where have you been (ruby)

[alyssa]

[attr="class","iconmain"] [attr="class","iconsub"] [attr="class","headers"]→ notes 412 words [attr="class","iconsubtwo"] [attr="class","headers"]→ tags CREST as RUBY [attr="class","iconsub"] [attr="class","headers"]→ other starter For a time there’s been worry in her heart. It’s a weak, but meaningful feeling that has breached the iron gates placed in the Leader to prevent her emotions from influencing her actions too heavily. For a time the worry for this individual has been muted by the forces running the world around her. Though the war fell into a temporary trough, other thoughts preoccupied Alyssa’s mind – rebuilding, fortifying, strategizing…the works. The white wing she had once extended for the person had folded for a time, the pure color of its feathers being beaten to a tattered gray. Now, though, the gray wing is able to open once again. Hoenn is safe for the time. Although it’s no permanent illusion that its residents would sell even the intangible to have as a reality, it’s enough to allow their Leader enough of an eased mind to chase after someone that stirred emotion within her. The boy she’d come to call her protégé in time after the War had forced them to meet under stressed circumstances. Ruby… she thinks, and blue eyes narrow as the mere thought of the boys’ name drove her memory to the incident a half-year ago in which she last heard from him. He’d torn from her and fled to places unknown. There was not so much as a letter via Taillow as to his well-being. And so she had waited. The Leader’s patience had at last been rewarded when one of her informants from Fortree told of traces of the boy’s existence. She’s switched locations now, from spending large amounts of time in her office in Sootopolis to a cave placed on the rainy route just East of the tree-city. Boots clack quietly against the ground as she moves forward through the narrow passageway discovered minutes ago, hands on the rock walls on either side of her to lead through the winding tunnels of the cave. Light filters into an area before her, drawing the Leader to the open space like a Dustox to fire. Footsteps diminish as she halts, eyes angled upward to look at the hole in the “ceiling” of the natural land formation which let in the daylight of outside. Ideal for a human to live here… The thoughts of the Leader don’t need more than that for her next action to be spurred. ”Ruby!” she calls, hands kept limply by her sides, using merely her eyes to look around. She will not leave without him.

[attr="class","lyrics"]→ Please don't throw that away because I'm here for you

coded by battlerocket for kane only

[newclass=.iconmain]transition: 0.5s; -webkit-transition: 0.5s; -o-transition: 0.5s; float: right; margin-left: 5px; width: 100px; height: 100px; overflow: hidden;[/newclass][newclass=.iconmain:hover]transition: 0.5s; -webkit-transition: 0.5s; -o-transition: 0.5s; float: right; margin-left: 5px; width: 210px; height: 205px;[/newclass][newclass=.iconsub]float: right; height: 18px; width: 96px; overflow: hidden; margin: 0 7px -110px 0; -moz-transition: 0.7s; -webkit-transition: 0.7s; -o-transition: 0.7s; opacity: .5; -moz-opacity: .5; -o-opacity: .5; -ms-opacity: .5; filter:alpha(opacity=50); background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-size: 10px; font-family:helvetica;[/newclass][newclass=.iconsub:hover]height: 96px; -moz-transition: 0.7s; -webkit-transition: 0.7s; -o-transition: 0.7s; opacity: .8; -moz-opacity: .8; -o-opacity: .8; -ms-opacity: .8; filter:alpha(opacity=80);[/newclass][newclass=.iconsubtwo]float: right; height: 18px; width: 96px; overflow: hidden; margin: 0 110px -110px 0; -moz-transition: 0.7s; -webkit-transition: 0.7s; -o-transition: 0.7s; opacity: .5; -moz-opacity: .5; -o-opacity: .5; -ms-opacity: .5; filter:alpha(opacity=50); background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-size: 10px; font-family:helvetica;[/newclass][newclass=.iconsubtwo:hover]height: 96px; -moz-transition: 0.7s; -webkit-transition: 0.7s; -o-transition: 0.7s; opacity: .8; -moz-opacity: .8; -o-opacity: .8; -ms-opacity: .8; filter:alpha(opacity=80);[/newclass][newclass=.lyrics]-moz-transition: 0.7s; -webkit-transition: 0.7s; -o-transition: 0.7s; font-size: 14px; font-family: ms gothic; text-transform: uppercase; width: 450px; height: 15px; overflow: hidden; letter-spacing: -1px;[/newclass][newclass=.lyrics:hover]-moz-transition: 0.7s; -webkit-transition: 0.7s; -o-transition: 0.7s; background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff[/newclass][newclass=.headers]font-size: 14px; font-family: ms gothic; text-transform: uppercase;[/newclass]

[RUBY]

█ I AM NOTHING

Once upon a time, there was a little boy, probably lying in his room, nose in a book and feet kicking as he waited in anticipation for the story's climax. That little boy had a dream. Not a big one; it was a little dream, little enough to fit in the palm of his hand as he reached up to catch it. There was only one thing in the entire world that concerned that little boy, and it wasn't the book, or his dinner, or the television in the living room. He cared about one thing, he wanted one thing, yet it didn't come. To have his dream come true right then and there would be too ridiculous, too much of a triumph, so instead, whoever decided who gets what made this boy wait, until his dream had dwindled away and lost it's magic.

