"Ruby! No! You can't be serious!"
Weiss frowned as she arrived at her room. She could hear Yang's heated shouts from the other side of the door, and they made her worried, not because they were uncommon, but because they were never directed at Ruby.
"What's the big deal?" The redhead's voice rose sharply. "It's not like it's forever, I can always go back! A-and things change! Maybe this time it will work!"
"No, it won't!" Yang replied indignantly. "The last time it blew up on everyone's faces! Why would it be any different now?"
"Because I'm a grown up now!"
"Oh, yeah, such a grown up!"
"I am! I'll prove it!"
Before Yang could say anything else, the sound of a whirling blade flooded Weiss's ears. The heiress's eyes widened and she burst inside the room, afraid she was going to have to stop an attempt at sororicide.
She wasn't overreacting that much. Ruby was on her bed, holding a small whirling chainsaw next to her scythe, her tongue sticking out from the corner of her mouth as she tried to engineer some way of combining the two weapons. Yang's bed was still wavering from the impact of the blonde's panicked retreat to it.
"I'm gonna do it!" Ruby declared, almost like a threat.
"Don't!" Yang whimpered.
"What the hell is happening here?!" Weiss yelled. "I left for five minutes and you two managed to throw everything into chaos!"
The chainsaw slowly came to a halt as Ruby looked at Weiss with a shameful expression.
"I just wanted to make a Crescent Chainsaw." She whispered pitifully.
"No." Weiss took the chainsaw from her hand. "No chainsaws. That's a ground rule. Understood?"
"Okay…"
"I never thought I would say this, but…" Yang's face lit up. "I'm so glad Weiss is here!"
The heiress's face closed up. It didn't stay that way for long before she noticed a curious absence.
"Where's Blake?" She asked worriedly.
"Here!" The faunus's muffled voice replied. "Wait a little- Beneath the bed- Here!"
Finally, the brunette managed to squeeze her way out of her hiding place. She looked up at Ruby fearfully, then closed in on Weiss, almost as if she were begging for protection.
"You hid… under the bed?" Weiss was seriously questioning the mental health of her teammates this time.
"The last time Ruby experimented with her scythe, I got shot!" Blake reminded. "Call me a coward, but I still have my head attached to my neck."
Ruby pouted as she dropped to the ground, still holding on to her weapon dejectedly.
"I'm… Gonna go for a walk…" She mumbled. "Just wanted a chainsaw scythe…"
She left the room slowly. The other girls felt a pang of sadness, but knew Ruby needed to be as far away from that chainsaw as possible, so they let her go.
Once their leader was finally gone, Weiss cleared her throat and looked at Yang.
"She had already tried that once before?"
"Yeah. She was twelve." Yang shook her head slowly. "It didn't end well for anyone, trust me."
"I can imagine." Weiss frowned. "Still, I'm kinda relieved. For a moment, I thought you were arguing about Cinder. I much prefer chainsaw ideas than her being back with that psychopath."
"Aye to that, princess!" The blonde cheered.
"They call me a psychopath?"
Ruby looked up at Cinder as she poured her tea by the side of her table.
"Yeah, but… Only when they don't think I'm listening." The redhead said, as if that somehow made things better. "Sorry."
"Oh, don't worry about it." Cinder shrugged. "It might be an exaggeration, but I can't fault them for it."
Ruby's unhappy expression did not fade away, so Cinder made sure to smile at her before going back to the shop's counter. She set her tray on it and rummaged through the cups and teapots absentmindedly. After a few moments, she noticed her boss staring at her curiously on the other side of the counter.
"What is it?" She asked worriedly.
"Oh, nothing." Iroh chuckled. "I was just wondering why you always leave that poor girl alone so fast…"
"Ruby?" Cinder looked back at the redhead briefly. "She's just a costumer."
"Of course she is. I never said anything contrary to that." The old man gave her a sly smile. "You know, Jasmine, it is wise to wait on the matters of heart, but take too long, and they will sail away, out of your reach."
"I think that boat sailed a long time ago, Iroh." Cinder said, hoping her voice wasn't as bitter as her feelings about the matter.
"Boat?" Iroh rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Sailing away… Hmm… That would make a good proverb…"
Cinder went on to serve the rest of the clientele, making an effort of not looking at Ruby for too long. She was happy that Ruby was visiting her, truly she was, but she knew they were both walking across an unstable bridge over a long fall.
