Chapter Fourteen: Take Two for Tea.

Ruby Rose wandered down the corridor, towards the cafeteria. It had recently turned lunchtime, but she was held up in the previous class in order to pick up this week's study notes. It definitely had nothing to do with accidentally falling asleep mid-lecture. She had told the rest of her team to meet her there, and that she wouldn't be too long. Unfortunately for Ruby, she had not accounted for the actions of a certain unknown third party.

As she speculated whether she was in more of a mood for cookies or pie, today, she was suddenly caught by the hood with a curved object and yanked backwards, into the janitor's broom closet. The door slammed shut behind her, giving her no time to cry out for help.

"HLK-!" She grunted, as the force against her neck suddenly dissipated, and she turned around to see who had decided to drag her into some dingy old janitor's resource cabinet. Originally, she was intending to give them a piece of her mind about tugging on people's hoods like that. However, what she saw had taken precedent… because Ruby stood in no mere supply room. No, no. This looked like it was some kind of fancy party table, with pretty décor which lined the room. Various colours were on full display, with one side of the room being mostly black, red, and silver, whilst the other side was brown, pink, and white. In the middle of the surprisingly well-lit room was a table which was lined with various desserts, from ice creams to cookies, and from pies to cakes. Suddenly, Ruby's disgruntled and fearful thoughts melted away into pure bliss as she sat down at the table, opposite to the person who must've dragged her in here.

In truth, she did recognise the individual. They'd seen each other during certain classes, but they had never really interacted with each other. Ruby had made a mental note of them, since she was the only student in the entirety of Beacon who was smaller than she was, and because she'd noticed the girl often looking at her. It was Neopolitan, wearing that fancy, familiar bowler hat and neck scarf combo. The strange girl picked up a small, fancy notepad and began to write something down, as Ruby reached for a cookie…then another. And a couple more. Then eventually just took the whole plate. As she polished off the plate, the short girl turned her notepad to face Ruby, before sliding it forwards for her to read.

'I apologise for the abruptness of our meeting, but I have some important details to discuss with you, Ruby Rose.'

Ruby hastened to finish off the cookies in her mouth before she responded to Neo's note, and smiled a blushing beam, contrary to Neo's sincere but to-the-point expression.

"Any meeting with cookies is a good meeting in my book!" She chimed, before making a move towards the pie. Neo simply flipped the page, to reveal that she'd already written on the second page.

'As you know, I am Neopolitan. I joined Beacon a few days after you did.' As she slid the page over for Ruby to read, she took a spoonful of ice cream to enjoy and help ease the tension. Though this was a serious conversation, she didn't want the stiffness of a formal conference. Those were snore worthy.

"Oh, yeah! I saw your fight against the Hand Guy! You were so cool! You were all like 'Pshoom! Neeeyoom!' And he was all like 'Urgh, blegh, hurrrrrgh!'" She giggled, as she enjoyed a nice slice of cherry pie and mimicking Oberon's pained expressions. Neo felt a little flattered by the praise for a moment, even if she wasn't quite sure what kind of compliment being likened to an onomatopoeia was. The mute covered her mouth like a giggling schoolgirl, before taking back the notepad and turning the page over.

'Now then, please accept my most heartfelt apology.'

Honestly, Ruby wasn't quite sure what Neo was referring to. She'd already forgiven her for tugging on her hood like that since, if anything, this was more of a net positive to her. It's not like it hurt much, or she'd ripped it. And it was just as confusing to Neo, who didn't know why she was apologising to this complete stranger.

"We've only just met! Why are you apologising? Besides…" Ruby began when, all of a sudden, Neo felt an overwhelming rush of emotions which she couldn't explain. Regret, fear, apathy and…complete emptiness. As she looked up at Ruby, she could see her mouth moving as if she were talking, but she couldn't hear her. Instead, her vision slowly became clouded, before a vicious crack of lightning appeared in her vision, making everything fade to white.

She was standing over the girl, now, holding the point of Hush's blade to her throat. They were on a vessel of the Atlesian Military. The wind howled, and the fractured moon was blackened out by swarms of flying Grimm en route to destroy Beacon and overrun Vale. Ruby clung onto the handle of her scythe, using it to hold herself in place over the edge. Neo could feel the flowing adrenaline of victory coursing through her veins, alongside the satisfaction of crushing an annoying pest under her boot. And yet, she waited. She gloated. She took her time to savour the moment as her partner enjoyed their monologue. And then, it was all cut short, as Hush was opened in an underhanded movement, unbecoming of the hero in the making.

"NEO!"

That was the last thing she heard before she was sent hurtling off the side of the airship, plunged into an airborne tidal wave of vicious, murderous creatures whose bloodlust could not be numbed, nor satiated. The anger, visceral hatred and overwhelming fear began to engulf her, but her confidence that it would all somehow be resolved gave her that spark of hope which managed to keep the Grimm away from her. But when she landed, she had looked up to the sky to see the airship explode, with a colossal ebony-winged Grimm being sent crashing to the ground. With no sign of her partner.

