Black eyes peer down, filled with love, pride, thanks. A hand traces my cheek, cold, soft, comforting, as I'm cradled in the arms of the devil. The tears that fall are acid, burning paths of black along her cheeks before they land on mine. She presses a kiss to my forehead, holds me close, and she whispers into my hair:

"Oh Summer, I'd feared the worst."

Ruby woke with a start, a chill invading her skin and gripping her bones. The otherwise silent night was interrupted by the gasping of her breath and the chattering of her teeth. It took all of her focus to ignore the phantom feeling and toss off her covers. She hugged her arms around her chest as she stood and walked to the washroom, coming to a stop in front of the sink. Running the water hot she splashed it against her face, rubbing it against where those phantom tears could still be felt burning.

She looked back up into the mirror and grimaced at her own tired features. For a moment she considered taking a long shower, but decided that in this case the best thing to do was get out. These nightmares had been a problem ever since she'd taken those damn pills, and it was time to do something about it.

Minutes later she was geared up and walking out of the dorm room. She'd eschewed her red hood and was only wearing her black tactical gear. She was fairly invisible in the night and the only echo of her wake was the tap of steel-pointed boots. As she started down the brick path to the city she slid open her scroll. A short wait later a voice purred on the other line.

"Ruby," Cinder hummed, sounding pleasantly surprised. "I thought you'd forgotten your promise."

"I was going to make our 'date' anyways, you know." Ruby grumbled, glancing around to make sure no staff members were patrolling the grounds at midnight. It was unseasonably brisk and clear and she was a tad worried she might get spotted. "I need to get out of here for a bit, where are you?"

"The house. I was settling some... business, so I'm in late. When will you get here?"

"From the school?" Ruby hemmed. "Prolly an hour. Can we meet halfway?"

There was a heavy sigh. "There's a cafe on the inlet. Regulus."

"I'll be there in twenty." Ruby said with a nod.

"You'd better."

Ruby ended the call and approached the cliff. She surveyed the cityscape, the bright lights of the districts that never slept. She eyed approximately where the inlet was and took a few steps back to line herself up. After taking a few deep breaths she raised her hands. Petals began forming a tunnel of wind, sucking air through it so loudly it sounded like a jet.

In a flash she was gone, rocketing over the Vale skyline as a streak of red.

Cinder stood just inside the waiting room in Regulus, a high-brow cafe in Vale's Laurent district. The decor was in the style of a century prior, everything rendered in lacquered wood and velvet. During the day it was a meeting spot for Councillors on their lunch breaks, and even had a recess bell to return them to their duty. As Vale was well known for it's varied cuisine stolen from across Remnant it had a rather respectable selection of food and spirits. Those blessings were enjoyed at night by the racketeers, the craven businessmen, and the odd high-rolling kingpin. It was worth the price for discretion in matters both civic and clandestine. Normally Cinder frequented it during the day, but this was definitely a 'night-time' visit.

A woman wearing a well-fitting white blouse that tucked into her black slacks approached the reception desk with a sly smile, her black hair curled into loose ringlets that trailed down her back. She adjusted her bow tie as she greeted Cinder with a bow. "Miss Fall, this is certainly a surprise."

"Veronica, good evening." Cinder nodded her own greeting. "A dear friend wanted to meet so I told them to visit me here. I certainly hope that isn't a bother without a reservation."

"Of course not. Is it the young councillor Atrox?" Veronica asked, her voice filled with honey and spice. She was laying the charm on pretty thick, and it amused Cinder to no end.

"Not the boy, no." Cinder watched as the waitress placed two menus on the counter and rested her hand on the top on. She flicked her gaze back to the woman's eyes and internally smirked. "She's a bit eccentric, I hope her state of dress doesn't offend."

"I'm sure that won't be a problem." Veronica looked like she wanted to ask a question but held her tongue. There was a gentle chime of the door opening and the faint scent of roses filled the air. Cinder smirked as the waitress turned her attention to the new arrival. "Do you need directions ma'am?"

It took some effort not to smile at the tone she used. Dismissive, accusatory, like Ruby was some sort of urchin crawling in for a place to sleep. The soft 'hmph' Ruby exhaled with a sigh at her bruised ego was rather cute.

