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"What's taking them so long?" Ruby stretched her arms over her head, drumming her heels against the floor. Blake had made her sit after watching her pace the room for upwards of ten minutes, citing their need to keep their outfits in some semblance of order, but nothing could contain the girl's energy for long.
The bassist glanced at Ruby over the top of her book, one eyebrow raised. "You know the only person on earth more vain than your sister is Weiss," she pointed out dryly. "Yang pretends like she just rolls out of bed looking that good, but we've all seen her morning routine."
"I knowwww," Ruby groaned, going limp in her chair. "But it's still annoying. And Weiss was the one who lectured us about showing up on time! I'm totally gonna tell her 'I told you so'. She'll be so mad." Smug and apparently content with her plans for the singer's punishment, she busied herself with sorting through the magazines on the waiting room's coffee table.
Blake shook her head and smiled, going back to her book. It was a familiar one, so she could pay only half attention while still following the story. The other half of her attention was on the door into the studio, her ears pricked for any sound. She could just barely make out voices beyond it; the soft sea-green she recognized as belonging to the photographer, and a sharp-edged dark cherrywood that brushed against something sharp in her memory. Whoever the woman was, Blake had heard her speak before, but couldn't quite place where.
She was just about to stop puzzling over it when both voices approached the door. It opened, revealing the photographer and a dark-haired woman in a leather jacket; Ruby let out a startled squawk, dropping her pile of magazines. Blake very carefully didn't smile, closing her book and looking up at the man in askance.
He nodded to her amicably. "Good to meet you. You're Blake and...Ruby, I take it?" He eyed the redhead as she crawled around on floor, trying to retrieve the wayward reading material.
"That's us!" Ruby crowed, nearly braining herself on the table as she sat up. "Yang and Weiss are on their way, just doing some last minute adjustments to their outfits I think." She smiled brightly. "And you're Cyril, the photographer, right?"
The man--Cyril, apparently--nodded again. "That's me. Sorry for the rush, all of you, but I'm a little behind schedule and I have a few things to set up before your shoot. If you'll excuse me...?" Without waiting for an answer he bustled back into the studio and shut the door firmly behind him, leaving the stranger woman in the waiting room with them.
Blake was staring openly at this point. She knew she had recognized the voice, but she was used to hearing it like it was going up in flames around her, pale orange and blue flickers eating away at the dark, smoky grain underneath. The woman's golden eyes bored into hers for a moment, and then she smiled wickedly, and Blake felt cold silk slide down the jagged ridges of her spine, like razors pressed just so against her skin. Unnerving didn't even begin to describe it, in no small part because it left her feeling vaguely aroused.
Ruby was immune to the tension. "Hello!" she greeted cheerfully, popping up to her feet. "I'm Ruby and that's Blake, like the camera guy said. Who're you?"
The woman's eyes cut over to her, molten gold going metal-hard, and Blake winced. "Ruby," she hissed under her breath, "that's Cinder Fall."
Ruby's silver eyes went wide and round. "Like, the Cinder Fall?" Blake nodded. "Wow! That's incredible, I can't believe--wait. What are you doing here?" She went from friendly to suspicious so fast it almost gave Blake whiplash, leaving her frozen in place as she watched her girlfriend face down against arguably the most notable woman in the rock scene in recent months.
Cinder raised a single elegant brow, her voice coming out smooth and low. "I could ask you the same, little Rose."
Ruby bristled at the nickname but didn't back down. "We're here for a photoshoot. Don't you have bigger, fancier places you could go to? And where's the rest of your band? Or are you too good for group shots now?"
The older woman didn't rise to the challenge, just crossed her arms and resettled her weight in a way that made her skin-tight black jeans hug her hips even closer, if that was possible. Ruby's eyes strayed downwards, then back up to her face. Blake was far less reserved. Cinder's shift in stance had made it very obvious that she wasn't wearing a single stitch under that leather jacket, just a long silver chain that draped around her neck and disappeared down between her breasts.
Cinder took a deep breath, and Blake flushed and looked away, knowing the woman had seen where her gaze had been. "I was asked for a solo shoot; a friend of mine is writing a piece on vocalists. And really, I can't take the others anywhere. So unruly, fighting all the time. They're like children that way." She smiled indulgently down at Ruby, who hadn't missed the subtle scorn in her voice.
