Theories on Cats [ @ruby ]

You know that moment when you have something, so you cant appreciate its true value? That was how Ruby felt right now, alone in her apartment. Usually at the warehouse, as soon as the people got up, you could hear them roam around the place doing god knows what but here it was all silent. If you didnt count the TV that was sometimes turned on, or the small radio planted either in the kitchen or in the living room, the apartment was rather quiet. But the silence was beautiful. Beautiful as the natural light that always came into the blonde's room in the morning and during the afternoon, or the little birds that always seemed to come near the window in the kitchen and cirp there for a while.
At least now she could afford to sleep in all she wanted. 11 AM? No missions meant sleeping till 1 PM. But Red eventually got sick of that routine, and went back to waking up at 5AM and heading off whenever. Today was not much of a difference, except that after making herself some french fries and an omlette (which she did not finish) there was a sudden knock on her door. Knocking? Who, actually why was anyone knocking? If this was that kid from the opposite loft testing his new "technique of knocking" again...

Blackwood took another fry with the fork, wiping her hands on a napkin quickly before heading to the door. Two of the locks on the inside were unlocked already, and so when the man behind the door talked, Red smiled out of the sudden. So this was Max, and he got fired. Could this day get any better? She opened the door, a raised brow and the other lowered at the presumed ex cop. "Fired? Geez, where did I put the wine?" The woman replied jokingly, chuckling at the news. Either Max hated being in the PD, or was lying, since he was way too happy in that moment. He seemed so, at least. And less detectives to take care of cases, more murders! Ruby stepped away to let the man come in, folding her arms as if expecting further explanations. "Why did it take them so long to fire you?" And she was smirking, truly amused by this event. She would have hugged him, if only Madden didnt seem so suspiciously okay with being fired.

Truth be told, Max wasnt a bad cop, not at all. But he had this wild tendency to get his ass in trouble too often, and to complicate things instead of solving them. Even if he was taking a longer road to a case's end, he was still getting there. "Let me guess, the case of..the missing noodle?" Ruby raised a hand to her golden hair, rotating the end of a curl on her index finger as she mocked him with a fairly innocent smirk. There was nothing innocent about her though. Her voice also betrayed the whole playfullyness. "Champagne, got it." With the same hand as before, she snapped her fingers as if making a mental note on that, with a wink directed at Max. Oh, he sure didnt get fired.
No surprise when he stated the obvious, so far Max seemed to enjoy being a cop so much, Ruby expected him to cry his heart out of he got fired, or at least punch some walls. And since he was doing none, it was only logical. "Yet. And to think I was going to offer you a hug to show empathy.." Shrugging, the woman then chuckled, she just couldnt imagine being dragged to the court. "Oh yes, the court part would be difficult." Red said, holding back another chuckle. Teasing and mocking Max was the best thing ever. Better than slaughtering people, better than planting evidence and defititely better than getting bored in her own apartment. The last thing was something they both shared, by the looks of it. Blackwood wanted to scold him for attempting to hurt a colleague, but it was too funny to do so. The unknown prick probably deserved it, even if Madden's definition of 'rude' adjusted accordingly to who the victim was. She could only shake her head with a smle at that.

As the French moved deeper into her apartment, Ruby shut the door closed and followed him suspiciously, tucking her hands in her pockets. "I've been..just chilling around, yes?" With a curious squint of her eyes, Ruby watched the man's hand pick up a fry from her plate. "Hungry?" With a hand, Red ponted at Max's sudden desire to steal her food, and kicked a chair with her foot, closer to where Max was standing, leaning herself against the table. "I suppose there is another reason on why you came here, besides..I dont know, taking a break from Chinese takeouts?" He didnt mention the reason of his visit yet, and it was..suspicious, questionable. He really liked to torture that Timmy guys though. "Poor Timmy.." She didnt even know him, but from that smile on the French's face, Timmy wasnt safe and sound.

Madden was right about one thing; all the teasing, bickering and mocking that ever came from the two criminals, aimed at the cop, was their only form of showing affection. Like a wrinkled piece of paper, with a love poem on it. It was there in essence, the intention was good, but its appearance, its exterior needed some ironing. Such sociopaths could never understand love as it was, explaining the concept to them would be pointless. But Max somehow managed to plant those small, dehydrated seeds in the empty spot in their ribcage, where a heart was planned to grow. A heart that would lack its beating if the one seeding the love ceased to exist.
She offered him a chair so he would be able to sit down and enjoy the food, given that he appeared to want it, but it turned out he had other plans. Ruby tensed up as his legs closed around her hips, giving her the feeling of being trapped. He didnt sound too bothered by his actions, and certainly did not appear to make too much effort in stepping on unknown territories. "Max, what are you doing?" Did he not understand how she said "no hugs"? What kind of embrace was this anyway? Red turned her head to the side, searching for any clue on what his actions were, by moving her glare towards his face. She felt a small shiver down her spine when the man had placed his chin on her shoulder but didnt flinch as she started to get curious. Curious, on why he was really here and doing this weird stuff.

