Clothes spilt out on the floor, the room filled with an air of lusty heat from the afterglow of Ruby's most intimate moment of her life, and to top it off with a subtle ashen scent of domination. The descending sun painted the room window with an autumn-like gleam, and coated their bare bodies with a light orange tint, making all this feel even more unnaturally real to Cinder, who spooned the resting redhead. She didn't understand why she went so far with Ruby, especially now that Ruby was leaving Beacon, implying that she wouldn't be a thorn to her mission. Or maybe that was exactly why she did, to enjoy Ruby all for herself before she left.
Or maybe-Her thoughts came to a halt, as she heard Ruby's scroll go off. The redhead groaned cutely, and reached out for her scroll lazily, the hickies on her body glistening under the sunlight. Cinder involuntarily pressed Ruby's against her chest further more, as Ruby answered the incoming call.
"Cardin?" Ruby called, with a slightly deeper voice from exhaustion. Cinder liked that, it was a reminder of what effect she had on Ruby.
"Oh, okay. I'll get ready then." Not waiting for her to end the call, Cinder nibbled on Ruby's neck. Ruby flinched, and immediately covered her mouth to supress a moan.
"Cinder..." This elicited the resting lust of the older woman, who slid a hand onto Ruby's hips, sliding it down her thighs, and in between her legs.
"mm..." Ruby squinted her eyes, and shook her head, asking Cinder to stop, as a flurry of pink bloomed on her cheeks.
"Cinder... not now, please..." Ruby pleaded, with ecstacy and tear filled eyes. Cinder just grinned before withdrawing her hand- and kissing Ruby, pushing her tongue into the girl's mouth. Ruby just sighed and wrapped her hands around Cinders neck, just giving up and letting the woman dominate her to her hearts content.
After a few minutes of wet sloppy kissing, Cinder finally pulled back, a string connecting her and Ruby's lips. With a lack of breath, Ruby looked up at Cinder logingly, however-
"Ah-" Her scroll buzzed again, this time gaining an annoyed tongue click from Cinder. Ruby once again picked it up and answered the call.
"Ah, sorry sorry, I dropped my scroll." Ruby apolagised awkwardly, as Cinder just looked on curiously, sitting by her side.
"Y-yeah, I'll be ready in 20 minutes. Hmmhm, sure, I'll give you a call soon. Kay." Once she hung up, she just sighed and stared at the ceiling.
"The party?" Cinder asked, gaining a little nod from Ruby.
"Nervous?"
"Just a little." It was her first time going to any sort of party, after all. And not to mention, this one was for her. But regardless, she was gonna go treasure this time with CRDL, since the next time she sees them might be a long while later, on the Vital festival.
"I'll come along." Cinder informed, scooting away from Ruby, and sending a quick text to her 'teammates' through her scroll. Ruby took a moment to register her words, but immediately flabbergasted with fumbled words and whispers. She wanted Cinder to accompany, hoping it would keep her less nervous, but the woman once again read Ruby's mind.
"Y-you don't have to." It was a white lie, and they both knew it, thus, Cinder didn't respond.
"20 minutes, was it? Come on, let's shower first and get ready." Cinder informed, walking to the bathroom with a gentle sway to her hips. Ruby, too distracted by the view, took a moment to register Cinder's words.
"Okay... wait, what?"
Cinder paused her steps, spilled an audible sigh, before turning around and walking back to the bed. Ruby just looked on innocently- until Cinder slid her arms beneath Ruby, and picked her up like a bride.
"Eh? Cinder?" Ruby's face glowed pink, as Cinder held her close to her chest- Ruby's face mere inches away from the older woman's slightly tanned bosom. Ignoring Ruby's flustered whispers and whimpers, Cinder kept a poker face, as she walked into the bathroom, kicking the door to close behind her.
After-sex Cinder was scary.
