Chapter Text
It was Ruby’s second to last night scouting the mansion. She had forgotten its name almost as soon as it had been told to her. It didn’t matter, anyways; it had money, money that she wanted.
It was a boring job, and she hated it with a passion. She hated it, she did. She really did. She hadn’t been looking forward to it all day, and she hadn’t been more alert on this watch, and she had not been watching the windows eagerly for a glimpse of the pretty, purple haired tiefling named Amity. It was a silly name, anyways. Amity. Who named their daughter Amity? Her name was far better. “Ruby.” A nice, sensible name. Not something like Amity.
She scowled up at the stars. They twinkled down at her, as if they knew her secrets and knew her thoughts. They were honest and amused, and Ruby scowled and looked back at the house.
A shadow walked past one of they windows, and she sat up with widened eyes. It passed by the same window again, and again. They were pacing. Ruby couldn’t catch precise features, but she saw long, wavy hair, and a tall figure, and unmistakably tiefling horns. She could have been mistaken, but she was nearly sure that it was Amity. How many tieflings could be living in the house, after all?
It was worth checking, surely? Torment wouldn’t be pleased if she didn’t “cover all bases”, so to speak. With a half-baked plan, and the curiosity of a thousand men, she found herself leaping across roofs, and alleyways, and scaling the wall beneath that window. She crouched below it, clinging to the wall with the tips of her fingers and toes.
The window was opened the tiniest crack, and with straining ears, Ruby caught a feminine voice mumbling under their breath.
She peered above the windowsill as carefully as possible and found herself staring into a lavishly decorated room. Clearly, the merchant had spared no expense for this tiefling. Ruby tamped down on the bitter jealousy that flooded the back of her throat like bile.
There was a bed piled high with pillows and throws, paintings of landscapes and people decorated the walls, hung proudly above the thick, plush carpet that a tiefling girl was pacing.
Ruby’s envy only heightened.
She was beautiful. She had pale, sky blue skin, long purple waves, and a round open face, that matched her round, golden eyes. She wore a pair of long white trousers, a pair of leather boots, and golden belt, and a cropped white shirt. Her hair was pinned back, and she was twirling it around her fingers. As Ruby watched her, she noticed more, and more signs of anxiety. She was gnawing at her her deep blue lips, and her tail twitched back and forth in a jerky unpredictable pattern.
And Ruby wasn’t worried. She wasn’t concerned. She wasn’t frowning, and she didn’t care. She cared about that pretty gold necklace, and those gorgeous earrings, and that beautiful belt. She didn’t care about the owner. That would be ridiculous. What kind of thief cared about the wellbeing people they were about to steal from?
From inside the house, a voice called “Amity!” The girl stopped her pacing, and took a breath.
“Okay. You can do this, Amity.” She whispered, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Coming, Father!” She called, and the anxious, pacing girl vanished as she practically skipped out the door.
Ruby hauled herself over the sill, and began her hunt for whatever shiny trinkets this pampered girl held. She worked quickly and efficiently, and if she lingered over the beautiful paintings, over the hand-painted storybooks, over the easel and paints tucked away in the corner, well, that was a secret between her and the plush carpet.
Her investigation of the girl’s bedside lockers, gained her several thick heavy tomes, written in a language Ruby didn’t understand, and a lungful of dust. Moving onto the wardrobe, she found far more clothes than anyone had the right to own. Seriously, who needed four pairs of what was essentially the exact same boot? The vanity proved more promising, as she uncovered several perfumes, a set of brushes made of gold, and an abandoned pair of silver hoops.
As she perched on the windowsill, with her treasures tucked away securely, she looked back into the room, feeling, for all the world, remorseful. This pretty little tiefling girl, this girl who was the same age and species as her, had everything Ruby had ever wanted. She had kindness, security, and a loving family, if the paintings were anything to go by. Did she really want to take it from her?