Yes, the boy got what he wanted, but by then there was another dream in mind. A dream that involved more than just him- a dream that involved two very important people in his life as well. The dream: to simply spend eternity like this, with those two people by his side forever. To have his dream come true right then and there would be too ridiculous, too much of a triumph, right? So instead, whoever decides who gets what in this world made this boy wait again.

You might say these scenarios sound too alike, that this whole story is too repetitive. But you're wrong. Because the most important part, the triumph, the happiness only came in one of these stories. Only one of these dreams came true, and Ruby would give anything to have had the second one be granted instead.

If it had, then the boy wouldn't be huddled in a cave, cloaked in blankets, alone. Correction: If it had, then the boy wouldn't be huddled in a cave, cloaked in blankets, with another person.

What? Ruby wasn't with anyone. He was completely, utterly- "Ruby!" A familiar voice. Warm. Calling out to him from somewhere far, but somehow just close enough that Ruby could run to it and find the person who it came from. And he almost did do that.

But did he really want to? See Alyssa after what he did to her so many months ago? The guilt would be more than he could bear. No. He can't see Alyssa. Shit. And with that quick thought, he hustled around his cave, stuffing the pots and pans and blankets into bags. Ruby had betrayed her, turned on her, yet she came looking for him anyway. Why?

ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[alyssa]

[attr="class","iconmain"] [attr="class","iconsub"] [attr="class","headers"]→ notes 332 words [attr="class","iconsubtwo"] [attr="class","headers"]→ tags CREST as RUBY [attr="class","iconsub"] [attr="class","headers"]→ other Alyssa in a blazer standing like that must be terrifying I'm sorry Ruby Her eyes blink once from tension as she waits for some sign that the boy is here. Even if not, the Leader will wander the cave for hours if she needs to in order to find him. The echo her voice draws through the cave is something she waits to dissipate before even considering moving once more. She won’t let any possible lead to Ruby be wasted. The sign she waits for comes after seconds of silence, seconds after the echo of her voice in the cave fades to nothingness. She hears the sound of clumsy shuffling against the ground. Her steps begin again, boots thudding softly on the ground with her quickened pace, renewed purpose drawing the Leader forward at an alarming speed. No cave-dwelling Pokémon from Hoenn Alyssa is familiar with makes a sound similar to that, and her certainty that she’s close to him now is only affirmed when the clank of metal sounds a short distance away. ”Ruby, you’re trying to run, right?” That would be the only explanation to the hurried, muffled sounds beginning as quickly as they did after she spoke. The Leader finds herself at the top of a slope in the cave, downward to a closed-looking area where the sounds come from. Something like this would be ideal for him to hide out in. She places the soles of her shoes against the smoothed rock formed on the side, rather than the rougher ones in the middle, and slides to the ground where she stills. Cerulean eyes peer around the dim area, allowing her sight to adjust to this darkness before she places her hands on her waist, boots planted a shoulder-width apart once she sees his figure moving in a far corner of the cave area. White hair falls over her shoulders, and practically seems illuminated in this darkness thanks to the light filtering from behind her. ”You and I both know there’s no point in trying something stupid like that, don’t we?”