Ruby's visits were too frequent, and even worse, they were secret. None of her teammates had a clue of where she went to when she left her room. Frankly, Cinder was surprised that they hadn't confronted her yet – not even Blake, who was always so vigilant.
And… Well, Cinder was not supposed to be anywhere near her, and not only because of common sense. Ozpin had been very clear when he explained the terms of their agreement: she wasn't to interact with Ruby Rose unless she was forced to by unforeseen circumstances. If he discovered she was violating that rule, she would face a much worse time in prison.
Cinder knew she had to put an end to the visits before things turned bad. It was going to hurt – she couldn't bear to even imagine Ruby's reaction – but it had to happen. So when she served the last of the customers, Cinder disposed of her tray and returned to Ruby's table.
"Ruby, we need to-"
She paused midway through the sentence as Ruby turned her head to look at her. That single moment – silver eyes staring expectantly, a small smile on her lips – had Cinder frozen where she stood, just basking in it as if under some sort of spell.
Then Ruby's expression changed as she raised an eyebrow curiously, and Cinder woke from her stupor, realizing her actions with a great deal of shame.
"What's wrong, Jasmine?" Ruby asked, a hint of jubilation as she spoke the false name.
"Oh. Nothing. I just…" Cinder shook her head and smiled easily. "I was distracted. Was I saying something?"
"We need to…?" The redhead repeated slowly.
"Right!" Cinder snapped her fingers, pretending to remember some lost line of thought. "We need to talk outside of the shop soon."
"W-what?!" Ruby almost jumped from her seat then.
"N-not a date!" The brunette-turned-blonde waved her hands insistently. "I need to speak about… About those things… Stabby things and the like."
Realization filled Ruby's eyes, and if Cinder wasn't tricking herself into believing it, so did a bit of disappointment.
"Okay. Maybe next time." The redhead smiled deviously.
Cinder smiled too, even as she cursed at herself mentally. Not only had she failed to stop Ruby's visits, but she managed to give her an excuse to continue!
Truly, a criminal mastermind. Cinder imagined her past self shaking her head disappointedly.
Yang's routine for the last weeks had taken a surprising, if not pleasant, turn: after class and whatever extra work she had to do, she always went to the gym to talk to and train with her mother.
Neither of the two had ever commented on this arrangement. Maybe Yang was afraid that acknowledging it would make Raven go away; or maybe she wasn't quite ready to admit to her mother that she was so… needed.
She knew for certain, however, that Raven loved their time together. It was obvious from the way she smiled, laughed, and just looked at her daughter. And she only acted that way during these precious short hours – there was nothing but a shade of that tortured, lost soul that Yang had first met her as.
So, when she entered the gym and found it empty, Yang couldn't stop her expression from turning sour. She paused on the doorway, contemplating whether to stay and train alone or just leave. Before she could come to a decision, though, a hand tapped her on the shoulder. Yang spun around in relief, only to meet face to face with her uncle.
"Oh." She forced herself to smile. "Hi, uncle!"
"Expecting someone else?" Qrow shot her a knowing look. "It's okay, I get it. Your mom's running an errand for Ozpin right now. Seeing as how you enjoy your together time so much, I thought I'd sub in for her today."
"That's… nice of you." Yang felt like she was being treated much a child, but she resolved to not speak of it, since her uncle seemed so content with his self-assigned job. "Running an errand?"
Qrow unfolded his scythe and cut a dummy in half. He examined the fallen half of it with some distant, as if judging the entirety of Beacon on the fact of their training equipment being so fragile.
"Yes. You haven't forgotten we're all working on bringing the White Fang down, right? And your mom, she's pretty much our best agent." He sighed. "Loath as I am to say it…"
"I haven't forgotten. It's just that things have been pretty calm lately. Until we go on a mission, we're under no immediate threat… Not even from Cinder, apparently." Yang noted, remembering the criminal's rescue of Jaune and Pyrrha.
"Hmm. Do remind me, how did it come to be that Ruby, my precious little girl, got involved with a psychopath?" Qrow glanced at his niece accusatively.
"How was I supposed to know she was trouble? Cinder seemed nice and clever and strong enough for her!" Yang frowned. "Well, I suppose she is all these things, except for nice."
Qrow decided to not press the matter further. He knew blaming Yang was unfair – he doubted he would have seen anything coming if he were in her place. Besides, they had good eyes on Cinder right now, and she wouldn't be allowed to harm his nieces anymore.