The thumping beats and laser light orbs were the least distracting things in the room, as Ruby's focus was on the amount of people that greeted her as she entered the party hall. at least 10 guys, including CRDL, and just as many girls, none that she recognized. They greeted her like they knew her for at least an year, with absolutely no awkwardness behind their voices. Maybe it was the enthusiasm, since they were dancing with their friends, partners, etc. Ruby felt at ease to say the least, as Russel, Dove, Sky, and lastly, Cardin joined them, the team leader holding a girl by the waist. She looked decently exposed, and was modest with her greeting. Ruby could tell that she was an innocent one, which only surprised the redhead, because she didn't expect Cardin to have such a simple, yet cute girlfriend. But regardless, she was glad it wasn't a party girl instead.
As the strangers went back to dancing after their little greetings, it gave team CRDL enough space to talk alone.
"Thank you for taking care of my girlfriend, Its appreciated." Cinder was the first to speak, being firm on the girlfriend part. Ruby just buried her fuming face behind her hands. It was Cinder's idea that they go as 'couples', but Ruby should've known she was gonna use this as an opportunity to tease her.
Girlfriend, huh... Weiss... No!
Ruby's thoughts snapped back, as she realized she was gonna start sulking in the worst place possible. And, as if sensing her heart drop, Cinder's hand on Ruby's waist squeezed gently, helping her center her emotions to the present.
Cinder...
Ruby's cherry red lips stretched to a comfortable smile, as without turning, she realised that the older girl was still with her. She was glad that Cinder was with her at the moment.
"Damn, Ruby. Didn't know you were into girls." Sky was the first to comment, his eyes seemingly hesitating to meet Cinder's flamy ones. They had an unknown allure to them, and it certainly wasn't a welcoming one.
"Hahaha... me neither." Ruby replied with a sheepish laugh, her eyes zoning to the side, as the awkwardness was killing her internally. Cinder wasn't her girlfriend, so she didn't know what else to say, since admitting the truth would probably hurt Cinder. She hated the idea of even accidentally hurting Cinder.
"Well, I'm glad she could join us too, then." Cardin said, as he motioned to the girl in his arms, saying:
"Ruby, this is my girlfriend, Asia. Babe, this is Ruby. The shirt was her idea by the way."
Ruby just then noticed Cardin- no, the entire team's attire. They were all clad in slim fit white shirts, sleeves rolled up, and were wearing dark coloured jeans. Sure, each of them have managed to give a unique tweak to their attires, like Dove's silver watch, Russel's tie, Cardin's bracelet, or Sky's necklace, but their bases were the same.
"Damn, you sure know what's good for them, huh." Another girl chimed in, a drink in her hand, and placing the other one on Sky's shoulder.
"Hahaha, nothing like that..." Ruby again, sheepishly played it off. Sure, they looked so decent and good, but she didn't know what she had to do with that.
But then she realized, a memory from the second week of their training...
Ruby was sitting on a rock, resting her feet on the grass, watching with an observant yet dull look in her eyes, as Cardin was sparring with the rest of his team. It was a three on one handicap, yet Cardin had no trouble pushing them back. Maybe it was the humiliation of losing to Jaune that was pushing him to work so hard, or maybe it was grit, but whatever the drive, it had helped him make grow tremendously over the last two weeks. But it was mostly thanks to Ruby's guidance that his change was so dramatic.
"Cardin, no semblance." Ruby reminded sternly. It felt weird to speak so strictly, but at least she was glad it was only necessary at rare times.
"K, Sensei!" Cardin responded with battle enthusiasm, as he leaped into the air, and with a front flip, brought his heel down against Sky's face. Something that Ruby thought him. If Sky hadn't dodged it, not only would have Cardin broken his friend's aura, but also his face.
Sure, Cardin could fight effectively, but there was a certain stiffness to his movements.
"Cardin." Ruby called, keeping her eyes on a pair of beetles on the grass.
"Sensei?" She heard him respond.
She cringed a little. She had told him not to call her that. She was two years younger than him for Grimm's sake!
"You should change your attire, at least while fighting. What you're wearing now is too tight for you to move around." She informed, watching one of the beetles fly away with a heavy buzz, followed by the second one.
"Really?" Cardin asked. His movesets weren't as fast and vast as they are now before he came to Ruby, so he never really noticed it. Ruby just nodded, watching the bugs dissapear into sky, and partially lost in thoughts.
