I'm having a serious mental block on where to go from here. To put it simply, I wrote myself in a hole. I'm juggling three different things at once: the status of the Alpha Sabyr and its significance, Grimm Ruby tending to Oscar, and Penny's POV of everything. I'm not quite sure how everything will intersect yet, so I decided on another Chibi skit for now. This is something I've wanted to put in the actual story for a while, but couldn't find a good moment for it because it clashed too much with the darker tone. It's considered non-canon to the rest of the story.

Ruby stood with her arms behind her back, telling a story to a tired Maria, who was sitting on a reclining chair big enough for one.

"And that's how that 'what's-his-name' guy came out of nowhere and flew us back to Atlas," Ruby said. "Kinda contrived, you know."

"His name's Coop," Maria said, unamused. "You can't even remember the name of the man that saved your life?"

"Yeah, well…" Ruby muttered, scratching her head. "It's not like his name ever came up before…or will ever come up again. We'll probably just forget all about the super convenient pilot in like five minutes." She stretched her arms out and yawned. "Welp…I'm tired. Fighting Grimm can take a lot out of ya. I'm gonna go get some sleep."

"Yes, yes," Maria waved Ruby off as she left. "I could use some sleep myself."

She was about to doze off, right there on the chair, when she saw Ruby come from the kitchen opposite of where she left from.

"Ruby?"

"Hey," she said with a slightly distorted voice. She was holding a glass cup on her hand that she could swear she didn't have earlier.

"What are you doing?" Maria asked. "You just said you were going to sleep."

"I am. I just went to get a glass of milk. Fighting Grimm can make ya thirsty, too."

"But…you were just over there," Maria explained, pointing toward the room opposite of where Ruby came from. "I saw you…"

She stopped when she saw Ruby's confused squint.

"Are you okay?"

"I…I'm fine, child," Maria said dejectedly. "I suppose my mind isn't what it used to be."

Ruby shrugged. Her sly grin suggested something unusually devious, but Maria wasn't sure what. With that, Ruby left toward the bedrooms. This time, she knew for sure. She closed her prosthetic eyes and considered calling it a night herself. She might have dozed off right on that chair…if Ruby hadn't walked across the room from the kitchen again.

"Oh, sorry," Ruby said. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"What in the…Ruby?" Maria said, her prosthetic eyes blinking twice. "You…you did it again!"

"Did what?" Ruby asked innocently.

"You know what! You're trying to toy with an old lady, is that it?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"I just watched you come through the kitchen twice!"

"Maria, I was gone for hours. I got back just now."

"Hours?" Maria's prosthetic eye sparked. "You just left with a glass of milk seconds ago!"

"You got me confused with the other Ruby," Ruby explained. "Grimm don't drink milk…or have taste buds."

"Grimm? Oh, so you're the Grimm Ruby?"

"Yeah," Ruby said, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. "You…really can't tell us apart."

"I can't see colors with these things," Maria admitted, tapping her prosthetic eyes, "so you two look exactly the same to me."

During the explanation, Ruby came from the bedroom she just went in, half-filled glass of milk still in hand.

"I just heard you yell," she said with a distorted voice. "Everything okay?"

"I'm fine," Maria said. "False alarm. These eyes can't tell you two apart, so when I saw her coming in, I figured…wait a second." She glared toward the Ruby holding the milk. "If you're the real…er, original one, then why's your voice like that?"

"I told you," Ruby said, slouching. "I'm tired. Can I go to bed now?"

"Yes, yes, by all means. For a moment there, I thought I was really losing it."

"You both had a long day," Ruby said, patting Maria's hand. Her hand felt smooth; very different from a Grimm's claws. "Just take it easy. I can handle things for a while."

"I…" Maria began. "Hold on. If you're the Grimm one, why is your hand so smooth? And why does your voice sound normal?"

"I'm not Gruby, she is," Ruby explained, pointing at Ruby. Maria was about to protest until she saw the glass in her hand. What was going on? Did the two just switch places?

"I better go back soon," Ruby said with a distorted voice. "There's always another Grimm just around the shadows."

"And I better get some sleep so I can help out in the morning," Ruby said with a normal voice.

"Wait, now your voice is…" Maria began to say.

"Good night!" both Rubies exclaimed. They walked toward the bedrooms together, out of Maria's line of sight. She sat alone in that chair, trying to make sense of which one she was talking to. As she did, she could have sworn she heard the muffled sound of teenage laughter just barely within earshot. She decided not to investigate the matter, however. Her mind wasn't what it used to be.

Once the two Rubies were both outside, they gave each other a triumphant grin. Neither of them were tired or thirsty.

"You think we should tell her soon?" Grimm Ruby asked.

"Eventually," Ruby said. "When it stops being fun."

"Soooo…never, right?"

"Nope!"

The two muffled even more laughter.

"You know, there's this old clothes store with some of those people-sized mirrors," Grimm Ruby said with a raised eyebrow. "We could hang a few around the walls while she's sleeping."

Ruby gasped with excitement. Her eyes beamed at the possibilities. Messing with an elderly woman's already fragile grasp on the happenings of what's around her had never been so amusing.