Cinder Falls... For Ruby Rose (ch4)

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												Chapter 4. Playing With Food

It was all Cinder could do that morning not to wring the necks of each one of her teammates.

None of them would shut up – not even Neo in her silent goading. Just because it was the day Cinder was scheduled to meet up with Ruby Rose, they'd all decided to taunt her, because they knew she couldn't kill them.

At least, not on another school's property. When they got back to Haven next week, things could be different.

But at least for now their lives were spared.

Since Cinder had begrudgingly complied to their insistent wishes for her not to plan out today's... rendezvous, she had no idea what she and Ruby would be doing today. That would be entirely up to the cheerful brunette.

Even so, Cinder didn't think she should dress too formal – she hadn't packed or brought that many clothes to Beacon anyway, since she'd never anticipated finding a date here. So she was stuck with wearing her uniform, but something told her Ruby wouldn't mind.

As she swatted and shouted her pestering teammates away, Cinder just tried to keep confirming to herself that all of this was real. The fact that she'd even gotten Ruby's number still astounded her, and she often needed to check her scroll's contacts just to ensure it was really there. And it was, every time.

She'd just finished spooking Mercury away from the bathroom with her curling iron when she heard the familiar buzzing sound of her scroll. She tried to make a move for the device where it lie on her bed, but Emerald beat her to it.

"Hmm, what's this? Oh? A message from Ruby Rose? How adorable."

"Give it here," Cinder growled.

Neo twirled into view beside Emerald with a smirk on her lips.

/I don't think I heard the magic word~/

As Emerald chuckled, Cinder lit a live flame at the end of the curling iron. Emerald quickly tossed the leader her scroll. Cinder grunted.

"As soon as we get back to Haven, I'm going to string you all up by your toes."

Extinguishing the flames, she put the curling iron down and tapped on her scroll. Ruby's name was displayed, along with a new message:

//Hi! I'll be waiting to meet you at the entrance to the fairgrounds! I've got a suuuper fun day planned!//

Cinder didn't realize it, but her expression must've become complacent as she read. Because not a second later, all three of her teammates were struggling to peek over (or under) her shoulder to read the message.

"What's it say?" Mercury asked.

"Read it yourself, nimrod," Emerald grunted.

The three of them got a light scorching for that blatant invasion of privacy.

Eventually, they all retreated to their beds and finally allowed Cinder to get ready in peace. As she did so, the three of them had another quick huddle as they wiped the ash from their faces.

"Sooo..." Mercury mumbled. "Looks like it's so far, so good."

"I'll say," Emerald whispered back. "I can't remember the last time I've seen her this expressive."

/I think you mean 'reactive',/ Neo giggled. /When she gets really into something, all it takes is a little touch and she's erupting like a volcano./

"I'll say."

They dusted themselves off while Cinder was finishing up. She slipped her scroll and her wallet into her blazer's pockets, checked her reflection one last time, and then headed for the door. Mercury called after her.

"Hey, not even so much as a goodbye?"

/It's because she's mad at us./

"Good luck, Cinder!" Emerald called out.

Their leader's only response was a slight pause as she opened the door. She didn't say anything or turn around to face them, but they knew she was taking a moment to appreciate their support.

And then the door shut, and she was gone.

Her teammates hadn't ever really been the type for prayers.

But today they were just hoping that things would work out for her.

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Cinder half walked, half stalked her way across the school's courtyard and made her way to the air ship docks. She boarded the next plane that would be landing at the stadium, and rode it for the few minutes it took to arrive there.

She'd been here a few times already since their school had arrived for the tournament, but this would be her first time traversing the fairgrounds alone.

But that only lasted for a few seconds.

Almost right away, she spotted a familiar girl dressed in Beacon's uniform, standing by the entrance sign. Ruby caught her eye and waved, as a criminal smile painted its way onto her lips.

Cinder pursed her lips tightly to match how tense her jaw was feeling, and tried not to look like she was hurrying as she made her way over. She stopped a few feet shy of the girl just as Ruby lowered her hand.

"Glad you could make it! Cinder, right?"

Cinder realized she'd probably have to start using her voice now. She nodded once and opened her mouth to speak, but Ruby's excited babbling beat her to it.

"Great! I'm so glad I remembered your name! Weiss tells me I forget stuff easily. Anyway, I know your school just got here a few days ago. Have you gotten a chance to look around the fairgrounds yet?"

Even though Cinder had, in fact, toiled hours away with her easily-distracted teammates, she shook her head right away. Ruby clapped in delight.

"Great! Then I can show you around a bit! Follow me!" She spun around and started prancing off.

Only then did Cinder realize she'd yet to say a single word. So she called out to the girl before she could miss her chance.

"Wait."

Despite the noise around them, Ruby heard her and paused to turn back, an innocent, curious tilt to her head. Cinder could only hold her gaze for a second. She was just too cute.

"Thank you... for accompanying me."

Ruby's smile broke out all over again.

"It's my pleasure!"

So the two of them started their journey around the fairgrounds. Ruby babbled on like a tour guide, explaining everything about everything, talking about what items the stands were selling, be it food or weapons or clothing or knick-knacks.

Cinder followed along, sending glares of cold fury at anyone who so much as looked at them the wrong way. But whenever she turned her attention back to Ruby, her eyes naturally softened.

It was easy to lose track of time when she was doing something she enjoyed. As far as they knew, there was no time limit to this, anyway.

But there was something just a little upsetting.

It felt more like a tour than anything else. Cinder realized that when she and Ruby had made plans, it hadn't exactly been as an official date to begin with. The girl was so innocent and carefree, she probably didn't even understand what Cinder was after.

That idea was what put a flicker of doubt into her mind.

Ruby Rose seemed like a good match for her, and every passing second with her seemed to prove that more and more.

But what if Ruby wasn't even interested in that sort of thing?

Cinder was deep in thought about this, and she must've been making a serious expression, because Ruby suddenly paused.

"Oh no, is this getting boring? Hmm, then I've got just the thing! Come on!"

Before Cinder could reassure her that nothing at all about this was boring, Ruby was scurrying off again. Cinder made her way after her at a more controlled pace.

Ruby led her to a different area of the fairgrounds. Rather than fabrics and pewter Grimm statuettes, this section consisted of food and games. There was a strong scent of sugar on the air, and Ruby inhaled it with a dreamy sigh.

"Ahh, the cotton candy here is sooo good~ Oh! There's what I wanted to show you!" She darted off and appeared a small distance away, leaving a trail of rose petals for Cinder to follow.

Ruby had brought her to a gaming stand, one where players needed to shoot water guns into the plastic jaws of beowulves. Based on their performance, various plush prizes would be awarded.

Again, Cinder didn't even have the chance to speak before Ruby was already taking her seat at one of the open stools. She rummaged into her skirt pocket and proudly dropped a pile of coins onto the table. Then, she wiggled in her seat and took aim, waiting for the game to start.

Cinder stood back a few feet away, not really knowing what to do. Most people here seemed to think she was Ruby's sister, it seemed.

She nearly jolted at the sound of a loud buzzer, and then the spray of water guns filled the air.

Cinder watched as the little bars above each player's fake wolf head began to fill with color, and she couldn't help but get a little excited. Ruby was in the lead right from the start, and Cinder had never expected anything less.

It a matter of seconds, the buzzer sounded again as Ruby's colored bar filled all the way to the top. The brunette spun around in her stool, cheering.

"Yaaaay, I did it! I won!" She jumped up from her seat and clapped as the man behind the counter asked her which prize she wanted. She deliberated for a moment, then pointed out a black cat plushie. Once it was in her arms, she spun around again to face Cinder. "It's been forever since I played one of those! I'm surprised I won! Here!"