"How about plain shirt and pants, Ruby?" Sky asked, catching his breath midst the words.
"I think they would look good on you guys, but they aren't so good for training."
"Oh..."
Ruby didn't expect them to take her opinion so seriously. But at least, they looked pretty good in them.
Speaking of clothing. Ruby wore a maroon long sleeve dress with an open back, and black heels that complimented her outfit. It was the most daring thing she's ever worn, and it was obviously Cinder's idea. The woman wore a black sleeveless turtleneck dress, along with heels that was similar to Ruby's. At least, Cinder had better balance in them.
Hours passed, and as time went on Ruby seemed to let loose little by little. She didn't consume any alcohol, but Cinder had a better effect on Ruby anyway. She danced with Cinder for an hour, her nervousness dropping by every step she took. After an hour of dancing close to each other, Cinder pulled Ruby to side for a quick makeout, and for something a little more than makeout, before letting her go back to the dance floor. Towards the end, the time was spent with team CRDL and Ruby talking, with the redhead sharing some of her experiences fighting, and the team sharing their most fond memories from before they entered Beacon. By the end of last hour, they were taking pictures to remember this moment by. Ruby's favourite picture was the one with her sitting in the middle, with Cardin and Russe sitting to her right, and with Sky and Dove towards her left. It was a natural picture taken by Cardin's girlfriend while they were talking. The background of a neon bar behind them only added to the quality of them picture.
And when the hour reached 10 pm, it was time to say goodbye...
Currently, Ruby stood outside the entrance of the club, her arm snaked around Cinder's. Cardin and team had to stay behind to make sure their friends were alright, so this was the last time they were gonna see Ruby. For a long time, at least.
"So, what are you gonna do after... leaving?" Cardin asked, making an effort to hide his sadness. Ruby was a very important person to him, and for her to leave, wasn't sitting right with him.
I hoped... that we'd go on a mission one day, Ruby... So that you could be proud of me...
Cardin's thoughts didn't show him any mercy, making it all the more hard for him.
"I don't know. For now, I just want to be with mom, but maybe there is something to do."
"I see..."
There was a moment of silence, each of them waiting for the other to say something. CRDL still hadn't figured out how to say their goodbyes, and Ruby was waiting to hear the last of them before leaving. They night's cold wind was catching up to them, and Cinder didn't like being outside in the cold for any longer. After all, she had already spent enough time on this 'meaningless endeavor' as she put it. She didn't really care about Ruby and CRDL's relationship, so she wouldn't have minded it in the least, if Ruby had just stayed with her. If she was being honest with herself, it actually pissed the woman off to no ends, the thought that Ruby didn't choose to be with her, but instead choose the insigficant CRDL and her long lost mother instead.
"Ruby, it's time." Her tone dipped lower than she intended, to her real- cold and controlling voice. She didn't want Ruby to hear that, but luckily, Ruby didn't register it.
"Okay..." Ruby gave a defeated smile towards Cinder, before looking back at her friends.
"T-Thanks for helping me... for helping us, Ruby..." Cardin muttered, with Sky and Russel looking a bit downcast, and Dove turning away to look the other side.
"Mhmm" Ruby shook her head, before saying:
"No, thank you guys. I'm glad I could help you, and... thanks, for being my friends. I will always remember the times we spent... they were fun."
This was the hardest part. And even with Cinder by her side, Ruby still felt stuck in place, wondering if she could actually pull it off. It was a simple task, just tell her team, and her sister that she was leaving. For all she knew, even if she were to just leave, it might take them a whole month to notice. And even after they do, they would be glad that they won't have to deal with her anymore, so what she was about to do was as insignificant as it could get. Ruby realised it too, and the thought only hurt her more.
"Ruby."
Cinder's voice brought her back to present, as she stared at her dorm room's door. She could hear her teammates speaking from behind, and for the most part, they sounded unbothered by Ruby's absence. Ruby almost found it funny, how at the start of Beacon, she thought they were a little like her sisters. She really did love them, and maybe she does even now, however, she hated herself for loving them. She so desired to punch a hole through their chests, to let everything out, and finally be happy...
