Precious Soul Ruby smouldered. Not in any way singed with sweetness but in the way that was singeing a circle of black ash around the conversation pit where she was presently and rather deliberately languishing. It thudded sparks into the air, arousing a terrible amusement in her every time it had to hastily trample them back down.
She giggled, traced her fingers over her cheeks and ran them between her lips. Then using them to delicately pluck another grape to play with, following Ruby all the while. At some point she’d drop one in her cleavage again. It wasn’t going to ask if she was wearing anything under the robe because the grape thing was bait and she’d tried it four times now.
Instead it only dared, occasionally, with considerable premeditation, to give her a scorching glare. Desperate to remind her that she was supposed to be the one stuck here, not it.
It wasn’t helping.
“Just tell me what your bloody plan is, already, Saf.” it demanded, because it knew she had one, because stealing leftover takeout from its fridge and acting like she still lived here — lived here with Ruby — was not a plan.
"You."
Ruby stopped in its tracks and annealed its better senses. Saffiyah wouldn’t let Ruby leave her alone, refusing to shower because — while it was supposed to at least be in the bathroom — it insisted, with burning cheeks, on her privacy.
But you’ve seen me so many times before, Deer. What if I short circuit the ankle monitor and escape? Don’t you want to be a good little minder — for me?
Instead she’d taken to teasing about how much it must’ve missed her ‘girlsmell’ leaving Ruby bristling hotly. “What do you mean, me?”
Saffiyah laid back over the pit’s rim, splaying into Ruby’s path.
“I think my plan,” slipping a shoulder out of her silk robe, “is you.”
Ruby realigned and hot-footed it to the breakfast bar, crumbling carpet on-route. It was what Saf insisted on, where Ruby knew it should have been vinyl.
Why had it ever, ever let itself listen to her?
“No, no, no. I do not think that’s going to be your plan.” The little alarm clock reassured it only had a few more hours of this, and then Saffiyah would never be its problem again.
Would never see her ever, ever again.
“Why? All your friends still say you like me.” All our friends, Saf. Ours. “Would anyone even know? They’ll assume it happened anyway, so why not just—”
The cut-off was cauterising. “No— Because you’re a bad guy now.”
Saf looked out the patio window, frowning, and pondered a bitter response. “Wow. Misgendering, and from you of all creatures.”
Ruby fumbled the clock out of its hands, sending it to the floor. Chilly words freezing it like it had been caught in headlights, gaze fixed to Saf, still staring back — faux-broken heart thumping in her eyes — knowing and caring it preferred that over people.
“Hey! No I don’t mean— Look, you’re a— bad… girl?” it bleated, swallowing the moment it had because—
“Ooh, I like the sound of that. Say it again.”
“No! I know what you’re doing,” it pouted — propping one hand on-hip and proffering the other in a foolishly accusative point. “You are a criminal — you broke the law! So until the trial for criminals like you, you will sit around and do nothing without me telling you to.”
Saf tumbled another grape in her mouth, calculated, and squelched it between her teeth with a provocative snap. “And what would you tell me to do?”
Its finger curled like roasted paper, before clutching it close to its chest. “If you actually would listen to me — for once, ever — maybe not blow up a factory?” And then twisted its split-toed boots towards each other, knowing it was a mistake to have this fight again.
“God, still such a cop. You know what the factory was making, right?”
Easy, the Police Chief’s address, don’t say that part, said it was— “Protective gear, okay?”
“Riot gear. You know, protective gear specifically for cops, like you.”
Smoke started pouring from its nostrils. Saffiyah rushed backwards as Ruby stormed forwards, falling against the table and splashing a half-empty wine glass on herself.
“I am not a cop! I don’t— I don’t fight riots. You know that, you—” It knew it wasn’t worth fighting about who it was, it was complicated and couldn’t win that. “You were one of us, Sapphire.”
“Amaye, I know you don’t.”