The feeling of loss overwhelmed her, even as she had waited for days in the ruined remnants of what had once been a prosperous civilisation. She had scoured it for ages, but only succeeded in finding the hat which she had lovingly crafted for him, and the silken neck scarf he wore, which she had fashioned from one of her old blankets. It was a reminder that he was now her family.

The feeling of loss overwhelmed her, and she watched scenes flashing by of days long-since passed. The endless days which she pursued vengeance at the cost of her sanity. The deals she made along the way. The times which she thought of life to be fun had long since disappeared, along with her mentor.

Then, she was somewhere new. Standing atop a floating bridge, across a gaping abyss, made of golden lights, stars and shimmering, nonsensical glimmerings. She stood face-to-face with the girl. She was devoid of her scythe, devoid of hope and soon-to-be devoid of life. Those were the thoughts which had once ran through her mind. So long had she waited. So long had she striven. So long had she suffered. And now, with Ruby's death, she could put that all to rest. She could live again.

"Whatever you wanted…" Ruby murmured, shuffling backwards, and looking over her shoulder at the gaping maw of the void beneath them. "…I hope it was worth it." She said, before spreading her arms with a defeated look on her face.

The rush! Oh gods, the rush she felt!

Finally, it was time to end all of this. To finally get even. To finally be rid of this pain. This burden which she had held for so, so long.

As she thrust her blade forwards, Ruby fell backwards, flew underneath the bridge, and shoved her from behind, sending her forwards, as she clung onto the edge of the bridge. Such cruel fate; to be sent into a reverse déjà vu. But, before she could see the end result of that vision, she blacked out again, only to find herself falling.

But she didn't care that she was falling into the darkened abyss of ever-changing colours. She just wanted to get her revenge before she met the reaper. If it was the last thing she would do, she would rip this girl's spine from her body, strangle her with it, and then skip into the gates of hell with it.

And she was in sight. She felt herself alter her angle, aiming to catch up, just so she could pummel her with her fists, but the girl was persistent and managed to keep her from throttling her before she was eventually pushed backwards and off-course.

And then, she was at a tea party. A different tea party, however. One in a large room, with golden lights and the faces of the deceased. It was a place which Neo felt strongly about, though she couldn't recall if it was because of how great it felt…or how absolutely awful it had been.

'I'm going to enjoy watching you break.' Those were the words which fluttered through her head, as a chorus of the lifeless spoke those same words in unison. It was a series of flashes from then on, as Ruby was quickly overwhelmed, battered, beaten, and then tormented on a psychological level. Everything she had ever known was broken down before her. Every good deed was punished. Every bad deed was scrutinised. She was admonished for every decision she ever made. Every feeling she had felt became a curse inside her heart. Ultimately, Neo had convinced her that her existence was a blight on the world and that nobody would miss her if she disappeared. The world would be a better place, and everyone who died had done so because of her. The blood of each and every one of the people who had perished in this war was on her hands, whether or not it was her fault.

She had watched Ruby embrace death as her only redeemer, even in the faces of everyone who had once believed in her. The ultimate, most nuclear revenge was hers. And whilst she had expected to feel catharsis, she instead felt… nothing. Not 'nothing,' as in 'fine.' But nothing as in… devoid of everything. For many, many broken moons, Neo had staked her life on claiming Ruby's. But now that the light had been snuffed out, she was left only in darkness.

Only in retrospect had she realised just how childish she had been. She should have moved on, lived a new life, mourned, and moved on. But she clung desperately to his ghost as if he were still with her. And that mindset was strangling her tighter than she had ever gripped Ruby.

"…Neopolitan? …Neo? W-why are you crying?"

She was back to reality, but those memories loomed over her like a haunting shadow. Ruby's face was full of concern. Genuine compassion filled those silver eyes of hers, as she leaned forwards to wipe away Neo's tears. And yet, Neo gently pressed her hand against Ruby's outstretched palm and lowered it, as she dried her own tears which had somehow manifested on her face. How long had passed? It couldn't have been more than a few seconds, but it had felt like entire minutes had flown past. She was just glad that she had managed to keep control of her illusions whilst she was under the influence of that strange, dizzy spell. Even now, she could recall those misty visions with perfect accuracy. It was uncanny how effortless it was to revisit them, too. But the question remained: was this her past? Or was it her future? Maybe it was neither, but maybe it was somehow both. Ruby was clearly still alive; she was sitting right in front of her. Her partner, whoever that was, clearly wasn't with her so it was possible that they were dead. But if this was depicting the future, it was possible that she just hadn't met them yet. And, unless some kind of time travel was at play, this couldn't be depicting the past since it hadn't happened yet. The most curious part of these visions, however, was how clear they were.

After taking a moment to think things through, but getting no clear answers, Neo then reached for her notepad and began to write something new, whilst still absent-mindedly holding Ruby's hand.

'Can I make a selfish request of you?'

"Umm…okay?" Ruby stammered, raising an eyebrow as she glanced down to their connected hands. She didn't exactly mind that the new girl was holding her hand but, at the same time, it did make her feel like this 'selfish request' would be somewhat odd… like her asking to go on a date or something. Neo then glanced down at the hands and instantly recoiled hers away, since she never really intended to hold hands with the girl to begin with. She was just too caught up in trying to decipher reality from fiction to notice the present. Ruby breathed an internal sigh of relief, before reading what Neo had written.

