Winter Has Already Come

“Good news. I’ve signed us up for the neighborhood talent show.” 

“Talent… show?” 

Ruby nodded and reached for a pair of tomatoes, pausing for a moment when she remembered their world was black and white. She took a knife and sliced a piece off the fruit to taste it before continuing to slice it up and add it to the pot in front of her. “I figured that it’d be a great way for us to get to know the neighbors and to have a bit of fun. How do you feel about doing a magic act?” 

“Ruby, we  do not know any magic tricks.” 

“I know, but… it’d be fun to learn.” Ruby finished stirring the stew she was making and quickly covered it to let it finish. “I checked out a few books from the library and its all just illusions anyway. All we have to do is make it seem like something’s levitating or appear out of thin air and then we can live a normal life with friends and neighbors.”

“I am still not sure I like this idea.” 

Ruby walked over to Penny and took her hand. “Everything will be fine. No one will find out you’re an android or that you’re a maiden. You’ll just be you.” 

Penny nodded and smiled. “If you’re sure.” 

“I am. Now please, go wash up before dinner. It’ll be ready soon.” 

Ruby let Penny go and watched her walk up the stairs and to their room. Her body relaxed once Penny was out of sight and she sat down on the couch and turned on the radio to listen to some music. This world was perfect. No grimm, no Salem, just her and Penny living a perfect, normal life. 

She closed her eyes for a moment as she listened to the music from the radio, keeping a nose on the smell of the stew as it cooked. 

The music cut out for a moment, and a new voice came out from the radio. 

“Ruby, are you there?” the voice asked. “Can you hear me?” 

Ruby opened her eyes and quickly changed the dial on the radio to another station, letting Weiss’s voice fade away. And yet, her heart raced. The very idea that Weiss had been looking for her shook her to her core. She was happy here, and now someone wanted to pull her away from it. 

She took a deep breath and tried to relax again. “I wont let them distract me or destroy what I have now.” 

“Who’s trying to distract you?” Penny asked as she entered the room again. 

“No one,” Ruby lied as she sat up. “Just talking to myself about the talent show tomorrow.”

“You were always nervous being out in front of a crowd.” 

Ruby nodded and went to dish up the stew in a pair of bowls. “But I’m better when I have you around me.” 

“Everything will be fine.” 

Ruby smiled and brought a bowl over to Penny, pausing for a moment. “Scallions. I forgot the scallions.” She ran over to the kitchen, opened the fridge and pulled out some scallions. She grabbed a knife and started to cut them, wincing as the blade of the knife sliced into her finger. 

She quickly went to wash her hand and the scallions, pausing when she saw red blood against her skin. 

Penny walked over. “Everything okay?” 

“Just a small knick,” Ruby said as she quickly found the first aid kit and bandaged her finger. “Cut the scallions too quickly.” 

Penny nodded and kissed her. “If you’re sure, my love.” 

“You will learn it if she deems it necessary,” Cinder answered as she pushed Ruby along. “But I wouldnt count on it.” 

“Right…” Ruby said quietly before mumbling to herself. 

Cinder tried to listen to Ruby, not quite catching anything she was saying. She took a quick glance at Ruby’s ears, not seeing any earpieces that hadnt already been removed. Nor was Ruby talking into her scroll, since that was left on the airship along with anything else that could be tracked before Tyrian takes care of it. 

“Who are you talking to?” she finally asked. 

“N-no one,” Ruby answered back, nearly jumping at the sudden question. “Just… myself.”

“Just yourself?” Cinder asked as she took hold of Ruby’s scythe. “I dont believe you.” 

“Well its just me here-” 

“And I dont believe you.” Cinder pulled Ruby’s scythe away, only to be met with Ruby grabbing the scythe as well to keep it from being removed. 

Ruby looked away. “Dont… dont take her. Please.” 

“Then tell me who you’re talking to.” 

Ruby looked at her scythe, and then looked away. 

Cinder raised a brow. “You’re… talking to your scythe?” 

“She uh… helps me keep sane.” 

“Just keep it quiet,” Cinder said as she shoved the scythe back to Ruby and pushed her forward. “My goddess will expect all attention on her.” 

“Of course.” 

Cinder nodded and continued to walk Ruby to Salem’s throne room. She grinned as she reached the door and pushed it open, ready for the reward she was sure she’d get. She pulled Ruby along and nearly threw her to the ground in front of Salem.

“I have brought Ruby like you asked,” she said as she knelt down in front of her. 

“Thank you, Cinder.” Salem stood up and walked over to Ruby to look her over. “You are dismissed.” 

Cinder looked up at Salem. “But I brought Ruby to you. I’d like to stay to see what you plan-” 

“And I told you to leave. Do not make me tell you again.” 

“Of course, goddess.” 

Salem lifted Ruby’s chin with a finger. “You will do nicely for what I have planned.” 

Cinder watched Salem for a brief moment before finally picking herself up and leaving the throne room. She frowned as she replayed the way Salem touched Ruby. The gentleness she had for the girl that seemed to constantly get in their way, the softness in her voice that she wished Salem would give to her. 

It disgusted her. 

“Oh, Cinder, there you are.” 

Cinder stopped in her tracks and turned around to see Emerald coming to her. She composed herself just as quickly and gave Emerald a soft smile like the one Salem gave to Ruby. “Emerald, I thought you and Mercury were away.” 

“We were, but we had to come back early,” Emerald answered as she held out her weapon. “Respite thinks… we can trust Salem, right?” 

“Who’s Respite?” Cinder asked. 

“My weapon. We were tracking the maiden like you asked us to, then Respite made a good point that even if we end up getting the maiden powers, we still dont know where the relics are held-” 

“So you left her?!” Cinder growled out. “It took us months to track her down the first time! You were supposed to follow her!” 

“But we know where she’s going,” Emerald said quietly. “We can track her down again-” 

“*You* can track her down,” Cinder interrupted. “*I’m* going to my room to figure out the next stage of our plans so you dont screw it up again. And no more talking to your weapon. If you have questions, you can ask me.” 

“Yes Cinder.” 

Cinder let out a heavy sigh as she walked towards her room, reaching her hand into her pocket to grab some of the sand she kept there. She pulled it out and superheated it with her semblance, recreating one of the blades that formed Midnight in almost an instant. She ran her thumb over the hilt, waiting to hear a voice from it. After hearing Ruby talk to her scythe and Emerald claim that her weapons were talking as well, it almost piqued her curiosity to see if her own weapons would talk. 

After several minutes of walking around in silence, she formed the other blade and put them together in the form of her bow. She stopped to listen for any voices coming from her weapon, almost closing her eyes as she waited. But again, minutes passed with nothing but silence.