Chapter Text
Ruby had not left because she wanted to talk to someone. One might say it was the opposite.
Of course, Vale was a big city. So big in fact that meeting someone you know while walking around was close to impossible, a statistical anomaly. People, however, had a way of turning statistical anomalies into reality.
For example, what if someone was a robot, able to track her scroll? What if someone had a network of informants with the order of tracking her down?
She was actually betting on that last one. It was a hunch more than anything, but while she fled in the streets of Vale, she saw someone take a picture of her. She wasn’t exactly the most well-known huntress in the area, so that meant someone was after her.
She had been sitting at the bar for at least thirty minutes by now without anyone coming to see her. Maybe she had been too hopeful, or someone just wanted to take a picture of the weird huntress, or the people looking for her had better things to do. Whatever the case, she was bored, and when she was bored, she thought.
And she thought of familiar orange hairs passing by her in the street, of those same hairs on the ground after being cut in half.
Thankfully, the answer to all her problems came in the form of a random guy sitting down, having a drink then leaving. Alcohol.
Her uncle had used alcohol to cope, and while it had made him a wreck - especially toward the end - it also just had… Worked. For most of her life, he had been an alcoholic and yet managed to be one of Ozpin’s top huntsmen.
Beside, she thought as she ordered, it wasn’t like she wasn’t a wreck already. Her mind was frayed, she couldn’t control her moods, couldn’t repair her weapon and could barely fight. At this point, why not add alcohol to the list.
The bartender didn’t make a fuss and made her drink quickly. She smelled it experimentally - it smelled good, kind of like her uncle. She had ordered a co*cktail of some sort, and she could smell the fruits and sugar, with the scent of alcohol lingering behind.
She almost took a sip when a hand shot from behind her and took her glass.
She turned around just in time to see a girl with pigtails and green eyes wink at her as she drank the glass in one go. She sighed and put her head between her arms on the bar.
Just because she was looking for Neo didn’t mean she had to appreciate someone stealing her food. Again.
She heard someone huff and stomp her feet behind her, but she ignored it. She didn’t want to think, didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to do anything.
Neo took offense to that, because she draped herself over her shoulders and gently caressed her wounded leg.
Ruby didn't even flinch, she didn't have the energy to. Instead, she closed her eyes, her mind swirling with thoughts she didn't want to have. A part of her almost wanted Neo to do something, to attack her or whatever, just to force her to react.
But Neo didn’t. She just pressed herself against her back. And in a way… That was infuriating. She could almost feel her triumphant smirk against her shoulder, almost hear the tension in Neo’s muscles as she restrained herself to slam her head against the counter until it broke.
They could both pretend they could have a civil conversation now that Roman was alive, but old habits died hard. Deep inside, they were both killers out for blood.
Maybe Neo’s hand was a bit too adventurous, maybe it was the sound of a chair scraping against the ground in the restaurant or maybe she just had enough, but Ruby straightened her back sharply, fast enough to slam her shoulder under Neo’s chin. She was actually surprised when she didn’t hear the sound of glass shattering and instead felt the very real impact of her unprotected shoulder against a chin covered by aura.
Neo jumped backward and nursed her chin, her smile a tad more murderous than before. Ruby massed her shoulder, wincing at the pain. That had hurt. Good.
She took a good look at Neo. She looked the same as she did back at the weapon shop, except her eyes were slightly glazed and she had a light flush. Was she… drunk?
“Can’t you just say hi like a normal person?” She sighed.
Neo pointed at her mouth and raised a mocking eyebrow.
Ruby rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. You have a scroll, use it.”
Neo pouted - an actual full on pout - and mimicked a hug again.
“No thanks.”
She sighed and took out her scroll. She typed a message and turned it toward her.
Roman wants to see you.
PS: Can I have your number?
Ruby looked at the message for a second before looking back at Neo, who was doing her best to look like a bashful teenager instead of a bloodthirsty psychopath.
“No.” She deadpanned. “Also, since you drank my glass, you can pay for it.”
Neo turned her scroll around and typed more characters.
Won’t you buy a drink for a young lady?
Ruby sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. The day just kept getting better. “You heard me. Pay for your drink and we’ll leave.”
Neo put her hand against her heart and gasped, as if offended. Then she had an exaggerated sighed and slowly, sullenly, drew a few liens from her pocket and put them on the bar.
Now that she thought about it, the bartender had put a respectable distance between him and her. Either he was smart, or he knew her.
Once Neo had paid, Ruby carefully made her way toward the exit before feeling something jab against her good leg. She grimaced and turned around to see Neo with her hands behind her back, the picture of innocence.
“What.” She said through gritted teeth.
Neo pointed behind her, deeper inside the bar.
“Are you kidding? Why is Roman here?”
She shook her head as if disappointed and simply tugged her sleeve toward the back. Ruby, with little other choice, followed.
In another time, willingly meeting with Neo with a low aura would have been a death wish. Now, it still was, but she didn’t care that much about it.
Neo actually took her through the back door. Once they were outside, she sped up, and Ruby had to half walk, half hop on one leg to catch up. If Neo’s smirk was any indication, that was on purpose.
