in the cabinet right above you. I think I have some random stuff, it's probably pretty dusty. The salt should be fine, though."
Ruby grabbed a pan, setting down the frozen chunk of steak and beginning to heat it. Maia watched her with interest for a few minutes, but eventually grabbed her tea and sat down on the couch. As Ruby cooked, Maia kicked off her shoes and stretched out on the couch, holding the steaming mug between her fingers.
Maia made a face as the smell of cooking flesh permeated the room. She massaged her ears as she took another sip of tea. "Doesn't that remind you of human flesh? I bet human flesh would smell exactly the same. I can't imagine how you people eat that on a regular basis."
"Well actually human flesh-" Ruby stopped herself, realizing she was in dangerous territory. Trying to get away from the topic, she hastily amended, "I mean, it's not like I would know how it tastes or anything. But, uh, this tastes good. And it's filling and yummy and tastes completely different from vegetables."
"Your choice," Maia said as she got up from the couch. She took a few cords of wood and dropped them into the stove, heating up the room a little more.
When the steak was done, Ruby sprinkled a bit of salt on both sides before taking it out of the pan. She had already grabbed the meat with one hand and taken a bite when she realized that Maia was watching her.
Ruby hastily set the steak down, looking for somewhere to wipe her hand. "Oops."
Maia sighed. "You're not alone in the wilderness anymore, Red." She wiped Ruby's hands down with a hand towel before giving her a fork and a knife. "Remember your manners."
As Ruby finished up her food, Maia was sitting on the couch and reading through her tablet. Ruby washed the dishes in the sink, neatly placing them on the countertop to dry.
"Any news?"
"Nope," Maia said. "Investigation is still ongoing."
She yawned, stretching and loosening her ponytail. Ruby looked at her thoughtfully, wondering how she could find a way to cuddle up with Maia.
She sat down on the cough, edging closer to the rabbit faunus. "So, uh, what are you looking at?"
Maia glanced at her but didn't move. "Just the police reports."
"Uh huh," Ruby said, scooting even closer.
They were basically touching now, Ruby shoulder-to-shoulder with Maia.
"Oh all right," Maia said, exasperated but smiling.
Maia grabbed the blanket off of the edge of the couch, setting it down on the two of them as they sat next to each other. Ruby leaned against the rabbit, careful not to touch her despite her what her instincts were screaming at her to do.
Maia rolled her eyes. "Keep your hands to yourself, Red. You get to sit with me because we're friends."
Ruby grinned, putting her head against Maia's shoulder.
Maia propped her tablet up between them and began to show Ruby the police database and the case information she was looking at. Ruby tried to focus on her words, but Maia's face and her brilliant blue hair was a little distracting.
And then Maia's ears twitched, her body tensing up.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, worried that she had startled her.
Maia leapt up and flipped off of the couch, dashing to the table.
"I heard motorcycles," Maia whispered. "I don't know what the hell is going on, but normal civilians wouldn't have access to motorcycles and wouldn't be driving around at this time, especially not to here."
Maia picked up her gun, cocked it, then threw an extendable police baton to Ruby. "Swing it out to extend it. It's about two feet long."
The weapon made a satisfying click as Ruby swung it outwards, the segments locking into place as it fully extended. Maia cleared the desk of papers and flipped it over, peeking over the top of the makeshift barrier. Ruby crept toward the entrance, raising her baton.
With a loud cracking sound, the door and the kitchen shutters exploded inwards in a hail of wooden fragments.
Note:
And that was this chapter :D I tried to get more chapters out during the break, but dammit, I had six college applications to do along with their supplements T.T, and then AP homework...
But enough about my problems, here's the next chapter! Please review, PM me with questions or anything, leave comments, etc. Happy belated Holidays!
