Leaving the Nest [Ruby]

In the middle of the box apocalypse was none other than Ruby, the woman he chose to be his second in command for her skills and trustfulness, the woman he knew was a merciless killer and who he would trust with his life, she was just there, in the middle of the boxes, hugging a gun (???), talking to it like it was some sort of long lost dog. Ryan shot her a judging look, secretly thankful the warehouse was quite empty now, he didn’t want people doubting his judgement because of his tastes in right hand. “Morning yeah, whatever” he made a dismissive gesture, not worrying too much about proper greetings or politeness. “I see you’re busy…? Should I leave you and your gun alone?” He said amusedly.

Of course Ruby had a sarcastic response to him, it wouldn’t be her otherwise. He rolled his eyes, bypassing some boxes to get closer to the woman and peer inside the closest open beside her, it was full of knifes and other assorted weapons. “I know they are boxes, asshole, I meant why are they taking over my warehouse?” He asked her, the insult sounding more like a fond nickname than something mean. Did she receive a shipment of new weapons? But these looked like her favorite knives she was placing on the boxes, new way to keep her stuff organized perhaps? Theories passed on his mind, but he simply could not piece this puzzle together.

“There’s no right side on Chicago, you know that.” He answered with a smile, the banter coming easily between the two of them. “What are you doing exactly, then?” he decided to ask, being direct in trying to understand what could his right hand be possibly doing. He briefly wondered if she would bother to put all the boxes someplace that wouldn’t make someone trip if they aren’t paying attention when she was done.

Aww, itty bitty Ruby missed her baby guns, how adorable. “Will you ever love me as much as your weapons?” He responded dramatically, like a parent whose child decided the other one was their favorite. They had this easy friendship Ryan appreciated deeply. She was young, beautiful and extremely capable, and yet she accepted working with him, helping him take this city for himself. There was respect there, even if to anyone looking it wouldn’t seen so, he didn’t like to take things as an strict hierarchy or with rules from every little thing to the point his people would be afraid to even glance at him, as long they did what was asked, and in front of enemies they showed some respect to him, he could let a lot slide, from name calling to angry screaming. Enigma was built to be a family and Ruby was like the little sister he never had, and like any good big brother, Ryan was ready to tease her at any moment, and he could be certain she would tease right back.

The warehouse would be boring if it wasn’t for the woman’s sarcastic humor, though right now he wished she would stop beating around the bush and just tell what all these boxes were about. “Right, and you gave them a space in your room? I do hope they’ll be gone eventually.” He crossed his arms, shooting an incredulous look at her. He could almost see himself tripping over everything once he came back to the base drunk.

He looked at Ruby in disbelief as she explained the boxes, an expression of pure shock coming to his face. He was speechless for about two minutes, freezing as he tried to process that Ruby was moving, she was leaving him alone, how could she do that? “…You’re… leaving?” Was what he managed to say, he gaped at her bit more, before finally removing his words. “What do you mean by that?? Since when?” His voice was getting louder at each syllable. And then she explained how it shouldn’t be a surprise, but it didn’t make any more sense to him, he had no memory of Ruby telling anything about moving. “I’m not old, you didn’t tell me anything!” It was possible he was too drunk to remember, or that he was so swamped by paperwork that he didn’t pay attention, possibly both. “How can you betray me like that, Ruby? I trusted you, now you’ll abandon me.” There was a whiny tone to his voice, and deep down he knew he was being overdramatic, but he couldn’t understand what was wrong with the base, and why Ruby wanted to leave him like that.

Aw geez, Ruby and her toys, Ryan should know he could never compete against those. It was sad really, he gave her a (ware)house to live, a job, a family to belong, and still she gave all her love to a cruddy old gun that apparently had abandoned her until recently. But he should be glad she didn’t find her bazooka instead, that level of destruction in her hands was something he didn’t wish to repeat, specially near his base, Enigma already managed to destroy it enough without such a powerful destructive weapon. “No no, keep loving your gun, leave the Bazooka hidden where it is, for my sanity’s sake.” Safety rules were there to protect everyone, why was it so hard for people to understand that?

