Broken Machines Week Day 5: Family

Broken Machines Week Day 5: Family

No Place to Die

T/W: Blood, death

This was no place to die, in the midst of a siege by grimm, inside the cold space of the headmistress’ office overlooking the chaos wrought, without friends or family. And yet here, Emerald Sustrai was, lying on the floor, and dying. 

Ruby sighed. Ruby was the one who broke through her aura. Ruby was the one who slashed Crescent Rose across her chest. She sighed, folding Crescent Rose into its compact form, its blade still dripping with blood and picked Emerald up. 

Emerald, breathing out her last breaths, was too weak to do anything against Ruby. The flame from the Fall Maiden’s power was extinguished. Ruby set Emerald against the wall, sitting up. Ruby gingerly drew the Emerald’s scarf over her bleeding chest, the other girl’s top having split in half when Ruby dealt the killing blow. 

“Do--” Emerald’s voice tumbled out. Her hazy eyes struggled to stay on Ruby. “Do you believe in destiny?”

Ruby thought about it, of a path set out for you, of promised power and promised misery, and ultimately shook her head. “I don’t. I wouldn’t be here, otherwise.”

“Oh … I think -- I think it was m-my destiny to c-come here.”

Ruby narrowed her eyes. “To die?”

“No …”

“Then what?” Ruby’s voice lost that gentle edge, growing steely. 

Emerald didn’t answer. Her eyes fluttered close, a gentle smile spreading her on her lips. 

Ruby bit down on her lip. Emerald was only slightly older than Ruby, or so looked like it, and she was such a loving girl. She didn’t deserve this sort of fate. But sacrifices had to be made in order for everybody else to reach their happily ever after. 

Odd. The Fall Maiden’s power … Wasn’t it …

The elevator dinged behind Ruby. Ruby stood up, turning around to face the opening door. Cinder, the leader from Team WTCH stepped through, cautious and wary. Her dual swords, glowing with fire dust, were tightly gripped in her hands. 

It didn’t take long for Cinder to realise what had happened, a shocked sob coming out of her when she saw the body of her friend and Ruby standing by it. 

“No …” Cinder said. Her knees staggered. 

“I’m sorry,” Ruby replied softly. “But I needed the power of the Fall Maiden if I wanted to stop the deaths of more innocents like her.”

Cinder’s swords clattered to the ground as she brought her hands to her face. “She -- She wasn’t the Fall Maiden,” she choked out. 

“Excuse me?” But Ruby saw Emerald come out of the vault, she saw the flare of the Fall Maiden’s power, and Ruby kept the girl’s attention as she died. Ruby unfurled Crescent Rose from her back, slowly approaching Cinder. 

“She was buying time for the next one ...”

Emerald’s semblance, Ruby realised. 

Emerald’s semblance was to trick the mind.

Ruby quickly changed into a defensive stance, pulling her aura around her protectively. 

Emerald was never the Fall Maiden. 

Cinder ripped her hands away, eyes flaring with angry red fire. 

“SHE WAS BUYING TIME FOR ME!” 

follow up sketchie to this

Glory to--

[Smooth, silky, supple. The graceful curving shape of these flowers ...]

{1B!! Get back to work!! Those machines aren’t going to kill themselves!! What’s the use of a buncha flowers anyway???}

[Perhaps if you saw them, 21O, you’d understand. Ah! I know! I shall bring some back to the Bunker with me and show you!]

Guess whose game got released on PC? Have sum Naoto.