It was the crashing of the door that tore Ruby out of her musings. The girl stormed into the room, and slammed the door behind her. Someone shouted something up the stairs, as Amity threw herself onto the bed, and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, probably ruining the pristine eye make up someone had decorated her face with. She sighed, and rolled over, as she did so, catching sight of a certain purple skinned tiefling who was crouching on the windowsill, decidedly un-stealthily.
“Uhm, hi?” She tried, carefully, fully expecting Amity to scream in terror. Instead, the girl sat up and tilted her head.
“Hello.” She said. “Are you—are you a tiefling?” There was a slight tremor to her voice as she spoke, a cadence that betrayed nerves, but also an undercurrent of excitement.
“Yeah?” Ruby readjusted her position on the sill, ready to leap at a moment's notice. “Why?”
Hope lit up the girl's golden eyes. “Oh! Um, no reason. What’s your name?”
Ruby scowled at her. Naïve. Foolish. Unbearably pretty. She had caught her in the process of stealing from her. And the only questions this stupid, stupid girl could think of was to ask for her name.
“Ruby.” She said, her mouth moving without permission. Stupid, idiotic, fool. What was she doing?
The girl smiled, a beautiful, wide, beaming grin, that displayed her perfectly straight, slightly pointed, cream teeth. “I’m Amity!” She pushed off the bed and approached Ruby with an extended hand. “It’s wonderful to meet another tiefling! I’ve never met one before, you know.”
Ruby eyed her hand distrustfully. She had long, nimble fingers, and long sharp nails, painted a pretty, light pink. There wasn’t a scar or blemish that decorated those perfect hands. Ruby took it, shaking it lightly.
“Ah.” was all she said.
Her own hand was a light purple, but it was covered in burns, and scars, and discolouration, and it was small in the hand of this blue skinned tiefling girl, Amity.
Her unfailing smile faltered. “What are you doing in my room?” She sounded worried of all things. Worried, and concerned, and not in the slightest terrified.
“That’s none of your business, Amity.” Ruby spat, feathers ruffled.
Amity scowled right back. “It’s my room.” She crossed her arms and stared the smaller tiefling down.
“Yeah. Well.” Ruby couldn’t really deny that. But she wasn’t just going to outright admit to thievery. Torment had taught her that much.
Amity reached around the other, and slammed the window shut. Ruby flinched violently, and Amity frowned. Ruby sighed at the snap of the lock, and Amity slipped the key into her pocket, and crossed her arms.
“Now.” She said, adopting the stance of a teacher, and for the first time in quite a while, Ruby felt like a child being scolded. “Remind me why you’re in my room? And remember, this is my house, and I can always call for help.” She threatened.
Ruby scowled. “Go on then. Call for help. A random tiefling teenager shows up in your room, who wouldn’t?”
Amity hesitated.
“See?” Ruby, hissed. Stupid and weak. She’s letting her feelings get in the way of rational thought. Idiot. A small voice piped up in the back of Ruby’s head. Aren’t you doing the same? She shook her head violently.
Amity sighed and sat down on the bed, drawing her knees to her chin. “Dad never lets me see other tieflings. He says they’re dirty, and violent, and sometimes I wonder if he realises, I’m a tiefling, too.” She looked back at Ruby with big, glossy, golden eyes. “You’re the first tiefling I can remember meeting.” She said softly.
Ruby sighed. Amity was a fool. An idiot, and a fool. But so was she. And, she had to admit, the other girl was maddeningly beautiful.
“Fine.” She huffed. She dumped her pockets out onto the floor. Gold and silver spilled across the cream carpet, and Amity’s eyes widened in utter astonishment.
“Great Pelor. How did you manage to fit all that in one pocket?” She laughed.
Ruby paused and looked up at her. Her eyes were alight with amusement, and joy. Confused, Ruby couldn’t help but smile at the other tiefling.
She shrugged and emptied the other pocket. Amity laughed in delight again.
She looked at Ruby with wonder. Ruby shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze.