'Do you remember Roman Torchwick?'

Those were the words written on the page, but Ruby noticed that the handwriting had suddenly changed. The words were once written in a neat, decorative flowing form which were actually incredibly pretty to look at. These ones were simple. Serious.

"You mean the guy who robbed that dust shop? Yeah, of course I do! How could I forget that night?! Actually, now that I think about it, because I fought against him, I was admitted into Beacon! I guess I owe him a favour…even if he is a criminal!" She replied, bashfully scratching the back of her head as she tried to lighten the suddenly imposing mood. "He had a white coat, black trousers and shoes, and a white and red cane which shot explosive fire dust. Oh, and a neck scarf…and feathered bowler hat… which looked a lot like yours, now that I think about it."

Ruby's silver eyes glanced between Neo's hat, and her mismatched eyes for a moment, as if trying to figure out if that was merely coincidence. But the resemblance was there. And it was rather uncanny. In Little Red's attempt to make the situation more casual, she had only amplified the intensity of the tension, as the two were now staring at each other with a decerning look in their pupils. It lasted for a couple of moments, before Neo broke the tension, by pouring herself a new cup of tea.

"…Why do you ask? …Do you know them?" Ruby queried, now deciding to take the initiative. Neo just sighed as her eyes reflexively looked to the side. One hand gripped tightly to her own wrist, before she slowly shook her head. Why did she hesitate to answer? Or refuse to look at her when she did? Ruby may have been naïve, but she wasn't a fool.

"It's okay. You can tell me. I promise I'll keep it a secret!" Ruby smiled a toothy grin, as if to show her purity. To Neo, however, the girl just seemed rather immature. How could she trust such important, life-changing information to a child? Well, though Neo was strangely guided towards being a good person, 'good' is a very…unspecific word. Would telling a white lie be a sin or a virtue? Or both or neither? Either way, Neo would either have to refuse to tell, make up a story, or say the truth.

'We used to be friends.' She wrote. 'Then he began to fall in with the wrong crowd. I want to find him again to make sure he learns from his mistakes in accordance with the law.' A believable series of lies, which she hoped the girl would swallow without a second thought. At least the latter half was correct. It would be easier to interrogate him when he is in a cell, after all. From there, she'd gain some very, very valuable insight into the world, and learn just how true-to-life these future visions of hers were.

"That does explain the matching hats and neck scarves, I suppose…" Ruby mumbled to herself, taking another spoonful of pie in order to think things over. "So…what's this 'selfish request' of yours?"

'Would you let me know if you see him again? Or if you plan to track him down to finish what you started?'

Ruby nodded, with a gentle smile. That wasn't nearly as bad of a request as she had expected.

"Sure, I'd appreciate having some extra backup if I ever do run into him again. Do you mind if we exchange contact details? After that, I had better go catch up with my team. They're probably worried about me by now…"

It didn't take long for the two to share their scroll's contacts and, shortly afterwards, Ruby departed from the closet tea party, offering Neo a kind wave as she left. Neo, not wanting to be cold to one of the pivotal members of upcoming history, waved back, before finishing her tea.

When Little Red emerged into the corridor, she saw Weiss, Blake, and Yang at the end of the hallway, walking towards her. Clearly, they had come looking for her and were very confused to see her coming out of the broom closet, of all places. Nonetheless, she waved to them, before strolling over.

"…Did you get lost, somehow?" Weiss sarcastically asked, folding her arms, and raising an eyebrow in genuine confusion.

"Huh? Oh, no. I was having a tea party." She explained, before realising that was not very convincing, either. "With the new girl? You know, the cute ice cream girl with the hat and the gloves and the scarf? She's about the same height as me and doesn't talk?"

"Oh, you mean the leader of Team NTRO? The one who almost got blown up in a fiery blanket?" Blake asked. Ruby nodded in agreement. The three of them just continued to look at her as if she'd been dropped on her head since they last spoke, still clearly sceptical of her claims about a tea party.

"Look, I'll show you!" Ruby then blurted out, before ripping the door to the closet open and, without turning to see inside, folded her arms smugly. "See, it's a bright and colourful tea party in here."

"Oh, you're right, Ruby!" Yang smiled, before patting her sister on the shoulder whilst the other two stifled chuckles. "But tea isn't bleach, and those cakes and biscuits aren't designed to be eaten."

Ruby turned around in shock, finding that there was nothing behind the door which even vaguely resembled what she had described. It was a small, dingy, metallic grey room with several steel shelves which housed cleaning chemicals, brooms, mops, and half-opened bags of clean urinal cakes. The girl felt her bravado shrinking and herself beginning to droop like a flower during winter.

"Bu…bu…but! It was right here!" Ruby exclaimed, before Yang just picked her up over her shoulder and walked off with her, the other two following behind as their leader stumbled over their words.

Neo then stepped out of the closet when they were out of sight, removing her camouflage. She was giggling to herself. Hearing that scene unfold was just as hilarious as it was too close for comfort.