"Having perfected our disguise, we spend our lives searching for someone we don't fool."
― Robert Brault
Chapter 4-
"Ruby! I thought I saw you around here. Oh and who's this?" A woman with bright white hair asked, walking up to them dressed like a female knight but wearing a white looking suit instead of armour.
Next to her was a black haired girl with cat ears on her head and a long black tail to match with it and she stood next to the woman just smiling towards the pair.
"Winter, Blake. Please meet Neo. Neo, please meet my sisters Winter Schnee and Blake Belladonna." Ruby said, introducing the three women to each other.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Neo." Blake said first, smiling at the woman before turning to look at Ruby, "Ruby, could you come with me to the bar please? I need some help." Blake asked, pulling the woman away.
The two women started walking away down to the other end of the bar, leaving Neo and Winter just standing there, as Neo started to play with her fingers, unsure what to do.
"So, Neo." Winter said, gaining the woman's attention. "What are your intentions with Ruby?" Winter asked bluntly.
"What?" Neo asked, stunned at the bluntness.
"What are your intentions with Ruby?" Winter asked, turning to look towards the bar where Ruby and Blake were chatting with Velvet. "Ruby, she's had a hard life. A lot of things have happened, but she lives for Mia. Mia means the world to Ruby, and she'll do anything to protect her. When I started hearing about a woman that she'd been talking to Mia about, I knew it was serious." Winter explained.
"I've known Ruby for most of her life, and so has Blake. So I've seen it all, but never once has she ever spoken to Mia about anyone. Man or woman. So it's serious, at least for Ruby. I want to know how serious you are about it, because I will protect Ruby no matter what." Winter stated, not harshly but it was clear that she would do everything to keep them apart if she wasn't satisfied.
"I…I can't really give you a promise. I, I know I want to be with her. I want to be a part of her life for a long time, I can see myself with her, having a future together. But at the same time I'm not sure what will happen a year later or even a few months later. But I want to try, and I'll try my hardest to make it work." Neo answered strongly, gaining her confidence the more she spoke.
"And the fact she has a child?" Winter challenged.
"What about it? I know she has a child, no matter how I found out. Mia is really cute and if I'm honest, I don't mind that she has a child. If anything it only makes it better because I always wanted a child, and well…I'd love to be a part of Ruby and Mia's life." Neo explained happily, not worried with Winter's unchanging face.
Winter's face broke out into a large smile as she said happily, "Good answer."
Just then Ruby and Blake came back to the pair, "So, what were you two talking about?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, nothing much. We were just talking about Neo's latest book." Winter replied. "Oh Blake, come on. I want to go see Mia." Winter said, grabbing Blake's hand and pulling her towards the other room.
"What did she really talk about?" Ruby asked, facing Neo.
"We spoke about my new book, and how you helped me with it." Neo replied.
"Hmm." Ruby hummed, not believing Neo but decided to ignore it for the moment as she wasn't going to get anything from her. "So, about what I wanted to talk about before they interrupted us." Ruby said.
"What were you going to say?" Neo asked, not sure but had a slight thought for what it was.
"Well first off, my real name is Ruby Rose. Red, it's a nickname I've had for quite a while and well. I'm a private person, always have been. So very few know my name, some of the staff here know it. And a few others, but that's it. But I wanted you to know my real name before I ask." Ruby explained.
"Before you ask what?" Neo asked, her heart starting to race.
"Well, I wanted to ask for a while but it was actually Mia that suggested that I do it tonight, something about it being more romantic." Ruby begun to explain. "I would like to ask you to be my girlfriend. Us being together outside of the club. Will you be my girlfriend?" Ruby asked.
"Yes!" Neo said excitedly, hugging Ruby immediately. Quickly pulling back and then softly kissing Ruby.
Ruby couldn't help but moan into the kiss, being careful to keep it low before the pair pulled away, breathing deeply. "Were you waiting for me to ask that?"
"For a while." Neo replied softly, blushing at being caught out.
"Well then, how about I make up for the wait?" Ruby playfully suggested.
"Oh? How will you do that?" Neo asked playfully.
"A date? Perhaps next Saturday night?" Ruby asked.
"Really?" Neo asked.
"Of course, let's say I pick you up at seven?" Ruby asked.
"But you don't know where I live." Neo stated quickly.
"Well, I'm sure I can learn." Ruby said, smirking at the shorter girl.
The next few hours were spent enjoying the party, telling the good news to Winter and Blake. The pair had spent time interacting with a few of the different people. And Ruby introducing Neo to a couple of the staff at the place.
Including Emerald and Cinder, though Neo already knew Cinder. So the pair spoke for a little bit before moving on.