While Ryan tried to process the shock of the news, Ruby went around her business, straightening the boxes, separating them and organizing for pick up. It sounded so surreal, his Ruby going away like that, no previous notice, no nothing, one day she was just suddenly gone. If Ryan hadn’t caught her on the act, he probably wouldn’t notice until it was too late. Days would go by and she wouldn’t show up, leaving Ryan worried and wondering, what a terrible thing to do. Even as she tried to reassure him, he could only see it as Ruby leaving him alone to deal with all those assholes who lived on the warehouse (he still loved all of them, but still, it was Ruby, his right hand.) “But… but, what will I do if I have to talk to you urgently in the middle of the night? What if someone attacks you in this new place and I’m not there to help you? So many things can go wrong, Ruby! There’s no need to leave.” He started pacing around the room, being careful to not trip one any of the boxes, but Ruby seemed determined to leave, she could be stubborn if she wanted, and now that not only the idea had settled on her mind, but she apparently also had a place already, it was very unlikely Ryan would be able to make her change her mind.

How could he have missed such a big change? She was basically out of the door with her army of boxes and he had no memory of Ruby telling him anything, it was ridiculous to think he would ignore such an important announcement. “You did not tell me!” he all but screamed, a distressed expression on his face “You can have your independence here! And… and… well, the guests can go someplace else.” He didn’t even know she would have people to invite on her house that weren’t Enigma, when did that happen? “Who are these guests anyway? Last time I checked you were too paranoid to let anyone near where you slept.” Ruby had friends outside of Enigma? That was yet another surprise, Ryan would like to meet whoever those are, to see if they were good enough for Ruby.

A sigh escaped his lips when she softly told him she wouldn’t abandon him, calling him a brother and everything, how could he stay mad at her if she acted like that? It wasn’t fair. If he was being completely honest, he could understand that sometimes the warehouse could be crowded and loud, God knows Ryan himself sometimes wished he could just go away from everyone, but that would cause the hideout to explode, probably. “I know, but I don’t want you to leave” he said, his voice still whiny, but not as loud and outraged anymore. He accepted the hug, squeezing her tight, without trying to hurt though, just like a bear hug. “You didn’t even asked for my help to pack or prepare anything.” Doing everything on her own, how did she expect to move all those boxes by herself?

It was very easy for her to say nothing was going to happen, but she couldn’t know that for sure. He knew neighbors could be a bunch of rich crazy killers, or worse, what if she moved close to a cop who would try to arrest her. A building full of strangers, no idea what their intentions were. Ryan was mostly acting purposefully overdramatic, but his concerns weren’t completely unfounded, it would have been nice if he had known for longer, so he could at least make though background check on each person who lived there, just to make sure Ruby would be safe. He would still do it, of course, but now if there really was someone with questionable connections living near Ruby, he would only find out after she had already moved. “I’m serious, Ruby, don’t hesitate to call me if you need any kind of help.” He also would have to make sure to visit her often, he knew her pride could get in her way sometimes.

Sometimes, or most of times, Ryan wasn’t able to control the volume of his voice, he had a powerful voice, and more often than not he started shouting if he got too excited or distressed. Ruby was used to it, she only chuckled at his screams, the newer members of Enigma who weren’t used to it tended to think he was too angry or grumpy, when in reality, Ryan was just loud. Right now he was feeling truly distressed, enough to make him forget to maintain a proper tone of voice. “You’re already bringing people to your house!!! People who aren’t me!” He screamed, missing the mischievous glint in her eyes that would be obvious in retrospect. “Oh” Was all he said when she showed him her gun. Oh well, at least she was smart to keep a weapon nearby. “Well good. Don’t go anywhere unarmed.” He said more softly, kinda relieved she wasn’t just bringing strangers (to him) to her house yet. The advice was basic knowledge and Ruby should know already, but it didn’t hurt to remind her.

Watching his daughter or his baby sister leaving to brave this terrible unfair word, that was how Ryan felt seeing Ruby leave. He knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, she was an adult when he met her, and he shouldn’t expect her to tell him every single little detail of her life, but he cared too much, felt like it was his duty to protect and care for her, he felt like that with most people in Enigma, she was just the one he felt more strongly about, his right hand and also one of his best friends, and Ryan knew he couldn’t stop her from leaving even if he tried.