[attr="class","lyrics"]→ Please don't throw that away because I'm here for you

coded by battlerocket for kane only

[newclass=.iconmain]transition: 0.5s; -webkit-transition: 0.5s; -o-transition: 0.5s; float: right; margin-left: 5px; width: 100px; height: 100px; overflow: hidden;[/newclass][newclass=.iconmain:hover]transition: 0.5s; -webkit-transition: 0.5s; -o-transition: 0.5s; float: right; margin-left: 5px; width: 210px; height: 205px;[/newclass][newclass=.iconsub]float: right; height: 18px; width: 96px; overflow: hidden; margin: 0 7px -110px 0; -moz-transition: 0.7s; -webkit-transition: 0.7s; -o-transition: 0.7s; opacity: .5; -moz-opacity: .5; -o-opacity: .5; -ms-opacity: .5; filter:alpha(opacity=50); background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-size: 10px; font-family:helvetica;[/newclass][newclass=.iconsub:hover]height: 96px; -moz-transition: 0.7s; -webkit-transition: 0.7s; -o-transition: 0.7s; opacity: .8; -moz-opacity: .8; -o-opacity: .8; -ms-opacity: .8; filter:alpha(opacity=80);[/newclass][newclass=.iconsubtwo]float: right; height: 18px; width: 96px; overflow: hidden; margin: 0 110px -110px 0; -moz-transition: 0.7s; -webkit-transition: 0.7s; -o-transition: 0.7s; opacity: .5; -moz-opacity: .5; -o-opacity: .5; -ms-opacity: .5; filter:alpha(opacity=50); background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-size: 10px; font-family:helvetica;[/newclass][newclass=.iconsubtwo:hover]height: 96px; -moz-transition: 0.7s; -webkit-transition: 0.7s; -o-transition: 0.7s; opacity: .8; -moz-opacity: .8; -o-opacity: .8; -ms-opacity: .8; filter:alpha(opacity=80);[/newclass][newclass=.lyrics]-moz-transition: 0.7s; -webkit-transition: 0.7s; -o-transition: 0.7s; font-size: 14px; font-family: ms gothic; text-transform: uppercase; width: 450px; height: 15px; overflow: hidden; letter-spacing: -1px;[/newclass][newclass=.lyrics:hover]-moz-transition: 0.7s; -webkit-transition: 0.7s; -o-transition: 0.7s; background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff[/newclass][newclass=.headers]font-size: 14px; font-family: ms gothic; text-transform: uppercase;[/newclass]

[RUBY]

█ I AM NO ONE

Get everything together, He thinks, stuffing his belongings into various backpacks and mailbags, Don't worry. It's gonna be okay. This is a familiar routine. Ruby will give himself his very own reassuring thoughts every once in a while, whenever he has anxiety about what is to come. Of course, it never works perfectly. In truth, it never works at all, because those reassuring words are lies- nothing will be okay, he's not safe, and Alyssa has found him. Instead of replying to her voice, he just drops everything in his hands and stands up straight, chin up. He swallows.

It takes a moment for Ruby to work up the courage, but he glances at her. And for the first time in his life, Alyssa scares him. Her boots rooted to the ground, her hands resting on her hips. And although he can't see her face, he knows it will scare him just as much, if not more. This is all odd. He left everyone, not expecting to come back or be discovered, and yet...She had found him. Alyssa had done the impossible yet again. After a moment of just staring at her, the boy's breaths become uneven. He rubs his eyes.

She says something- he doesn't listen. He meant to, but his feet are too busy toying with the dirt and rock on the ground. He rubs the dirt in spirals and scribbles, eyes locked to the intricate designs that would be forgotten and destroyed in a matter of minutes.

Ruby doesn't dare say a word.

ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[alyssa]

[attr="class","iconmain"] [attr="class","iconsub"] [attr="class","headers"]→ notes 260 words [attr="class","iconsubtwo"] [attr="class","headers"]→ tags CREST as RUBY [attr="class","iconsub"] [attr="class","headers"]→ other I smell feels Her stance holds for the time being, her intense gaze interrupted only once as she blinks when his shoes shuffle quietly against the ground. His eyes had fallen from her, and the Leader senses the boy’s will to move diminish. A quiet sigh exits her lips and the raised shoulders fall only a slight, relaxing from the uncomfortably hunched position they’d just been in. Sapphire irises follow his foot against the cave ground for mere seconds before looking up at him, as he has looked away from her now. She seizes the opportunity to talk while it’s present. ”Good.” Her voice comes out as something similar to a broken purr, but her eyes suggest nothing as calm or happy as the sound. ”Why would you try running again, now that I’ve found you? It would be pointless, yeah?” He could be damn sure she’d chase after him and pin him down if he tried – no matter how she needed to. ”Just like running from me six months ago has proven to be pointless. Trying to hide from me was pointless, Ruby.” For the start of a lecture, her voice is surprisingly smooth. ”You had to know I wouldn’t simply let you be, right? That I’d find you eventually?” The Leader’s body relaxes slightly, and her boots drop against the ground as she strides forward, covering distance between them easily. ”You had me worried when you ran, you know…” Alyssa’s eyes close as she stops, about seven feet from him now. ”…and when you acted how you did before you ran.”

[attr="class","lyrics"]→ Please don't throw that away because I'm here for you

coded by battlerocket for kane only

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[RUBY]

█ I AM NOTHING

He can't look her in the eye. No matter how hard he tries, Ruby can't look her in the eye. He wants to- she's caught him now, so it's hard not to give in to her demands and give her a bear hug. And then stroll out of the cave like nothing ever happened. But something did happen. On that chilling night, months and months ago, Ruby had betrayed her. And yet, she was the one who was strong enough to look at him without cowering behind a mask. And here he was, the monster with blood tinted claws, hiding from her gaze. Hiding from a friend's gaze, from a leader's gaze, from a champion's gaze, from a sister's gaze really. She was the only person in the world he cared about deeply right now.