"Ah, I'll be back in a minute. I just need to use the bathroom." Ruby said, excusing herself briefly.
Not entirely sure what to do with herself, Neo went to the bar and got another drink but while she was standing there she heard a shout.
"Let me go!" A young voice yelled out.
Recognising the voice from earlier that night, and seeing a flash of long blonde hair. Neo started moving towards the commotion.
As she got through the people, she saw what was going on. Which made her start to see red as she saw just who the young voice belonged to.
She saw a blonde woman she remembered as Yang, Ruby's sister pulling rather harshly on Mia's arm, dragging her through the crowd and towards the door.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" Neo screamed at the woman, normally not swearing in front of children but this was truly exceptional.
"Who the hell are you?" Yang asked but then quickly said, "It doesn't matter. I'm taking her away from Ruby. It's not right." She said.
"What's not right, is you trying to kidnap Mia. Now either let her go, or I will make you." Neo threatened. Seeing that the woman wouldn't respond any other way.
"No, I'm taking her. Now move." Yang said, attempting again to avoid fighting.
"No!" Neo said firmly, hoping that either Winter or Blake would come over.
Seeing the punch coming, Neo easily dodged out of the way. Knocking the offending arm away harshly while moving forward quickly past her.
Reaching Yang's hand that was holding onto Mia's wrist, Neo grabbed Yang's wrist. Putting pressure against her wrist, forcing Yang to release Mia form her grip and then Neo delivered a kick to Yang's back knocking her back.
Standing up straight, Neo moved in front of Mia as she held a hand out for the little girl and another hand up waiting to see Yang's response.
"What the hell is going on?" Ruby growled out, walking up to them with Blake and Winter by her side. Clear that one or both of the women had gone to get Ruby to tell her of what was going on.
"You're not fit to look after Mia. Just look at this club you run, it's just a carefully disguised brothel! No place for a kid to be raised!" Yang shouted at Ruby.
"I'll only warn you once, for the relationship we once shared. Go out that door and never come back, do not make contact with me. Forget I was ever your sister. Go now, and I'll forget about all of this. Continue, and I cannot be held responsible." Ruby warned, her tone was low and it was clear it wasn't what she wanted to do.
"No. I'm not leaving without Mia! You're not fit to raise her!" Yang shouted at Ruby.
"So be it." Ruby stated in a deathly cold voice, and then Ruby moved.
Neo could barely follow Ruby as she shot off towards Yang. She easily knocked Yang's fist away and she landed her own punch onto her nose.
Head flying back with blood spurting out as she went, Ruby followed it up with going low and tripping the woman up, moving over onto Yang's stomach.
"You're drunk, so this won't hurt as much. But come near my daughter again, drunk or sober and I shall do worse." Ruby said, punching Yang in the head again but this time it knocked the woman out.
Standing up from Yang's body, she turned to look at Blake and Winter, "If you wouldn't mind, could you organise a taxi home for Yang please? And explain to her mother what happened." Ruby asked, her voice still tense.
"I'll take her home; do you want me to tell them about Mia?" Blake asked.
"If you want, I don't really care. They're not in my life any more and won't be in Mia's so go ahead and tell them why I beat up Yang." Ruby replied coldly.
"Alright, we're still meeting at ours tomorrow, right?" Blake asked. Referring to her shared house with Winter and their weekly Sunday dinners.
"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow." Ruby said, as the pair were leaving.
"Oh and you can bring Neo as well!" Winter called out over her shoulder as they left, Yang carried between them.
Closing her eyes for a minute, Ruby calmed herself down and Neo could visibly see Ruby's body to relax as she opened her eyes again and faced Mia and Neo.
Crouching down so she was level with Mia, she asked. "Are you alright sweetie?" She asked calmly.
Mia nodded her head slightly, scared as she stayed half hidden behind Neo. Hugging the woman's leg.
Ruby couldn't help but smile at that, before opening her arms a little and Mia detached herself from Neo only to run into Ruby's outstretched arms.
Ruby hugged Mia tightly, softly saying soothing words to her daughter as she felt her shaking a little from what had happened.
A/N
So another chapter down, however many more to go.
So I've made a mistake, I brought Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright and fallen in love with Azura/Aqua and so I'm in the process of writing some stuff for that.
And as some of you may have noticed, I've abandoned Valetown Tales and will be deleting it in the next couple weeks. I'm considering abandoning GGO: The Red Reaper because I'm struggling with that, and it just doesn't work nicely. But that's in the air currently.
Other than that, I'll finish Legends and then start new work which I've a few to go on for the moment.
Anyway, until next time.