Yang looked at him uneasily, as if she wanted to ask him a question, but was afraid of how he would react. Qrow turned to look at her and smiled easily, giving her unspoken consent to go ahead and ask.
"I was wondering…" She looked away nervously. "About how you feel… About, you know… Raven."
"Ah." Qrow laid his scythe across his shoulder and behind his head. "Do you want the short version, or the long version?"
"Short version, please."
"Crummy."
Yang waited for him to continue, but he never did. She slapped herself mentally – she had requested the short version.
"Long version?"
"I feel like a failure." Qrow said. Yang was not unaccustomed to that tone of voice, the one he used when he spoke of the most serious of matters, especially those he felt a deep connection with. "I can't help but think that I could have made things different. Should have made things different. I never should have told her and the others about the White Fang. I never should have given up on my case – neither Summer or Raven needed to take it!"
His arms trembled as he turned to face another dummy. His eyes were dark and haunted, and that was something Yang had never seen before.
"Shit. I should have knocked both of them out and gone despite their objections. She had a kid to care for." Qrow glanced at his niece. "It was me, Yang. I took your mother away."
He sliced the dummy in half, his face a mask of grief and anger. Yang just stared at him, not sure what to do or say.
"I fucking suck at family time." Qrow smiled humorlessly. "Have a nice day."
And with that, he turned around and stormed off the gymnasium.
Yang closed her eyes and shook her head sadly. I should have stuck with the short version.
If there was one thing Raven appreciated about downtown Vale was the amount of people roaming around in it. They served not only as cover for her, but they also inadvertently stopped her from going on a rampage. And right now, she needed that later factor.
Her eyes turned a faint tinge of red as she glared at the window of Iroh's, the teashop. She could see Ruby sitting at one of the tables, sipping at her drink, while chatting happily with another girl. It had taken a while to identify that blonde, but when she did, the anger settled in fast.
Raven was a bit surprised by how concerned she was about Ruby. In the last seventeen years, she had learned to desensitize herself from others… She wouldn't have given a second thought to much worse situations. But just seeing Cinder talking with Ruby, as if there was nothing wrong about it, made her want to beat the criminal to a bloody pulp.
Maybe it was because she was so important to Yang. Maybe it was because she was so similar to Summer. Or maybe it was because it hurt to see her heading towards a disastrous relationship again. Whatever the reason for her anger, Raven would not let this farce go on any longer.
When dusk came, Ruby exited the shop, Cinder personally delivering her goodbyes at the door. Raven waited for the younger girl to be far away before she stormed towards Iroh's. She entered the shop and immediately met eyes with Cinder.
The atmosphere inside the establishment seemed to drop several degrees as they stared at each other. The man behind the counter seemed to recognize something strange was about to happen, and he shot a cautious look towards his clientele. Some of them finished their drinks in a hurry and left, avoiding staring at Raven.
Raven had to resist the urge to leap towards Cinder and grab her throat. The criminal slowly set her tray down on a table, never breaking eye contact. At first, Raven thought she was preparing herself for a fight, waiting for an opening… But then she noticed something subtler. Cinder's hands were shaking slightly, and her eyes showed no ill-intent. She was fearful.
"…A cup of your choice, please." Raven said carefully.
Cinder didn't relax as she moved to the counter and prepared some jasmine tea. She shot her boss an apologetic look, to which he only gave a small, sympathetic smile. The blonde nodded and made her way to Raven, who had sat on Ruby's previous spot.
"So." The Huntress spoke with a steely edge to her voice. "What should I call you?"
"Jasmine." Cinder almost whispered the answer. "I know why you are here. I'm… Can you please not tell him? I'll do anything you ask."
Raven looked up at her, trying to discern if she was acting or not. It seemed not – the begging came too soon, meaning Cinder truly was desperate.
"You might have been borderline insane when you negotiated the terms of your release, but Ozpin was very clear. You had many, many prohibitions, most important of all, don't mess with Ruby Rose. Why should I give you any sympathy?" Raven asked.
"Look… I made a mistake. Many mistakes, actually, but this…" Cinder gestured to Raven's spot. "I'm putting an end to it tomorrow. We're going to talk tomorrow, and I'm going to tell her to stay away. Just… Give me the time to do that."
Raven looked at her still full cup of tea. To Cinder, it felt like hours before she spoke again.