Broken Soul — or whatever edgy nonsense it was — Sapphire tried pulling herself back together. The wine chilled and crackled off of her, the carpet snapping as she tugged her fearfully frozen grasp free.
“You just— you protect the people who do. Keep the system steaming along.” The gem, buried irretrievably deep in her chest, hummed a gentle blue.
But Ruby’s still blazed, gleaming and frothing like a bonfire, resting on a chain at the tip of its sternum. “You watch a single fucking video essay and now THIS!” Its hair burst into flames, raging uncontrollably, smoke pooling across the ceiling.
A dulled alarm droned, vents spurred, and sprinklers doused the pair of them. Amaye’s hair settling as embers, and collapsing across its face, hiding the tears trickling down.
“You broke up with me, so why are you even trying? Why do you even fucking care.”
Saffiyah pulled herself up, stilling the rain around her, and then around them both, as she approached. You don’t understand how bad it really is. You won’t believe me.
“For someone who burns so hot, you’ve never been the brightest light — have you, Deer?” Even being sweet she had to be mean. “Obviously I wanted you to chase me, pursue me—”
“Join you.” Saf slid hands around its hips, close enough to hear the tears falling. “Except that I actually respected your boundaries, even while you betrayed me.”
It looked up from the brilliant blue, casting an outline of her ribs, to her eyes. “So why even try? You had to know you'd get caught.”
“Of course I did, and knew I’d end up here with you. Who else to watch me, who else would keep me bothered to stay under arrest?” She brushed the squidgy strands of hair away from its face, drew out the water so it could flutter again like its heart. “It must’ve been so stressful as of late, without me, so who else to get you to loosen up a little?”
The sprinklers shut off, Saffiyah letting the still droplets splash around them. Ruby glanced at the clock, she didn’t know there was just a couple hours left to go. Maybe the shower wasn’t a bad idea, the irony of Sapphire, the watery Magical Girl, not bathing was fragrantly and unpleasantly apparent. She should smell better when she gets carted off.
“We’re not talking about this.” it muttered sternly, eyeballing the bathroom door.
Saf’s eyes followed first, then her legs.
“Oh, but we will. You'll realise soon enough — you’re the one who’s really stuck here.”
Amaye shook its head and looked around blearily. Every surface had been soaked or scorched or both, plaster and glass sundered. Fuck the vinyls, it needed a new condo.
And then it shook its hands, and realised they were still cuffed, dangling from the ceiling with the ankle monitor wrapped around one of them. Its legs too, calves bound to thighs so it rested loosely on its knees, rocking to and fro.
Finally able to focus, it could see it dangling in front on a piece of bloody twine — the Ruby gem. If only it could reach, the lightest touch would give Amaye the spark to melt itself free. Amaye groaned, and began to shuffle wearily against the bindings towards it.
But then the alarm — case bursting out in blackened twists, clock window turned milky, roiling and whining in its death throes — let Amaye know it was time for Saf’s pickup.
And now it twisted against chains and silky ropes in panic, lurching forward only to fall backwards like a damned pendulum. If Emmy or Tope saw it like this, oh it was never gonna recover. That was Saf’s fucking plan. Amaye would have no choice but to see her again.
At the least, so it could pop her fucking head like microwaving an apple—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Hold on! Be— Right— There—” it called out.
It pressed forward— and back— and forward— getting closer every time. It only needed a few more moments, just a few. It was so close. And Saf at least was courteous enough to dress it back up, and hopefully had drowned the security tapes too.
“It’s— just trouble— with the lock!” it blistered.
It could make this look like a fight, the room was ruined enough, like Saf had made her move and escaped, it was so close, it just had to—
Click.
It pushed forward one last desperate time, feeling the barest little brush and sparkle at her fingertips.
Precious Soul Emerald’s voice beamed through the opening crack, Topaz and Diamond audibly shuffling behind. “No worries, sweetie, I found my spare, I—”
It was so close.
