She hated strobe lights. They were disorienting and gave her moments of vertigo and tunnel vision when she danced. She strained her neck to lay her eyes on something familiar, someone safe.

Relief flooded her when she spied blonde hair. She watched the untamed mane tint with the colours of the devil lighting and smiled when a pair of lilacs turned their attention on her. Bloodied lips grinned back and her hand brought more blood to her lips.

Ruby turned away from Yang, appalled and allured by how freely her sister revelled in the debauchery of their wanton bloodlust. But it had always been easier for Yang to succumb to their baser nature. Her Fae blood was thicker. Ruby had just enough restraint and anxiety to withhold herself.

The lilac eyes turned worried when they noticed that Ruby's mood was dour. She started to make her way through the crowds, but the brunette waved her off with a smile and pointed towards the door. Yang loved mortal nightclubs, she loved the thrill of revelling in a sea of beings designed to live and die. It was the same energy she had for the banquets at the court and Ruby knew why too. She was practically at a buffet.

Yang gave her a relieved smile, her amethysts now distracted by the dancing of another mortal girl, a bright head of orange. She licked her lips clean of blood, her eyes full of renewed lust and hunger and she had her hands snake her way to dictate the movement of the smaller girl's waist. Ruby took that as her cue to leave.

She took a deep breath when she stepped out into the mostly empty back alley, relieved to be free of the suffocating setting. The bouncers at the entrance smiled softly at her when she fanned herself with her hand. Ruby smiled back sweetly, under the red and blue soft lighting of the entrance she looked like a cherub that got lost on the way to heaven. This was her own gift, to bewitch with such a strength that men would allow her into an adult-only zone despite clearly believing her to be yet of age. It was convenient enough.

She wasn't too worried about leaving her sister behind. Her enchantment magic was nearly as good as her fire, and she could hardly fault her sister for indulging in the instincts of a predecessor. Vampires were known to intermingle from the fae from time to time, seeing as they were made of Fae magic. As it happened, Yang's mother would be able to trace back the vampire gene back to two generations. Certainly not enough to corrupt the bloodline, but enough to adulterate with peculiar perks. She made her way to a car parked farther down the alley and closer to the junction of the main street. She leaned against the bonnet and let out a sigh, before sprawling her back out on it and staring at the sky.

Yang often said the sky was the same here as it was at home. Ruby thought it was bullocks of course; the sky was duller in the mortal world.

Everything was duller in the mortal world.

When the unease came upon her again she realised that the strobe lights were not her problem at all. She lifted her head back up enough to spot the bouncers, who had returned their full focus to keeping away strangers, even though the alley was practically deserted and was illuminated enough by the light at the entrance. In the shadows, her mind started suggesting ways with which she could lure them away before she could stop herself. All it would take was a whistle, a hum really to rob them of their awareness. Or maybe she'd breeze by in a flash to take what she wanted for the sake of theatrics and leave petals in her wake, borrow a cap from Yang's book of flashy indulgences. But as soon as the scheming began she pushed them away.

She knew what she wanted more than anything, but she wouldn't mind settling for a swim in the lakes back home.

An answer to her prayers, Yang tumbled out of the door. She was thoroughly engaged, however, in shredding the flimsy excuse of clothing that was a lacy pink bra-let from the carrot top in her arms, Ruby groaned and let her head slap back against the cold metal of the car. It would seem the girl Yang was with was actually enough to sate both hunger and lust. Ruby threw an arm over her face to block out the view of the mediocre sky.

Good for you, Yang. Good for you.

Not willing to tenure the torture of listening to the ministrations between the two, Ruby gracelessly rolled off the car and onto the ground. She picked herself up, not bothering to dust after herself - the servants at home would surely die of fright, her father's sigh would echo through the house in resignation.

She made her way to the street, pouting petulantly at yet another night of Yang trying to loosen her up failing, and another night of her moping in wait for her sister to finish roughhousing whatever mortal had intrigued her fancy for yet another night. So deeply involved was she in her wallowing that she almost missed it - the sound of snowflakes caramelized in honey, infinitely reflected in a hall of mirrors. Ruby's Fae heart almost couldn't take it, the sound was driving her insane.

She stood completely still, her sensitive ears letting the wind carry the words to her ears. It was a haunting lullaby, of princesses in isolation and confidantes found in reflections. It was certainly different from the ballads she enjoyed, but that sound.

Maidens, that voice.

Ruby remained transfixed as the singing got louder, the girl no doubt about to pass before her. She wasn't sure what she was going to do to her when she came by, but she needed to at least see her before-

'Ruby! Did someone hex you into stone or something?'

The warm hands of her sister broke Ruby from her reverie. She turned to her sister with an annoyed, petulant look. Yang looked dishevelled in more ways than one, but also undone? Flustered? Enraptured - no that couldn't be it. Shaken? The brunette shook her head and turned back to the junction, but the singer had passed, leaving Ruby with the ghost of a glimpse of long white hair and porcelain skin in winter blue. Ruby turned back to glare at her sister with renewed indignation flashing in her silver eyes and Yang flinched slightly, defensively stepping away.

'Geez, I'm sorry Rubes, I didn't kill the mortal I swear.' Yang's defensiveness had a mocking lilt to it, but Ruby's temper instantly settled and she closed her eyes, putting a hand to her pounding head.

'I know Yang, I'm sorry. I'm just stressed.' She let out a tired sigh and leaned into the embrace of her sister's warmth. Yang let out a chuckle and stroked her fingers through the younger one's locks, toying with the blood-red tips.

'Slow night, huh?'

'Eh, just one of many.' Ruby pulled back her head enough to give her sister a teasing pout. 'Not that you could relate to that.'

'Hey, it is what it is, sis.' Yang let out a smug snicker and winked. 'Well we best be heading home or Qrow will bring hell on our heads.'

'He'd love to do that, wouldn't he?' Ruby's eyes twinkled in the shadows.

The sister Faes pulled apart and held hands. They squeezed lightly as they recited the spell they knew by heart.

'Inquea Transfae Dabadu.'

They didn't really have to say the spell anymore, not with their level of strength at this age.

But it was one of the things that kept them close enough to never stop saying them anyway.

There was a comfort in kin-magic, even in the court of Unseelie.