"You have two options." The Huntress said. "You tell her to go away tomorrow. I won't speak a word of it to Ozpin." She paused. "Or you don't tell her to go away. You keep close to her. Make your… whatever the two of you have, known to her team and family and Ozpin. I'll be nearby, always watching, but I won't interfere unless you make a mistake."
Cinder stared at her cautiously. Had she heard that right? It was too forgiving. There had to be a catch.
"Why give me that option?" She asked.
"I don't like to admit it, Jasmine, but we're alike. We've both assumed false identities in an effort for good. We've both felt the end of our blades piercing through another person, taking their life away as if they never mattered at all." Raven said in a haunted, low tone. Cinder was glad she was sensible enough to do so, or she would have been kicked out the door in a heartbeat. "And I suspect we are both feeling the burden of that taking now. I've had some time to learn that the only way to lift that burden, and only slightly so, is by having something or someone to hold close to you. I have my daughter. You might have Ruby, if you do things correctly."
"I don't think you should trust me, Raven." Cinder said honestly.
The Huntress gave her a small smile and got up from her seat.
"It's not my trust you need." She said. "Good luck."
Raven exited the shop, leaving behind a thoughtful Cinder and an untouched cup of tea.
"All I'm saying is, nobody with a regular brain would ever attempt to join a chainsaw and a scythe together, especially in a room with her sister and trusted teammates!"
Blake hid her smile from Weiss' view as they walked the streets of Vale at night. They had eaten at a nice restaurant, a particularly expensive one chosen by Weiss, despite the faunus' protests. Blake had only been silenced when Weiss mentioned that, if she wished to not be judged for being a faunus, she should also not judge her girlfriend for being rich.
As good as the food had been, though, Blake had appreciated their privacy much more. It was not surprising. She was a romantic, after all, and living with Ruby and Yang rarely gave them any chance to enjoy each other without interference.
"And Yang's at fault too! She tried to talking to her, instead of just taking the chainsaw by force!" Weiss continued indignantly. "She has that impossible Semblance of hers, and yet she doesn't think of using it during these situations!"
"Weiss…" Blake said lowly.
"I know, I know…" The heiress sighed. "I should stop complaining."
"Not at all. You're beautiful when you complain."
Weiss blushed and looked away. Before they began dating, she would have never guessed Blake was so charming. Lately, every word she said seemed to have Weiss either blushing or… feeling very inappropriate sensations she would never mention to anyone.
She tried to come up with something equally charming to respond with, but her line of thought was cut by a strange happening in front of her. Another couple was walking towards them, but they paused suddenly. One of them obviously looked in the direction of Blake's cat ears, then they crossed the street in a hurry, shooting her pointed looks all the while.
"Oh." Weiss looked sadly at her girlfriend. "I'm… Sorry about that, Blake. I shouldn't have convinced you to do it."
Blake sighed, her ears flattening against her hair.
"It's okay. I think… You're still right. That bow is just a crutch… And it makes me a hypocrite." She said. "How can I expect to fight for the faunus when I hide that I am one of them?"
"But you don't deserve that kind of attitude." Weiss muttered angrily.
"I don't care about those people's attitudes. They will never change, not for a long time. I care about the attitude of people like you." Blake smiled. "See, if you decided to cross the street right now, I would be very upset…"
"Why would I-"
"…because then I wouldn't be able to do this."
Blake leaned towards her to give her a quick kiss. Weiss blushed and only managed to emit a number of incoherent half-words. The faunus laughed at her reaction, then resumed walking, signaling for her to follow.
Before Weiss could do so, a figure landed between them, cracking the concrete beneath them. Mercury rose to his feet, a fierce smile on his lips.
"I'm not crossing the street."
Weiss heard another person landing behind her and instinctively dived to the side. Emerald's swing missed her by a large margin, but she was still in a precarious position.
Blake turned around at once. Without missing a beat, she leaped and kicked Mercury behind his head, sending him sprawling towards his partner. Then she ran to Weiss, who had a really frustrated expression on her face.
"Can't you let people have one date without interrupting them?!" She exclaimed.
"Weiss." Blake called softly, keeping herself focused on the situation. "No weapons. Let's run."
The heiress nodded, forming a small glyph between them and the criminals. Blake grabbed her by the waist and ran. Weiss thought the effort was a bit silly, but not without reason – Blake was the quicker of the two, and she would barely be hindered by her feathery weight.