Him rubbing her stomach was very questionable. Blackwood slid her hands from his elbows' crooks to his hands, trying to either stop the petting or move his palms away from her belly. " Are you sure you're...okay?" Suspicious about this strange behaviour of his, Ruby frowned worried, sighing a bit relieved when the French let go of her. "Really flattering, but since when are we friends?" Whatever was in that fry, it was affecting Max, deeply. And the question on their friendship was a result of being prickled by curiosity. Would the cop still think of the two as enemies, or frienemies? The three had bonded more than well, but you could never be too sure in this enviroment. One could not afford trusting its own reflexion in the mirror, though somehow Ruby placed enough trust in those two than she should have. Now free of his hug, Ruby took a step away from him, pondering on either trying to dig up further information, or playing her own game. A game that wouldnt end too soon.

Who Timmy was didnt really concern Ruby, probably some annoying coworker by the looks of it. "So let me get this straight. You got pissed off at work, calmed down a bit and now came here to relax some more, or am I missing a point? Do you want me to order you some noodles?" Blondie said, folding her arms again and leaning against the table, facing Max. As much as it didnt feel completely right to allow him to be here, Ruby didnt want to ruin his day even more. Throwing a keyboard at someone meant a lot of anger, hopefully a relaxing evening would cheer Max up? Too bad she didnt know about his plans.

Keeping her soft side burried was a must, when around mafia members, or when out of her own shell. But in her apartment, no spy cameras could be sneaked, so there was no need to put up a whole new set of walls just for fun. Ruby could be a nice person, reliable and caring, but only for those who deserved it. Generally speaking, she was not going to label anyone she knew either in the 'bad' or the 'good' group. The latters was kinda empty anyway, if she wouldnt have to count Andrea and a few Enigma people. Maybe those two, Max and Jacob could fit there too?

any things were better off unexplained, he was right about that. A warm smile, a piece of advice in a critical moment, any small but significant caring gesture worked by that rule. Secret missions were also based on that, but it was probably not the case right now, and nor was with the affection stuff. Was Max 100% sure he had no drinks at the PD? Ruby couldnt smell any alcohol coming from him, so he was definitely sober. But her mind worked by making connections, and so far this hug thing Madden gave her did not tie up with anything she could think of. It was a calm embrace, but its meaning did not raise to the level of the hug in the aquarium night and surely it wasnt like that time the French tried to keep her out of having a panic attack after being shot. It was a..domestic feeling that surrounded them. A bit of a deja vu, and it was not the first time her mind associated a situation with something that had already happened. Ruby has had these strange episodes of deja vu for the past weeks now, it honestly felt like she was replaying a month of her life or something. But if only it would have been so easy..
Blackwood swallowed, tilting her head as Max adjusted his position. First he came in joking that he got fired, now he threw the ball on "visiting a friend". How many more reasons will he find in his try of keeping the true one a secret? No, he did not need something to have happened just to drop by, or show affection. It was just the woman not being used to it. But time fixed everything. He had the smile of a sheep but his wolf clothing was not in his advantage. " Alright then. But just if you feel like you've got a fever, or anything hurts, let me know so I can look for some medicine." There was some sarcasm in her words, but Ruby was mostly just having a normal, friendly conversation with him.