They walked through some streets, some back alleys where people were less common. She kind of expected Neo would take her to some of the dirtier back alleys, but thankfully Roman was a man of taste and wouldn’t be caught dead in there outside of a job.
Well, as much taste as it took to end the world for some petty liens and his own survival. She was doing nothing, and she was still doing more to stop it than him! Granted, that was by stopping one of the main people responsible - herself - from acting, but still.
She had a feeling Neo made her walk more than was strictly necessary before they arrived at a house like any other in the neighborhood; it looked old, but not like it needed repairs. Neo let Ruby go, took out a small key from her pocket and opened the door before turning around, half bowed, and pointed inside.
“I know you’re going with me, stop it.”
Neo rolled her eyes and dropped her shoulders. She could almost hear the ‘no fun’.
“Come on, let’s go.”
The inside of the house was surprisingly clean, though it was empty of anything that wasn’t purely functional. No family photos, portraits, toys, or anything that would give the impression someone lived here. The furniture looked as old as the house, but apart from that, nothing.
She hoped Neo would take her to the living room, but instead she pointed at the stairs.
Great. Ruby sighed and made to walk up. Neo offered her a hand but she batted it aside, she didn’t need her help. She leaned on the stair railing and half hopped for a few steps before she felt a sharp impact on her ass from something hard. She gritted her teeth. She wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
She was about halfway there before she heard the air move behind her. She didn’t even think and threw herself backward, hitting Neo on the way. She had a brief moment where time froze, and she thought, with certainty, that she was going to die. She would break her neck in a house she didn’t know just to get back at Neo.
She pulled from deep inside her and managed a small hit of her semblance, just enough to allow herself to find her footing. She turned around in time to see Neo land gracefully on her hand, then do a pirouette to put herself back on her feet. Her parasol - that she was about to use to hit her - lied discarded at the bottom of the stairs.
“If you hit me again, I’m going to make you eat it.”
Neo shrugged, her grin looked even more… feral. She didn’t know if it was the faint flush on her cheeks or because she herslef didn’t have much of an aura, but Neo seemed even more dangerous than usual. Ruby felt like a prey.
She didn’t like it.
Neo took her parasol back and used it to hit the stairs, the sound of the impact louder than when she landed after falling. The message was clear.
‘Try me.’
The sound had another benefit. She heard someone curse before Roman’s voice rang through the house. “Children, behave! I swear, kids these days.”
She heard him walk, then Roman peered at them from atop the stairs.
“Hello Red.” He smiled mockingly. “Didn’t know Neo invited friends. Don’t be so noisy, you’ll make the neighbors worry.”
She frowned. “I need to ask you something.”
He laughed. “Funny that, so do I! Come upstairs, we’ll have a chat like civilized people.” He left and came back a second later. “And no fighting! Behave!”
Ruby sighed. The day just got more annoying.
—
“Come on, sit,” Roman said, settling into an admittedly very comfortable-looking chair. “I’m afraid my hospitality is not what it used to be, but what can I say. Work has been a killer lately.”
Ruby grimaced and sat down. She did manage to climb down the stairs at the end, but her leg was still sore.
Atop the stairs was another room, which Roman had apparently decided to use as his living room. Why he wouldn’t use something downstairs for that, she had no idea.
There were a few sofas, a low table with some snacks and drinks, and that was pretty much it. She had the feeling the place had been cleaned up before she came in; the room just looked empty, even more than the rest of the house.
Neo took a few sweets from the table and, infuriatingly, went behind Ruby’s chair, let her head rest on her shoulder and half hugged her from behind while her hand pointed a sweet to Ruby’s mouth. A few seconds and an inefficient death glare later, Ruby sighed and accepted it, feeling Neo’s fingers against her lips all the while. So she bit her.
Fair was fair.
Roman sighed. “Neo, can you stop messing around for a few minutes?”
She heard the telltale sound of glass shattering. A few seconds later, Roman laughed. “I don’t think it will work on Red, Neo.”
Some more glass.
“Now now, don’t fight me on this. Just don’t be too distracting.”
No more glass, and Neo dropped her hands. She was still half hugging her from behind, but at least she stopped putting things in her mouth.
If her aura wasn’t shot, by now she would have punched Neo hard enough to make her see stars.
“Alright Red, I’ll go right to the point. Since we ran into you, Neo and I have been thinking.”
“Dangerous stuff.”
“Quite.” His smile stiffened. “But what matters is, this town is going down. Cinder doesn’t really need me for her plan, she can use one of her little henchmen to do whatever I was supposed to do, so everything is still on schedule for the big moment.”
That checked out. Roman had been on the ship, but all she needed was someone strong enough to take the guards inside, and if Neo could do it, Mercury probably could.
Roman took a sip from his glass. “So we are leaving this place before it goes boom. That’s the plan.”
Ruby frowned. What did that have to do with- “We?”
“Yes Little Red, we. As in you,” he pointed at her, “Neo,” he pointed upward, “And the genius that I am.”
Ruby shook her head. “I don't get it.”
He shrugged. “Ask Neo. She’s the one who came up with the idea. Me, I don’t mind. You obviously don’t care about this place, so I don’t think you’d mind ditching it for Vacuo.” He crossed his legs. “Think about it. Me, Neo and you, all having a grand old time in a villa. No need to work or worry for the rest of our days.”
“Or until the Grimms kill us all.”
Roman smiled. “Ah, but you told us last time that you were the one who ruined it all. Without us in the equation, this whole thing has a good chance to solve itself.”
Ruby paused and felt Neo smile against her shoulder. That… That made a surprising amount of sense.
She thought about it. No need to worry about her team. No need to worry about that stupid psych exam. No need to worry about Cinder burning her alive or Adam cutting her down limb by limb. She could forget about Port, Ozpin and Beacon itself.
She could almost see it now, a new life. Sleeping for however long she could, eating whatever she wanted, just enjoying her days until the day she died. Hell, if she missed the thrills, she could still kill some Grimms on the side, and if her moral compass broke at some point, she was sure Roman had a few plans she could help with.
‘Lie, steal, cheat, and survive!’
She felt her heart sink. Of course, that couldn’t be so easy. “What’s in it for you?”
Roman sighed. “Nothing, I’m afraid. Neo insisted, and I can’t exactly say no to her.”
Noe put her scroll in front of her.
You always did more harm than good. Why risk it?
Ruby felt a pang of pain in her chest. That was true, that was the whole point of not doing anything this time. And it was working! She was doing some good!
Well, she worried her sister. And her team in general. She hurt Blake, Weiss, Pyrrha and Jaune.
She shook her head. It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t do anything, and that was final. The point was, could she even consider their offer?
No. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Roman. He looked nonchalant, casually eating and drinking as if this was a done deal. He looked confident.
The exact same expression as when he got arrested.
“You’re hiding something. No deal.”
She felt Neo tighten her grip once more, to the point it was painful. “Oh, Red Red Red, why do you think you have a choice?”
Ruby laughed. “You won’t kidnap me.”
“Really?” He put a hand on his chest, feigning shock. She could see where Neo got it from - or was it the reverse?
“Ozpin wants me here and against Salem. If I went with you, we could leave easily, but kidnapped? If you mess up even once, your whole plan goes up in smoke.” She smirked. Roman didn’t look so sure anymore - in fact, he looked a bit pissed. Good. “You know magic exists now. If Ozpin wants to find you, he will. The only way I can leave Vale without him going after me is if I do it of my own will.” Neo was still resting her head on her shoulder, she could feel her gritting her teeth.
Roman sighed, dejected, and looked at her thoughtfully. After a few seconds of silence, he said, “You’re sharper than you look, Red.”
“I’m not a kid anymore.” At these words, Neo bit her shoulder. She turned around and tried to punch her, but she darted out of reach in a flash. “Stop it!”
Roman groaned. “Neo, I told you to cut it out.”
Neo crossed her arm and pouted.
“Just tell me why you want me to go with you.” Ruby spit the words like they were poison. If the reasoning was good enough, maybe she’d really consider it. She didn’t know if she hoped it was just a whim so she could refuse, or something actually convincing so she had no choice but to accept.
Neo raised her eyes to meet hers, and all playfulness disappeared. In front of her appeared a simple diagram.
First was Roman’s hat crossed out, then Atlas, then the relic of Creation, then tunnels, then a cup of tea, then Roman’s hat.
Ruby blinked. What-
Roman put his glass down, the sound cutting through the air like a blade. “You see, Neo has a small theory.” Neo nodded. “Last time I died, she killed you, and you both ended up here.”
Ruby shook her head. “Neo didn’t kill me. I drank the tea.”
“No, she pushed you to drink the tea,” corrected Roman. “The point is, you two managed to go to the Ever After, you took your medicine like a good girl, and here we are.” He pointed at her. “You are our free ticket to go back in time and fix it all if it goes south. Happy?”
He looked serious now. Ruby couldn’t see any lies there. Then again, he was a good at it, but then even Neo looked serious. She had almost never seen this side of her.
So that’s what she was brought to. A second chance for a criminal, who would keep her around in case she could be the third.
She sighed. “That’s a long shot. The gods wouldn’t let whatever this is happen a second time.”
Roman shrugged. “The way I see it, if it works, good. If it doesn’t, I’ll already be dead.”
“And I would-“
“Oh please.” He waved her off. “You already told me you don’t care if you die. It’s not like you’re using your life anyway.”
Ruby felt stunned. It was one thing to think it, but it was another to have it said out loud.
Roman got up. “Well, I have other things to do. Listen Red, you’re right, we can't force you to come. But think about it.” He raised his right hand. “Live a life of luxury in Vacuo until the end.” He raised his left hand. “Die here. Me, I made my choice.”
Neo skipped toward him, not without ruffling Ruby’s hairs.
Roman put on his hat. “We’re not leaving before a few weeks anyway. Neo has to be at your school for the Vytal festival - Cinder’s orders. If you make up your mind, tell her.” He shrugged. “As you say, it’s not like we can kidnap you anyway.”
Before she could answer, she heard the telltale sound of glass breaking, and there she was alone in the room, with only an empty chair and the quiet for company.
sh*t.