But he wasn’t allowed even to offer help, that was an outrage. Her explanation seemed simple enough, there was always somebody lounging around the warehouse she could ask for help, well, that person might as well be him. “Pfff business my ass, don’t be stupid, I’d have dropped anything to help you. It’s not needy to ask for help, Ruby.” He smiled at her in reassurance, before looking at all the boxes littering the ground, about twenty between the closed, the half-filled and the empty ones. It shouldn’t take too long. “What else needs packing? Tell me what do you need help with.” He prompted her, looking expectantly. Even if he couldn’t stop Ruby from leaving, they at least could have this moment of bonding together.

Pffff Jealous, as if. He had more things to be concerned about than jealousy, he just was looking out for Ruby’s best interest, and as such, he should be the first one to visit her new apartment, to make sure everything was safe. It also didn’t hurt that it would make him feel good to know he was the first Ruby thought of inviting, big brother pride and all. Everything made perfect logical sense in his mind, Ryan was a very reasonable person. But where did that sister comment came from? “Now you are the one who sounds jealous, afraid I’ll replace you with a new sister now that you’re abandoning me?” He teased right back, chucking lightly. “I’ll hold you to it Ruby, no sharing your house before it is Ryan approved.” He still wanted to know who were those so called friends, she thought them important enough to be one of the reasons for her to move away from him.

Apparently Ruby wasn’t the most careful with her weapons, how did guns end up under the bed? Ryan wasn’t the most organized, he would bet his bedroom had more empty bottles hidden away than the weak liquor cabinet had alcohol, but weapons should treated with care. He didn’t say anything though, just let out a huff of laugh and went to do as she asked. “Do they have names, these friends of yours? Is it anyone I know?” He asked casually after a few moments, going towards the chains she asked him to sort. His voice gave the impression the question wasn’t a big deal, nothing more than slight curiosity, but Ryan was very attentive to what Ruby would answer. Careful to not tangle the chains, Ryan pulled the red labelled box towards him and started sorting the items. “Why do you even need so many chains?” he asked confused after a few moments, a variety of weapons, he could understand, but chains is not our usual household item, what use could she possibly have for those?

That would be the day, when Ryan decided he didn’t want Ruby anymore and found another girl to put on her place. She made it sound like he just brought anyone he found on the street to his gang and started calling family. It was kinda true, but the annoying little sister tittle would always belong to Ruby. “I dunno about tall redheads, but since you’re leaving me, maybe I can find another right hand who is already part of the family.” He said casually, a mischievous smirk on his face. “Like Vienne, she’s been with us for a bit, I bet I could trust her and she could even appreciate the new space.” He opened his arms, gesturing around Ruby’s room. Ryan was kidding, of course, but it was fun to tease Ruby the same way she had a blast teasing him.

How many guns did Ruby have laying around in nooks and crannies? He shot her a curious look, but choose not to comment. For some reason he never thought Ruby would be the disorganized type, and yet here they were, the woman finding guns under the bed and who knows where else. She was also very protective of these friends of hers, for a minute Ryan thought she wouldn’t share their names, but she trusted him thankfully, and in the end, he didn’t really know anyone named Max or Jacob, but he knew he wouldn’t like either of them. “I see… Do they have last names as well?” he asked with a suspicious look. Two guys… for some reason he had imagined said friends to be girls, but now he realized it was just being hopeful. “You say that, but for all I know, the girl could be worse than the two guys.” Guys could be pigs, but girls could be, oh so much worse.

He put the chains carefully inside the box, one by one. It would be the most perfect box of chains in the entire world. Ruby’s explanation made Ryan chuckle, so many uses for these kind of things, from kinky stuff to killing stuff, sometimes even both. “Is that so? I’m sure you have plenty of fun with these.” He rattled the chain in his hand to make a point, and smirked as he asked the next question. “Do you have fun with your friends with these as well?” Maybe he would regret asking that, but it was a nice thought, Ruby smacking her male friends, showing everyone she was in charge and all that.