Mercury kicked through the glyph, allowing Emerald to give chase immediately, shooting after the fleeing couple. Most of the bullets missed, but one caught on Blake's shoulder. Aura protected her from real injury, but the impact was enough to knock her off balance and send Weiss rolling forward on the ground.
"Running won't work." The heiress decided as she got back on her feet. "Call Ruby and Yang while I slow them down!"
She turned to face the two criminals, Blake running behind her as she fumbled with her Scroll, hoping it hadn't broken during the action. As Weiss raised a hand to conjure another glyph, a streak of fire leaped from the top of one of the buildings and landed beside her.
"Mercury, Emerald." The strange blonde said, mocking disappointment. "You need to stop ruining people's dates. Find another hobby."
Weiss' eyes widened as she realized who the blonde was. Mercury and Emerald had the same realization, but they weren't quick enough to react before Cinder closed in on them and knocked the silver-haired boy down with a punch to the side of his head.
"You bitch! Can't you stay away from us?" Emerald spat, dropping any affection she might have had for her ex-colleague.
"That's not the problem here, dear." Cinder grabbed her by the throat and pressed her against a building. "Can't you stay away from them?"
She pointed towards Weiss and Blake, who had paused all actions to observe the fight – if Cinder's display of dominance could be called a fight.
"Listen well, Emerald. I'm only going to say it once." Cinder said, leaning her face so close to Emerald's that there was almost no space between them. "I'm going to find out who you work for. I know you won't talk, you are not that pathetic, but I will find out. But before I do, you will. Stay. Away. From these two…" She shook her pointing hand. "From team Juniper…" Her hold on Emerald's throat tightened. "From Yang Xiao Long…"
Her fingers flared briefly, leaving scorch marks on Emerald's neck.
"And from Ruby Rose." She finished. "Understood?"
Emerald nodded weakly. Cinder dropped her and took a step back.
"You can go now." She said. "Enjoy your twin neck scars. It's kind of cute, if you want my opinion."
Emerald gave her a hateful glare before hurrying away with Mercury.
Cinder turned to Weiss and Blake, who were staring at her silently. Her body still burned with that need for violence she was growing familiar with lately, so she couldn't think of anything smart to say. She gestured towards the faunus' ears and smiled.
"I like your ears." She said. "They're… nice to look at."
"…Thanks." Blake frowned.
Cinder nodded to Weiss, then entered a dark alley and disappeared. The heiress waited a moment before she spoke.
"Have I mentioned our lives don't make any sense?"
The next afternoon, Cinder sat on a bench in a park at Vale. It hadn't taken much convincing for Iroh to let her have the day off, and thankfully, he hadn't made any dangerous questions.
A sense of dread overwhelmed Cinder as she waited for Ruby to arrive. She didn't know what effect her rescuing Weiss and Blake would have on their conversation, but she knew it would be emotional, and she was not confident on herself when it came to that type of situation.
After what seemed like hours, Ruby finally appeared. She didn't have her usual jubilant appearance, but neither did she seem distraught. She appeared calm, which was unusual enough to sound an alarm bell inside Cinder's head.
"Hey." She said as she sat beside the blonde. "How are you doing?"
"I'm okay." Cinder answered, feeling how awkward the situation was. They never started their conversations like this – Ruby was always excited or focused on something, and Cinder was always glad to accept whatever it was and contribute.
Not this time.
"I think I owe you an explanation." Cinder said. "About my previous life."
"That would be appreciated." Ruby agreed.
"Yes." The ex-criminal took a deep breath. "I don't remember a lot about my childhood. I didn't have any parents to look after me, so I lived in orphanages, until… I don't know, maybe until I was nine or ten years old."
Ruby abstained from making any comments. Even if she wanted to voice her sympathy, she was more interested in hearing Cinder speak without interruptions.
"I've always had this power, an affinity to Dust – fire Dust, to be exact. I don't know the exact science behind it, but it's like I can draw it from what's around me and manipulate it with my will alone. But it's… dangerous, to say the least. Play with fire, and you get burned. Play with Cinder, and your orphanage goes up in flames."
"With this power, I turned to crime. It started small, with robberies and breaking and entering. Just enough to get by. Eventually, I built up a reputation, and then things became worse." She paused, wondering if she how to continue. There was no way to soften the blow, but she still wanted to try. "I hurt people. Killed them. For others, and I got paid for it."