They were not friends. They were more than that, saving each other's lives, relying on the other when they needed it, they were allies in this mad world. Close friends, even if they knew little to nothing about the other's roots and stuff. But that's why they needed to hang out, to get to know more about themselves. "I dont want you as my enemy, Max. I could never label you like that, and dump you in the same cauldron as the Bianchis." With a little hesitation, Ruby spoke, unsure if lowering another wall would be a good thing or not. The plate next to Madden on the counter was forgotten, and Red's attention moved on this new predator, watching her moves and testing her reactions. She mimicked his position, raising herself on the table too and gluing her hands on the wooden surface, between her legs that balanced slowly. She gave him a small, playful squint, searching to inspect his following movements or make eye contact. "Oh, I could never blame you, since your company is quite enjoyable." With a smirk to defend herself from his innocent smiles, Red listened to him talk. She didnt care about the food anymore, for sure. Max was much more entertaining. "I will take that as a compliment, thank you." She nodded with a chuckle " I know what hanging out means, but you're kinda..undecided on what you're here for, from what I can see. Blackwood raosed a questioning, curious brow, and placed her hands at her sides, crossing her legs when he hopped off the counter.
The new home was great, there wasnt much interacting in the warehouse anyway. "It's very..quiet, pleasant. Oliver was always in his office anyway. Fortunately I didnt have a roommate. You know by now that I'm the reserved type, for sure."

It was not often that she had guests, it was actually rare considering that Enigma members just werent the type to drop by for a cup of tea and biscuits, or come to hang out, as Max called this act. The woman was not complaining either, of being gifted such friends in a city, a world like this. Madden and Pierce were the ones she could truly lean on if trouble arised, they had her back and she had their own, unconditionally trusting each other with their lives. It was a bit selfish of her to even attempt to question their friendship, even just as a joke, but Max seemed to actually be thankful that it was all clarified. No harm done.
Care, attention, emotion and affection- everybody needed that. No matter the quantities, one could go insane without those factors. Being on your own could be sickening, but if you were raised like that or if you adapted to it, there were less negative outcomes. On the bright side, no one's life depended on you, and yours was in your own hands; getting manipulated or blackmailed was much more difficult when there was no one you put in danger; death itself didnt seem like a big deal. Madden on the other hand, had proved that he feared to be left alone. Knowing there would be no one to remember him seemed to be his biggest nightmare. Why run from such lux? Ruby couldnt fully understand it yet.

"Did you really think I would put you on the same side as my enemies?" The woman furrowed her brown confused, a glimpse of sadness or maybe a disappointed one in her glare, pointed at the cop. No matter what happened, or would happen between them, there was no way Ruby would turn her back on Max, or redirect her strong loyalty. Only her friends deserved it, her being loyal to them, the Bianchis were not them. Jacob didnt appear as a Bianchi in her vision either, he had a tag hanging from his neck with the word "friend" on it. "You're not quite my best friend, but you are not an ordinary buddy either." Words, labels, were all so complicated. Red wasnt even sure how far on the frienship scale Max sat, probably somewhere between Oliver and Andrea, side by side with Jacob.

Telling him some small truths couldnt hurt, and that was mostly why Ruby decided to slowly open up in front of him, or at least throw a rope over her walls for him to catch. His game went unnoticed after he touched such personal topics, mostly because she trusted him not to do anything stupid. His words brought a chuckle to the Israeli, and as the fry flew towards her, Blackwood caught it between her fingers, and bit half of it. "I am reserved, when around strangers, or when I'm in a crowd. It's just you two idiots make me feel comfortable enough. You make me feel myself enough to get out of my bubble." Sharing a room with Jacob, as Madden put it, rand kinky to her ears though. "Max please, I just ate, remember?" With a mocking disgusted face, Ruby shook her head once and ate the remaining half of the fry, pushing herself off the table. If he wanted to follow her to the living room, so be it. "So how's the PD doing? Still struggling on unsolved cases, making up rumors, or what?" Addressing him from the doorway of the living, the blonde then leaned against the frame and folded her arms while smiling.

He probably couldnt join the blonde club because he was not a blonde, nor a woman, it had nothing to do with his personality or the level of their closeness. If Ruby was to be honest, Max was the closest thing to a male bestfriend she had ever had. But saying, or even thinking that would mean to friendzone him, or Jacob, and she was not going to do such thing. It was a stupid idea, because that would mean that she had to think further and elaborate new titles for their relations. All that mattered was that they both were on the positive metter. "How do you know about Andrea and I anyway? Did she tell any "funny stories"...?" The woman lowered a brow, trying to read in the man's eyes if he was hidding something. So skeptical, curious but a bit worried on what her bestfriend could have said. Imagine the horror! What if Keller told Max any embarrassing college stories? Ruby would never be able to make him stop laughing in her face, nor stop blushing like some angry tomato.
" Choke kiss "people"? You're very wrong. I dont go around distributing strangle smootches, I keep them for the so called special snowflakes. It's how you know you've both pissed me off an__" Red abruptly stopped in her sudden urge to spill her guts to him, only to make Max understand her reasons, when she figured that she didnt need to open up to him. No one was forcing her to do so, and giving the French more leverage or something to laugh about was not in her schedule. But she was exagerating with that specia snowflake part. He really did piss her off, and Ruby couldnt find another way to snap then. " No, I'm just kidding dont worry. I just couldnt decide on either suffocating you with my hand or my lips." With a less joking tone, the blonde waved with her hand once, chuckling. He was right about having to find out about the real Ruby though. So far, not him, nor Jacob digged up the warm and soft Little Red. But that part was always panicking when the Bianchi and the cop were in trouble of any kind. Being worried off the charts, sometimes blaming herself (befrore trying to blame their stupidity) , it was not natural for her and she had no idea how to control it.