"Yes, actually. I'm looking for a woman about yay tall, imperious, looks like she belongs on the Villain edition of Vogue." Ruby listed, and Cinder allowed herself to chuckle.

Veronica looked between Ruby and Cinder and blinked.

"This would be my date for the night. If you'd show us to our seats?" Cinder asked, smirking as she placed a hand on Ruby's waist and felt the girl lean into her silently.

"Of course." Was the unsteady reply. Veronica picked up the menus in front of her and motioned for them to follow. The pair were led to some stairs in the back of the restaurant which looped around to a second story which made a balcony over the first. The long walk was worth it as they were seated in a nook that had a window out to the street below as well as the night sky above. A bottle had already been placed on the table which was ready to be uncorked and placed in a decanter.

Ruby seated herself, not waiting for an offer from the waitress, while Veronica professionally pulled out Cinder's chair. The waitress' proximity was a tad too close to be appropriate, though the older woman pretended not to notice.

"Be a dear and take my coat for me, would you?" Cinder asked as she shrugged off her trenchcoat. The blood red article was lined with black fur along the collar, and was only accented with black buttons and fine golden piping across the breast. It was a classic look, and honestly her favourite 'going out' attire.

"Of course." Veronica purred, apparently recovering from her earlier stumble. She left promptly, leaving Cinder alone with Ruby, giving the two their first opportunity to meet face to face in quite some time.

"I can't believe you wore that out." Ruby said flatly, not hiding the fact she was staring. Her silver eyes were dark as she took in a dress that served a single purpose. The satiny red fabric clung to her frame, hanging off her hips to accentuate them while leaving little of her chest to the imagination. It must've been tailored because there was no way the waist cinched that well off of the rack.

"Well," Cinder began, her smile predatory as she languidly seated herself and took her time crossing her legs. Ruby couldn't see anything beneath the table, but the way she closed her eyes… She was certainly imagining it. "I'm sure you're going to make some excuse to back to that little school of yours. I've decided I would offer a compelling reason to come back home with me."

"You're dressed like an incredibly high rent escort." Ruby joked, her ears a deep red. "I don't know if I can afford you." That comment seemed to embarrass Ruby a bit too much. She hid behind her menu, flipping it open. "Wow. I don't know if I can afford this."

"I'm paying for everything Ruby." Cinder purred, leaning forward and placing an elbow on the table and daintily picking up her wine glass. "You'd better make it worth my while."

"Fine, hook line and sinker, you got me." Ruby sighed. She was visibly willing away the blush, and it was almost working. A change of topic was clearly necessary for her to acquire her cool: "I'm curious though," she motioned in the direction the waitress had gone, "what are your plans for that poor lady at the door?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Well she's been in the coat closet for a solid five minutes and you and I are the only people in the building. So either she's having trouble finding a coat hanger in a… coat closet, or she's just getting a whiff of eau de Cinder." Ruby mused. She quirked a brow at the older woman. "Just how long has she been chomping at the bit?"

"Since I first started coming here." Cinder waved her fingers and a fine glass bracelet she was wearing began to fall into pieces, the thin plates that made it up rearranging into a helix. The helix drilled into the cork in the wine bottle. "She really just does it to herself. I sit here and smile and she works herself up." Cinder raised a brow at Ruby, "Are you having any luck with all those maidens in that gaudy castle?"

"Not yet." Ruby grumbled. "You'll know if that changes."

Cinder took that as Ruby not having any significant objections to her plans for the night.

Ruby reached forward and grasped the bottle by its neck, and with a hollow pop the cork came loose. Ruby poured Cinder's glass a third full before pouring roughly three times as much into the nearby decanter. Leaning back again she lifted her empty glass to Cinder in a toast. "Are you going to take her home and work off some of that energy you have?"

"At this point I'd have to fuck her on your bed to get anything out of it." Cinder sighed before taking a sip of her wine. Ruby seemed to choke on air, her face turning a deep shade of red as she tried to clear her throat. "But enough about me. What has my little infiltrator been up to?"

"After being dragged to Ozpin's office day one I've been really quite nice." Ruby hummed, her blush not lessening. "I haven't been asked too many question, which I can probably thank Qrow for. I told them the truth as far as anyone could tell, I was snatched by a Grimm and grew up elsewhere."