Ruby said nothing, but her expression hardened.
"I… I know it sounds unbelievable, Ruby, but never once, in all those years, did I question why I did things. And looking at it now, I still don't know." Cinder shook her head sadly. "It wasn't the money. And not enjoyment – not exactly. It's like I needed to do these horrible things, was compelled to."
"And that's what horrifies me. I'm feeling that need again, stronger by the day, and I feel that I'm going to snap and-" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Something's very wrong with me, Ruby. And that's why you need to stay away."
Ruby stayed silent for a long time, just staring at her. She leaned forward and took one of Cinder's hand with her own.
"I can't go away, Cinder. You need me." She said softly.
Cinder got up, tearing her hand away. She looked down at Ruby, her eyes watering slightly in frustration.
"Yes, I need you, but it doesn't matter! This isn't about what I need, it's about what you need!" She exclaimed. "You need someone who you can be love without having to make explanations and excuses, someone who won't hurt you if you're not careful, someone who your friends won't call a psychopath, someone who-" She stopped. "Not me, Ruby. Not me."
Ruby looked up at her, her face a mask of a thousand emotions. Then, slowly, her eyes narrowed as anger sparked in them. In one movement, she got up and poked Cinder on the chest with a finger.
"Stop it." She said in a low tone. "I am tired of everyone treating me like I'm a child. I am not a little ball of happiness that needs to be protected! I can make my own decisions, and only I can tell what I need!"
"I'm… Sorry." Cinder managed to say, almost inaudible. "I didn't mean to…"
"I know you didn't." Ruby sighed heavily. "Just don't do it again. I'm not perfect, so you don't need to put me on a pedestal and tell yourself I'm too high up for you. Whatever your problems are, we'll deal with them together."
Cinder looked away shamefully. Now that it had been said, it seemed so clear that Ruby was right. Cinder had been seeing her as something so beyond her, that she wasn't even Ruby anymore, but a glorification of her, and that was so wrong. The reason Cinder had fallen so hard for her in the first person was that Ruby was so kind, righteous and positive, and yet she was just another person, not an idol.
"If that's what you want… Then that's what will happen." Cinder smiled weakly. "How do we tell your team you're dating a psychopath?"
"Whoa there, lady! Step on the brakes!" Ruby exclaimed suddenly. "Who said anything about dating?!"
"I-I… Uh… I just… Sorry…" The blonde tried to cover her blushing cheeks, but failed miserably. "What are we then?"
"We are close, bonded souls!" Ruby paused, then she winked playfully with one eye. "But don't lose hope. I'll be available for a long time."
Cinder blushed again, caught unaware by Ruby's sudden willingness to be flirtatious. Heavens, it had been much simpler when she was the bold one, and Ruby the inexperienced ball of nerves.
"I can deal with that." She said, trying to cover up her embarrassment. "Care for a drink of tea, Miss Rose?"
"Always." Ruby smiled, then took one of her hands and lead her away.
Emerald and Mercury shuffled into Mira's office, their eyes trained on their feet in humiliation. The green-haired thief's neck had several burned spots, while his scars were older, but covered a larger area.
Their boss looked up at them from her seat, her sharp eyes and straight-lined mouth transmitting her disappointment clearer than any words could.
"I like your twin scars." She said mockingly. "They make you a cute couple."
Emerald blushed and looked further away.
"I'm sorry we disappointed you, Mira." Mercury said respectfully. "We had Schnee and Belladonna on our grasp, but Cinder interfered again. We stood no chance against her."
"Yes, yes. At least you're sensible enough not to make up excuses." Mira tapped her fingers against her desk rhythmically. The word burned slightly at her touch, yet her eyes didn't part from her two visitors. "There's no need for you to be here. I know already that Cinder is too big a nuisance to be allowed to roam free."
Emerald raised her head curiously. Shivers ran down her spine as she contemplated Mira's meaning.
"Cinder will never bother you two again." Mira said, her eyes seeming to glow with fiery light. "I will see to it myself."
They took another step! *trumpets*
Man, this chapter was longer than I expected. I honestly didn't think there was so much stuff to include, but there was. Welp. More words more goodness.
I wanted to dedicate this paragraph to OrangeGalen. I love you for suggesting so many chapter names. I'll put them to use! (insert cute heart here)
Crescent-Chainsaw-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited Falling Roses Burn Brighter!
-Zeroan