Now, those rumors were interesting. How did anyone from the PD know about that little affair (if it could be called that) anyway? It was obviously Max that had a big mouth, or went to work with little guilty marks exposed. His fault, so why was he angry for being the subject of gossip anyway? "Poor Andrea. Cant you lie about someone else? She doesnt deserve it." Blackwood laughed, unfolding her arms as the French began poking her stomach, trying to stop his hand from annoying her by slapping it away. Preferably without breaking the eye cointact, to look less disturbed by his actions. The Israeli moved from the doorway, walking behind near the couch and sitting on one of the armrests just like she sat on the table before, curious on what Max was planning to do.

"Maybe"?! What does that even mean? That look on his face made Ruby internally punch herself. How did he even manage to make her feel caught in the act like that, without actually telling her that he knew anything. The "maybe.." trick was older than the ancient Greeks, it was something one said when they didnt want to burn any bridges but also wanted to look like they had blackmail material. Max just enjoyed to toy with her like that. Ruby tilted her head to the side, looking away for a moment before looking back at him with a side grin and a joking frown. It was not funny when you were the target, the vulnerable one, huh? "Liar!" She chuckled, wanting to think that he knew nothing, rather than falling for that trick, and raised her hand towards him, attempting to give him a gentle push in his chest as some unspoken "bitch please".
At this point, she was really clueless on why the man came over today, but quite honestly Ruby wasnt complaining. He was being his usual self, all relaxed, funny and mischevious. Pretty enjoyable, considering he was not here to accuse her of any murder she actually commited, or stuff like that. "Yes, I should probably tell Jacob that he's special too. I was planning to tell him on the 30th of February, in 2000-AintGonnaHappen. No, I dont want that to get to his head." Ruby laughed, shaking her head disapprovingly. Jacob being told he's special to someone, the next thing she knew was that the mercenary would stab her. Or worse. Exclusive, did he say? The blonde raised a brow curiously, the corners of her lips curling up. She was not 100% sure what he actually meant by that, and did not want to make any assumptions. "You dont like it. You love it. But please, explain to me how does 'being exclusive' make you feel, Max Madden?" Ruby used that oh-so-seductive tone in her voice when addressing that question, looking up at him with a pouty expression, half mocking him and the other half just really curious on how he would answer. Her hand was also brought up being folded in a fist with her index finger curled under her chin, in a thinking manner. On the other hand, the Israeli had no idea what he just said in French. Another sentence for her to Google Translate and note in her small agenda of leverage. "You'd be amazed how easy it is to kill one."

Andrea was a goofball, she sure knew how to make and take jokes, but a rumor of sleeping with someone..didnt really sound like it could cause one's laughter. If the PD eventually settled on that, Andrea would have lots to explain to get out of that shitty pit of a false word being spread around. Ruby felt bad for her bestfriend. "Yeah, or Andrea will kick your ass. I'm just warning you.." The woman raised her shoulders in a shrug, pinching her lips together in a guilty smile and putting her hands up in defense. Eventually if Max did nothing about that rumor, and it upset Andrea, Ruby would definitely do something. Be it by defending Andrea and lying about some other blonde, or by walking into the PD one morning with some coffee and a trip to Max's office, again to demolish any false accusations that could embarrass Keller. What were bestfriends for?

Neighbours? He..met..her what? Ruby stared at him suspiciously, narrowing her eyes and bitting on the interior of her cheek. "I didnt even know there was a couple living on this level.." Honestly, she did not put much on socialising with her neighbours. But this info might explain some latenight door knocking coming from the loft next to hers. Where are the soundproof walls when you need them? "Did they..pass by..or also asked you stuff? I mean how come you met my neighbours and I didnt?" Ruby placed her elbow on Madden's knee, holding her chin on top of the back of her palm and looking at him curiously.