“So, you’re a thief?”
“Yeah.” Ruby shrugged.
“Not a very good one, evidently.” She raised her eyebrows at the pile of trinkets on the floor.
Ruby scowled at her, and she grinned mischievously back.
“I am an excellent thief; I’m have you know.” Ruby spat, jutting her chin out with a scowl.
“I’m sure…” Amity drawled. Ruby sniffed.
“Hey, if you’d like, you can keep some of them?” Her voice softened, and she knelt down in front of the pile of gold beneath Ruby’s dangling feet.
That made Ruby pause. “You’d just. Give them to me?” She said with astonishment.
“Well, not all of them. I think father would notice something amiss. But you could have one or two!” She began sifting through the jewellery and coins, and plucked out a golden chain with a swinging ruby, about the size of her fingernail. Amity offered to her from where she sat, cross legged, on the floor, with a shy smile.
“Oh.” Was all Ruby said, as she took the necklace, and inspected it closely.
“It’s a ruby.” Amity pointed out. “Like you! A ruby for a Ruby. And it’s pretty, too. Also like you.” She smiled again; her cheeks darkened with a pretty darker blue flush.
Ruby didn’t look up, refusing to let the other see her pink tinged cheeks.
“Well, I know it’s a ruby. Obviously.”
“Oh, well, obviously. What with you being a master thief and all.”
“Yeah,” Ruby nodded. “That’s right.”
Amity laughed.
Ruby stayed far longer than she should have. Amity talked enough for the two of them. She was funny and kind, and treated Ruby with kindness. Even though she was a thief, Amity still looked at her with affection, and trust. Eventually Ruby slid down to the floor, and began to open up. She told Amity about Torment, and about life on the streets, and about the gang of thieves. She told heavily sugarcoated version of her stories; she didn’t want to tell Amity about all the horrors a young woman living on the streets experienced.
Even still, Amity looked at her with abject horror, and sympathy.
“Oh, Ruby…” She whispered.
Ruby looked at her with confusion. She flinched when the girl reached for her hand, but when she hesitated, she closed the gap between their fingers.
Amity smiled at her with watery eyes.
“Thanks for deciding to steal from me, Ruby.” She choked out a laugh. “If you ever want to try again, my window is always open.”
Ruby couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll make sure to swing by sometime.” She said. She stood up with the ruby necklace at her throat and three gold rings, a watch, and a bracelet in her pocket, all of which given, a phenomenon she had never before experienced. “I’ll go now; my shift is nearly over. I—thank you. Amity. For everything.”
“Thank you. It’s wonderful to finally meet another tiefling in person. Even if you did try to steal from me.” She forward and threw her arms around the smaller tiefling.
Ruby froze. She wasn’t used to hugs, but for this girl she would at least try. She wrapped her arms around Amity’s waist and rested her cheek just above where her heart beat with a steady thrum. She was awkward about it, her limbs held stiffly, and her heart beating fast. Amity stepped back.
“Please stop by again. Please.” She whispered.
“I will. Promise.” Ruby flashed sharpened teeth.
Amity seemed to hesitate, but bent down and pressed a kiss to Ruby’s cheek.
Amity stepped back with a blazing blush to match Ruby’s. “Well, go on.” She said with a smile. “I don’t want to make you late.”
“Thank you.” Ruby said, and with a small wave, she dropped over the edge of the window and vanished from Amity’s view.
Amity sighed and fell back on the bed, eyes bright and cheeks flushed.
Ruby ran across rooftops through the gentle rain that had began to fall while she and Amity were talking. She ran with light nimble steps, driven with giddiness and joy, and she clutched the ruby she had been given, traced its clean cut lines with careful fingers.
She wasn’t going to visit Amity. She wasn’t. She would steal all her stupid jewellery and trinkets, and she would never see her again.
The clouds parted for a brief moment, and a singular star winked down at her, and it knew the lies she told herself. And she scowled at it, because she did too.