So why was he hiding from her? If he truly thought that his own actions were rightful, why did he feel so ashamed of them? Were they rightful at all?

Ruby had never considered that, and if he had shown a little guilt, maybe he could look at her eyes. He really did know that he was in the wrong here, but the lack of acknowledgement that he was...that was the only thing preventing him from treating her how she should be treated. With care, friendship, and respect. She deserved that. And so, this time, as Alyssa began to speak, he listened. He listened, but he did not move.

"....." Ruby shakes his head. He wouldn't run away anymore. It was too late to get away from her now. Maybe she'd stop coming to look for him. Or maybe she wouldn't be alive to come and look for him. There's a war going on; Ruby had basically forgotten about the entire thing. She could be fighting for Nox on the front lines, gaining territory, strategizing, and yet...Here she was, looking for him, in a cave. If she had really been searching, how many more important things had Ruby delayed? He was a burden on her many, many roles as a Nox leader.

"I didn't think you'd try to look for me-" He tries to speak now, but his voice cracks and quivers. The message is quiet and barely understandable. His eyes are freshly watery now, and it's easy to tell what this is all about. He worried her. He was a burden to her in every way- Maybe he should just go off and live away from her forever; leave her alone. Tell her that he'll miss her, but this is for the best. Can he do that? No. He can't. Just one of many things he can't do.

He tries to hold his tears back, but he can't do that either.

ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[alyssa]

[attr="class","iconmain"] [attr="class","iconsub"] [attr="class","headers"]→ notes 311 words [attr="class","iconsubtwo"] [attr="class","headers"]→ tags CREST as RUBY [attr="class","iconsub"] [attr="class","headers"]→ other yup. feels. Her halted advance draws silence between them that she can only hope doesn’t fill his mind with internal debate. Ruby’s a soft spirit, in spite of her power the Leader knows he’s capable of. The boy’s nature is gentle at heart, a nature that will care for friends and family more readily than strike a blow against others, but when necessary Alyssa has no doubt in her mind that he’s got something like a feral pokemon coiled up inside. Something with teeth dripping malice toward those who endanger the people he cares about. …Ruby… Sensitive ears don’t miss the crack of his voice, how forced his words were to be brought to life, pushed past a trembling jaw into the air between them. Alyssa steps forward again, her pace slower than it was only seconds ago when his voice fails him. Downcast eyes cannot meet her own, but that’s okay. She can’t hold something like what he’s been through against his actions. At least not now. The glint of tears down his face do not go unnoticed, but she doesn’t comment on them. Instead, narrowed eyes soften now, and words left unsaid from this moment now remain silenced. There’s no reason, Hoenn’s Leader figures, to continue the way she’s entered his life so abruptly once more. There’s time enough for lectures after she can get him to come home. Black-gloved hand falls on his shoulder briefly, the tight squeeze of her grip perhaps giving him a hint of what she’s about to do. Alyssa pulls him into a tight hug, the arm that has roped around his body to pull him close bent upward, hand on the back of his head, fingers curled in his white hat. Her other arm remains resting on the shoulder she’d squeezed. ”Of course I would,” she murmurs. ”I could never forgive myself if I didn’t.”

[attr="class","lyrics"]→ Please don't throw that away because I'm here for you

coded by battlerocket for kane only

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[RUBY]

█ I AM NOTHING

The boy blinks as her arms wrap around him. He is pulled into a hug, yet his scrawny arms remain by his side. He trembles for a moment, eventually rusting and transforming to stone- he is but a statue, cold skinned, his insides sleeping. Ruby is hugged; he does not return the gesture.

And for a moment, the universe freezes, earning him a glance at the woman before him. Her hair catches fire, burning brown into the tendrils of white; scorching the tips off. The wind follows along, strips her of her clothes and replaces them- a familiar blue outfit appears. The statue's gaze meets the girl's, only to find a mousey haired, blue eyed beauty in his presence, a face that's burned into his memory, a face that's burned into his soul. Her eyes glint like a shining sapphire gem; her smile lights up the entire cavern.

And the statue's rock coating cracks, his peach arms emerging out of the stone, as the minerals crumble to the ground. He wraps his arms around his old friend tightly, wanting to secure her, wanting keep her out of harm's way. But harm has already soared past her, and so he whispers, with all of his might, "I'm sorry." He digs his face into her shoulder and breaths in her scent subtly. It's familiar: warm and cinnamon-like...but the smell of death is present as well.

The friend pulls away- but Ruby is greeted with another face. Long white hair and a blazer take their proper place. "Thanks." He blurts to Alyssa. Thanks for what? Ruby has no earthly idea, but the word wanders through his mind- and so he said it. Thanks for the hug, thanks for caring, thanks for saving Hoenn? Thanks for looking for me?

"Thanks for finding me."

ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE