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Ruby woke with her head swimming, her hands and feet tied together, gagged, and blindfolded. In all honesty, she felt it could have been worse.
She struggled into a sitting position, realizing that her seat was rather comfortable. It felt sort of like a bed. Which was more than mildly creepy. Ruby thought back to the night before. They'd been at a party. Ruby had ordered fruit punch. It had tasted funny.
Whether it was brain fog or simply her own ignorance of these sort of things, she didn't know, but it took her almost five minutes to realize she'd been kidnapped. And, as she wasn't rich, like Weiss, she felt there was only one person with reason to kidnap her.
Roman Torchwick.
Which meant she was, almost certainly, going to die. The thought chilled her. The only question she had was why she wasn't dead already.
"Why isn't she dead yet?" an angry voice shouted. A voice Ruby didn't know, feminine.
"A couple of reasons." A voice Ruby knew all too well. Roman Torchwick. She looked around, a rather futile act, considering the blindfold. "While killing her has its uses, she also has uses alive."
"Such as?"
"Ransom, if we so choose. This will also, hopefully, make the rest of her team more anxious, more likely to make mistakes."
"It could easily backfire." Who was this woman? She was someone who was commanding Roman. The big boss, the final boss.
"The other reason is less need and more want," Roman admitted. "Neo, actually, wanted to meet her."
Who the hell is Neo?
"Excuse me?" the other woman said.
"Ruby Rose is Neo's crush," Roman elaborated. "So I figured she'd be willing to watch her."
"Roman...this...this is reckless and stupid."
"Fine," Roman conceded. "On one condition, Cinder. You look Neo right in her puppy eyes and tell her to go kill Ruby."
"Agreed," Cinder said without hesitation. "Neo?"
There was a long, tense moment.
"...dammit, just keep a careful watch on her," Cinder muttered.
"I have yet to meet someone who can tell her 'no' to her puppy eyes," Roman said triumphantly. "Neo, I guess you should go in and introduce yourself." A door opened, then closed. Light footsteps. Quick footsteps, and suddenly, the blindfold was yanked from her face. Ruby nearly fell forward, but managed to sit up straight and look Neo up and down.
Actually, I've seen her before. Roman's minion? She was glaring and shaking her head at the blindfold. Then, she, more carefully this time, she removed the gag from Ruby's mouth. Which was good, as it tasted foul. Ruby looked around the room.
It's decorated like our room at Beacon? she thought, confused. Except it only had one bed, and all the posters of the wall were pictures. Of Ruby. In various poses, taken at various times...one appeared to be her sleeping in the trunk of a car with Neo herself giving a peace sign at the camera.
"I take it your Neo?" Ruby asked, surprised at how calm she felt.
Neo nodded. She threw the blindfold and gag behind her, then just stood there, awkwardly shuffling her feet while looking down at Ruby.
"Would you mind removing the rest of the ropes?" Ruby asked slowly. Neo considered the question, tapping her chin. Then, she unbound Ruby's hands.
"My feet?" Neo vigorously shook her head. Then, she mimed tipping an imaginary hat while smoking an imaginary cigar.
"Because of Roman?" Ruby guessed. The girl nodded. Which was when a thought struck Ruby. "Are you mute?" Neo nodded again.
Great, she thought. "So...can I go?"
Neo shook her head vigorously. Then, she wrapped her arms around Ruby's shoulders. Ruby realized she was still in her party dress. The thought shouldn't have bothered her, but it did.
"Can you let go?" Ruby asked.
Neo shook her head again. "Please?" Ruby tried again. When Neo didn't let go, she sighed. There are worse things that could happen, she thought grimly.
Which was when Neo bit her. On the neck, not incredibly hard. But she still bit her.
Ruby cried out in pain, shoving the mute girl off of her. She rubbed her neck, where Neo's bite had undoubtedly left a mark. "What the hell?" she cried, glaring at the girl. Neo looked around innocently. "What is wrong with you?" Ruby asked. Neo looked around, then pointed at chest, as if to say, Me?
"Yes, you!" Ruby said, hoping she'd guessed right.
Neo looked around, then spun one of her fingers around, pointing at her head.
"You're crazy?" Ruby guessed.
Neo nodded, then pointed at Ruby.
That one took Ruby a minute. "For me," Ruby finished. Neo nodded again.
Someone needs to explain flirting to this woman, Ruby thought, shaking her head. "Okay. I'm going to say one thing."
Neo waited patiently.
"I have no positive feelings to you," Ruby said. Neo blinked, then just...sat there. Despite having been kidnapped by this woman, Ruby felt a pang of guilt. "I mean...I'm sure you're a nice guy. I just...don't like you." Wait, that didn't come out right! But...actually, it's true.
Tears welled up in Neo's eyes, and she fled the room, the door slamming behind her. Unfortunately, Ruby heard a lock click moments after, so either she still had the presence of mind to lock the door, or Roman had posted a guard.
Ruby looked up to a window in the one side of the room. Several metal bars blocked her from escaping that route. A single vent sat in the center of the ceiling, but...it looked like more metal bars sat on the opposite side of it. Ruby sighed, then plopped herself back on her bed.
Cinder noticed immediately when Neo was crying, even if she made no noise. It was an immediate, gut sensation. Emerald and Mercury followed her, into the kitchen, where Neo sat, curled up against the countertop, sitting on the ground and silently sobbing.
"What's wrong?" Cinder asked, sitting beside the girl.
Neo didn't do anything.
"C'mon," Cinder said, poking the mute girl's cheek. "Write it down."
Hesitantly, Neo pulled out her scroll. A minute later, Cinder received a text from her.
She doesn't like me.
"Ouch," Cinder said.
"You did kidnap her," Mercury pointed out. Emerald hurriedly rammed her elbow into his ribs, causing him to double over, gasping.
Neo almost seemed like she chuckled at that. Cinder considered the problem a minute, then suggested, "A peace offering?"
Neo frowned at her. "Maybe something to raise her opinion of you," Cinder explained. "A gift--like jewelry, a new scroll, baked goods..."
Neo snapped her fingers, rising. She wiped tears from her eyes, then looked around the kitchen, determined. A faint smile crossed Cinder's lips. "I knew you'd bounce back," she said, almost proudly.
Neo looked through several cabinets, grabbing out a thing of cake mix and throwing it aside. Emerald caught it and set it down. "What're you making?" She caught a thing of brownie mix that Neo tossed aside as well. "Why do we have so many baking mixes?" Emerald burst out, catching a thing of pancake mix. Neo pulled out a final box, reading the label, then grinned. Cinder peaked over the girl's shoulder, then nodded. "That'll do."
It took almost an hour, and they had messed up the first batch and had to start over. Eventually, they managed it, and Neo stood outside Ruby's room, a tray of cookies in her hands.
"Why are we helping her?" Emerald asked, gingerly holding a pack of ice to a nasty burn on her finger. This time, Mercury elbowed her in the ribs. Cinder opened the door for Neo, who slowly walked into the room.
"Oh, it's you," came Ruby's voice. Cinder closed the door behind Neo. "Cookies?" Ruby's voice came. She sounded incredulous. "Why did you bake cookies?" A pause. A long pause, where Cinder imagined Neo finding a spot to put down the cookies before getting out her scroll. "A...peace offering?"
Silence. Then...a loud clatter, a metal pan clanging against stone. "You drugged the last thing I ate!" Ruby burst out angrily. "You kidnapped me! You're keeping me from my sister and my friends! The people who actually care about me! No cookies are going to solve that!"
A long minute passed, and the sound of...crying? Had Ruby made Neo cry? No, Neo was mute.
"Please, just leave me alone," Ruby said, sounding strained.
Neo stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. Cinder shrugged helplessly. "Maybe...just give her some space." She patted Neo's shoulder, then strode off. Mercury gave her a look of pity as he followed, but Emerald didn't spare her a glance. Neo looked after them. Then, with a deep breath, she went back into the room.
Ruby sat on her bed, looking like the personification of misery, eyes red and puffy, tears streaking down her face. She glared at Neo, saying, "What do you want?"
Neo held up her scroll, having typed, What do you want me to do to make you like me?
It was then that Ruby realized: it wasn't just a creepy obsession, Neo legit loved Ruby. The silver eyed girl looked around to the pictures of herself lining the walls, then turned to Neo. "You can't keep me here like this."
If I let you go, you and Roman will fight.
"He's a criminal, Neo," Ruby said firmly. "He needs to be stopped or he'll do a lot of damage."
Neo spent a long minute typing. I love you, and I love Roman like the father I don't have. I don't want either of you to kill the other. Please be happy here.
"But I can't," Ruby said. "I can't be happy like this, Neo. If you really love me...let me go. I won't kill Torchwick, but I'm still going to stop him."
Neo didn't type an answer. She sat there, arms hanging limply at her sides. Finally, she typed another message. My love or my family. Ruby felt another pang of guilt. It was, in fact, a very tough choice. However, she didn't say anything. She let Neo choose.
The mute slowly put away her scroll. Neo stood there a minute longer, then reached over and cut the ropes binding Ruby's feet. Ruby exhaled slowly. "Thank you," she whispered. Then a thought struck her. "Wait. How am I going to get out of here?" Neo put a hand on Ruby's head. After a second, she grabbed the metal cookie pan and let Ruby examine her reflection.
Ruby looked completely different. Now you look like Emerald, Neo typed. Then, she mimed zipping her lips.
"So I still sound like myself," Ruby noted. Then flinched, when Neo glared at her.
An hour later, Ruby stood in front of Beacon. Neo had dispersed the illusion. Ruby turned to Neo. "Thank you," she said.
Neo nodded. She looked away, rubbing her left arm with her right hand. Ruby leaned over and kissed her on the cheek--a spur of the moment decision. Neo blushed, looking back to an equally red-faced Ruby. "What're you gonna do now?"
Neo considered it. Then, she shrugged. I guess I'm going back to Roman, she typed.
"You could stay here with us," Ruby suggested slowly. "I'm sure Yang and the others would be fine with that."
Neo considered it. Really?
Ruby also considered it. "I mean, yeah. I'm sure they'd warm up to you. You...are a good person, even if it's hard to see." That came out wrong.
Thankfully, Neo didn't appear offended. Then, she typed another message. And what about you?
Ruby was surprised. "I'm going to keep training to be a Huntress," she said. "But...I wouldn't mind spending time with you."
:-)