"And why you're a decent fighter?"

"Decent?" Ruby harrumphed, tapping her finger on her menu as Veronica finally returned. "They either think I'm a savant or a nutjob I guess. Inheriting a powerful semblance helps, and most the kids barely know which way to hold a sword." Ruby sighed. "Again, Qrow's probably keeping the uncomfortable questions at bay."

Cinder hummed and took a second sip of the wine. "Have you been showing off?"

"A bit. I haven't been using my eyes or anything." Ruby turned her attention to Veronica, "I'll take whatever mocktail you've got and the duck tacos."

The waitress nodded silently, her expression somewhat tight as she measured Ruby up. Ruby merely smiled and held her gaze, her amusement clear as day.

"The wine is perfect for now. I'll call if we need anything else." Cinder dismissed the woman with a wave of her hand, then motioned for Ruby to continue.

"I commanded some beowolves, not that anyone noticed." Ruby grimaced. She eyed how far away the staff was before continuing, "I really wish Salem would just give me a fucking magic tattoo or something. You get one, Hazel gets one, Amber gets one and she just stays home reading and sitting in meadows and whatever. I get a raw injection of nightmare juice and a slap in the ass."

"It's for the armor."

"I know it's for the armor." Ruby huffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm just lucky I'm so self-conscious about the scars on my back that people tend not to look, not that I'm giving people many opportunities."

Cinder froze at the mention of the maiming, her grip on her glass getting incrementally more tight. Ruby didn't notice, her gaze locked on her empty glass "It was a stupid thing to do. Weiss was too emotionally fucked up to notice, but she easily could have thought something was weird."

"Why would you risk exposing yourself?" Cinder's eyes narrowed after she recovered her composure. "I don't even know why you're there in the first place, they can't teach you anything Summer or Salem haven't already. All it will do is make you hesitate, and we both know what happened to your mother."

Ruby's expression darkened. "I know better than anyone."

Cinder's expression was remorseful, but she continued, "I mean that you're kind. And the fact you're still kind after all that's happened is… charming," she scowled a bit but continued, "but I'm worried that you'll get bit for caring for these people. When the time comes, many will fight for Ozpin, because they simply don't know any better. I'd hate for you to become distracted because one of these new 'friends' of yours stood in your way."

Coming from anyone else those words would have sounded callous at best. From Cinder, to anyone who knew her, this was the closest she ever got to grand gestures of loving support.

Ruby accepted the words for what they were and leaned back in her chair. "I am well aware that I can't save everyone. But if we successful, if we win, then we save everyone who yet lives or will live from dying blind to the world. What Ozma has made will be undone."

Cinder observed the tension in Ruby's form carefully. The glimmer in those silver eyes was the only clue she needed to know that, despite outward appearances, the girl's anger still burned hot. In the time Cinder had known Ruby's mother the singular flaw the woman had was that she lost sight of her anger. In times where decisiveness demanded one discard their petty morality she always hesitated. She preached the calmness of spirit, the forgiveness of wrongs, of being above the elementary darkness within.

It had gotten her killed. And from her corpse spilled that darkness she'd suppressed in the form of twin calamities. Cinder in her all-consuming pride, Ruby in her unquenchable wrath. They would do what Summer couldn't.

In a way it warmed Cinder's chilled heart, seeing Ruby wrestle if even for a moment with it.

Ruby's food arrived soon after and they enjoyed a comfortable quiet. Occasionally Cinder would mention something about her day-to-day life, and Ruby would ask questions to get just a couple more details. Cinder was purposefully vague to draw Ruby's natural curiosity, and Ruby in turn indulged Cinder's ego.

It was curious, the way the two shifted as they spoke. For Ruby it was the softness of tone, how her normal bluster and crude remarks became more earnest and deliberate. Though Cinder was unabashedly villainous, callous and manipulative to a fault, Ruby's questions were always thoughtful. For Cinder it was the words she chose, how descriptive and passionate she was. For while she was unabashedly villainous, and would certainly never show weakness that wasn't calculated, she did still wish to share as much as she could with Ruby.

"Tell me about your partner." Cinder asked with audible derision, partway through her second glass as Ruby sipped on some sweet blue pineapple concoction. "This 'Schnee'."