If only...
Ruby knocked on the door a few times, and waited in nervous anticipation, as she heard footsteps from the other side of the door, getting louder by each step, until the dorm room opened up to reveal a worried looking heiress. Her icy blue eyes were etched with guilt, and and a jealous anger. Her face immediately contorted into one of miserable rage, as she swung her arm, leaving a harsh slap against Ruby's cheek. The redhead's heart dropped, Cinder could see that with Ruby's eyes losing their glow. Out of instinct, her hand opened up like they were about to form a glass blade, but the woman surprisingly held back.
The only one who can hurt Ruby, is...
"Why did you come back!? To laugh in my face before leaving!?" Weiss yelled with tears streaming down her cheeks, her tone being an ear piercing irritation to Cinder. She hated that spoiled tone from the heiress. Right behind Weiss, Yang and Blake were looking on, both of them sharing a look of hatred towards their leader. Maybe due to her making Weiss cry. Or maybe it was a normal thing to them.
"Is hurting people all what you are good at? I should've known... Yang told me what you did to her, even as a kid..." Blake scorned, bitterness evident in her tone. Ruby showed a look of confusion, and Cinder showed one of intrigue, but Ruby's realization soon showed. It was obvious with how her sister was avoiding eye contact, that she had shared with Blake the story of what had happened...
In that cabin, where Ruby laid crying on the ground, bites and scratches all over her little body. Yang didn't say anything, she just stood there looking down at what she'd done. Ruby always left her alone and dissapeared, coming back only when she saw fit. And not to mention she often got angry at Yang for wasting food, even though she was the bigger sister. According to the blondie, this was supposed to teach her little sister a lesson...
Except, Yang seemed to have reverse the roles to appear innocent in Blake's eyes.
And by the looks of it, it has worked well.
"Heh..." Ruby chuckled.
"Hahaha..." This was so pitiful of her that it was actually starting to get funny. At least, she wanted to pretend it was.
"Haha... Hahahaha!" All those years of struggle, walking on the fine line of suicide, in the edge of life and death...
"It was all for someone like you... Hahaaha, I'm so fucking stupid. Ahhhhhh, I hate myself. I hate you, Yang. I hate you so fucking much." Ruby was affirming it to herself, making sure to never forget that feeling of spite, before unnerving laughter broke out of her. It felt too wrong to cry, she was too strong for that, so all she could do was laugh about it.
The blondie was visibly enraged, her eyes like heated iron. She shot up from the bed, and before she could rush in to square off against Ruby, Blake held her back. Pouring nonsensical reassurances into her ears.
"Stop laughing!" Weiss shrieked, before she swung her arm again. However, Cinder caught it before she slapped Ruby again. A chilling silence surrounded the woman, as she towered over Weiss in a menacing way.
"Ruby, I'll message you on scroll. Go." Cinder said, not taking her eyes off the heiress. The woman's words seemed to have given Ruby enough strength to move again, as she just remembered what time it was. Raven was probably already waiting for her in the rooftop.
"Thank you, Cinder." Ruby said, her voicing having completely lost it's high pitch. Now she sounded tired, and it matched the look in her eyes.
"Thanks for everything. I wish... I wish it was you I fell in love with..."
Without uttering another word, the redhead started walking away. Her eyes wondered around the halls aimlessly, searching for something she couldn't understand. She felt defeated, and drained, but...
At least, it's over now...
Meanwhile, Cinder had just let go of Weiss's hand. She still found it surprising that she didn't scorch the heriess' pale skin. Or better yet, she was surprised to see that everything around her wasn't burning away in a vengeful inferno.
"You, what business do you-" Yang stepped forward, however, her foot froze to the ground. She didn't understand it very well, but she just knew, that she would die if she took another step. Her gut feelings had never been louder, and it made her skin crawl.
"You three." The woman spoke in an ominous tone, forcing the girls to listen carefully.
"Hurt Ruby again, and that's the last thing you'll ever do."