Cinder was about to offer words of congratulations when the girl held the plushie out to her. She tilted her head.

"What's this?"

"For you! I won you this cool black panther guy because he's cool and mysterious like you!" she beamed.

Cinder was baffled.

She'd never owned any stuffed animals, and she certainly never planned to. It didn't go with her image.

But... she had always wanted one...

And to think, now she could have one, one that Ruby Rose won specifically for her...

Cinder slowly reached out to accept the gift. It was soft and warm and very adorable. Sort of like a certain girl...

"Thank you..." she murmured, not really knowing what else she could say or do.

Ruby waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't mention it! I've got a bajillion stuffed animals back at home anyway! I think you'll enjoy this guy more than I could! Come on, let's walk around a little more!"

As if holding the stuffed panther Ruby had won for her wasn't baffling enough, Cinder then felt a hand on hers.

Ruby now guided her by the hand around the fairgrounds, skipping along merrily as Cinder tried to keep up. She was focused on keeping ahold of Ruby's fingers and of the plushie, unwilling to let go of either.

Only when she spotted another kind of game did Cinder pause. Ruby felt the resistance and turned back to look at her.

"What's up? Need to find a restroom?"

Cinder didn't reply, but headed off to one of the nearby games, bringing Ruby along. She let go of the girl's hand, then tucked the panther under her arm as she dug into her blazer's pocket. She fished out a few coins, then put them into the crane-game machine she'd selected.

Ruby instantly pressed herself against the glass.

"Oooh, which one are you gonna go for? They're all so cute!"

Cinder flashed her a quick glance.

"Which one is your favorite?"

"Me? Hmmm... I like the little grey wolfie! He looks like Zwei, my dog!"

Cinder narrowed her eyes and honed in on the toy she'd indicated.

She was going to do this no matter the cost. Literally.

The first time she missed it just barely, and ended up only flipping it over. Next, she missed it altogether.

Cinder went through various levels of anxiety in those next four minutes, though she didn't let it show in anything other than her tightened jaw. She flipped the wolf over again, then managed to lift it up, but it dropped.

Ruby kept cheering and deflating with every attempt. Cinder wasn't about to leave here until she'd won it for her.

Even when Ruby started to tell her not to waste her money, Cinder ignored her and continued playing.

And at last, after having put over twenty lien into the machine, the little grey wolf dropped into the tunnel. She bent down to pick it up, then offered it to Ruby.

"Here," she said simply.

Ruby gasped and clapped and bounced up and down, as if she hadn't actually expected Cinder to give it to her.

"Really~?!"

Cinder nodded.

Ruby squealed and hugged the little wolf to her chest, giving a delighted twirl. "Thank you, thank you, thank yooooou!"

Cinder said nothing. She merely smiled and enjoyed the girl's presence.

After that, they walked around for a while longer with their stuffed animals, but soon, Ruby got a message on her scroll. She read it and sighed.

"Aw, I gotta get going now. But I had a ton of fun today! Let's do it again sometime, okay? Either during the Festival or after! And thanks again for him!" Ruby kissed the little wolf plush on the nose, then bumped it against the nose of Cinder's panther. "I hope you had fun today, too! Text me anytime! See you around, Cinder!"

And with that, Ruby Rose took her plushie and darted off.

Cinder watched her go, a mixture of amazement and bewilderment in her eyes. She'd barely said two words all afternoon, but she felt like Ruby had learned many things about her.

And even though Cinder had been walking for hours, she felt pleasantly energized now.

With her chest feeling oddly warm, she retreated back to the dorm room, but failed to think about concealing the panther.

The instant her teammates saw it, they all started jeering and cooing at her, to the point where she chased them all out and scorched the door behind them. She locked them out that night as punishment.

That evening, with the room to herself, she curled up in her bed and hugged the little panther to her chest, then softly kissed its nose.

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A/N: Finally, lovestruck Cinder catches a break! I think the plushie idea was really cute :3