"She told me she met you at the bookstore the other day," Ruby mused, tapping a finger on her glass. "You made a strong impression."

"Emerald had seen you there and contacted me, I happened to be in the area so I decided to measure up those teammates of yours." Cinder raised her hands to inspect her nails. "They seem rather quaint. Your partner fairly puffed up like a bird when she saw me. She looked rather…" Cinder turned her gaze back to Ruby. "Distracted."

"She has self esteem issues." Ruby nodded. "That's why I wanted you to slip me some more cash, I'm thinking of sending her to a councilor to help her work through that."

Cinder was visibly amused by the proposition. Her brow canted, the corner of her lips curled, her chest rose with a chuckle that she managed to force down.

"You have to be joking." Cinder guffawed. "You want to use my ill-gotten gains to soothe some poor girl's fragile heart?"

"Not just some girl. The heir to the Schnee fortune and company."

"I thought there was an older sibling." Cinder said.

"Whose been disowned, according to Weiss. She's first in line, so if I need to appeal to your more vicious tendencies," Ruby spoke with a roll of her eyes and leaned forward across the table. She grasped Cinder's free hand — the one not carefully holding her wine — and regarded her seriously, "the heir to the SDC is a young girl who is insecure, proud, and wants companionship. Guidance. Security of self. If I help her, really help her, she'll be loyal to me." Ruby inclined her head towards Cinder. "And that means she's loyal to you."

Cinder was conflicted, given her posture. She rubbed the back of Ruby's hand with her thumb and her eyes drifted closed. The slight frown on her lips seemed just a bit forced as she visibly relaxed. She inhaled deeply through her nose before speaking, taking in the mild scent of Roses that always suffused the air around Ruby, "With the correct jockeying she could be made a rather appealing and influential member of the Atlesian council. She could be useful when it comes time to… secure Mantle." Cinder opened her eyes, her gaze drifting off and to the side. "I hope you know that there are many ifs I'm leaving out of that. I certainly hope you can make something of this opportunity."

"You would be a lot more approachable if you just said 'fine, you win'." Ruby teased with a smile.

"I am only interested in being approachable on my terms." Cinder scoffed, finishing her glass with one long sip.

"And what do you call this?" Ruby asked, raising their joined hands.

"The exception."

Cinder's partially-full bottle was taken away by Veronica shortly after, and moments later Cinder had paid for their meal and they were stepping out into the brisk evening air.

"I'm still amazed you're not cold like that." Ruby sighed with a shake of her head, pointedly looking at the trenchcoat Cinder was wearing. "Isn't it drafty?"

"Just a bit, yes, but it's good to impress your date." Cinder smirked, turning to face Ruby and brushing a mote of dust off of her shirt. "You could've dressed up a bit yourself." She tutted.

"Would you have preferred it if your high schooler lover showed up in her uniform?" Ruby chuckled darkly.

"It would have been good for inspiration." Cinder purred, caressing Ruby's cheek. "Perhaps next time you visit you can pack it with your things and I'll-"

"Quiet." Ruby shushed, her cheeks red as she hailed a passing cab. "Save it for your place."

Cinder smiled smugly as Ruby scurried to the door on the street side of the vehicle. Cinder opened her own door, though something caught in her eye as she did so. Partway down the street wobbled a cherry-shaped man with a ridiculous walrus mustache. Though his eyes seemed perpetually shut in a squint he seemed to be staring directly at her. The woman, awfully too young for him, was hanging off his arm and drunkenly whispering in his ear.

"Something wrong?" Ruby called from her side of the car, snapping Cinder out of her stare. The older woman shrugged before sliding into the vehicle, shutting the door, and pulling close to Ruby. She settled in close to the girl, resting her head on her shoulder before closing her eyes.

"Nothing." She lied. Something felt off, and while she didn't know what was wrong, she felt an omen.

My least understood gift is the omen. When you see the dark in another you can sense the machinations deep within. When you feel that nausea, that pit in your gut when you meet their eyes, there's only oner path in front of you. Humans ignore it at their peril. Grimm do not.

Cinder considered Salem's warning as she inhaled the heady scent of roses. Mentally made a note to look into whoever that portly bastard was, then figure out what exactly was going to make him a problem.