"Easy, Ruby." Blake murmured to her, taking her hand. Ruby glanced down at her, then relaxed slightly, getting her temper under control. Turning her attention back to Cinder, Blake asked, almost amiably, "So what are you doing here? She's right, there are far more high-profile studios you could afford to go to now. This place is pretty drab by comparison."
She gave a razor of a smile in return, making Blake's breath catch as the full force of her gaze was returned to her. No wonder Ruby was on edge. "I got my start here, same as you. I'm good to those who are good to me." Her voice made that far more suggestive than it had right to be. "And I like Cyril's place. Much more private, more...intimate." Blake heard Ruby swallow hard. "It's invitation only, did you know?"
"Yeah, we knew. We were invited ourselves," Ruby told her proudly. "He said one of the artists he photographs told him about us, and that he should have us here."
That smile was more like a knife now, cutting through any thoughts left in Blake's mind that Cinder's intent was anything but predatory. "And who exactly, do you think, told him something like that?"
Ruby gaped, blinking rapidly. "You mean--you told him about us?"
Blake's brow furrowed. "But how did you find out about us?"
Cinder tilted her head, eyes hooded knowingly. It was amazing how much she could convey with such subtle movements of her face. "Why, I saw you play last month."
"Last month? But that was..." Ruby trailed off, making the face that meant she was trying to organize her memories. Blake, on the other hand, remembered that show quite readily. It had been for one of the underground clubs, not strictly legal, and with a great number of on-stage shenanigans. Including Yang tossing Weiss bodily into the crowd (a staple of their shows at that point), a demand for a rendition of their Youtube-famous cover of Bubblegum Bitch (something Blake dearly hoped wasn't going to become a staple), two instances of what could arguably be called arson from Yang (unexpected but also unsurprising), and...one instance of Ruby and herself making out towards the end of a particularly complex guitar bridge (something they'd always joked about doing but never actually done until that night).
It seemed Ruby had found her own recollection of that show, judging by the rather impressive shade of red her face had gone. "B-but, what were you doing at that show?" she managed to sputter out incredulously. "That place was--well I mean, it was good, but it wasn't--"
"What she means is, it's not the kind of place someone like you would frequent," Blake interjected flatly. "I've heard all about your expensive tastes." For venues, instruments, wine, women...
Cinder smirked, stalking forward. Blake rose to meet her, putting their faces only scant inches from each other. "You know better than to trust in rumours, Blake," Cinder murmured, and the younger woman had to suppress a shiver at the sound of her name, the way Cinder's voice curled around the edges of it. "I hardly let the media catch wind of all of my goings-on. My tastes can be far...rougher than they like to portray." Blake froze as she leaned in, breathing against her ear. "But you'd know all about things like that, wouldn't you?"
Before Blake could react she had stepped back, turning that melted-gold gaze on Ruby. "And I like to check out the competition sometimes. I know potential when I see it." She tapped a finger against her blood red lips thoughtfully, eyes slightly narrowed. "Time will tell if you can live up to it, I suppose."
Ruby bristled defensively. "We can. We will." Her eyes glittered fiercely. "You'll see. I bet we get signed within the year." Blake winced. That was a very bold proclamation; It was already August. Ruby, being Ruby, hadn't bothered noticing.
Cinder reached out, tracing a black-nailed finger along Ruby's jaw. Blake swallowed a sudden surge of jealousy. "And what are you willing to stake on that, little one?"
Ruby twitched, eyeing Cinder's hand, but didn't pull away. "Well, I uh, that is--" A flush began to spread across her face as she struggled for words.
Cinder laughed, the full ringing sound at odds with her husky voice and coy manner. "Maybe I'll come crash your celebration when it happens. We'll chat, have a few drinks. Then you can decide. How does that sound?" She leaned in, her lips just shy of brushing over Ruby's. This time, Blake's anger was tempered by the image of Ruby responding to a kiss from Cinder with force and teeth, the way she did when her blood was up, pushing Cinder back and--
"Or maybe I won't." She chuckled, breaking the spell. "Maybe you'll lose, and I'll decide what to do with you. Wouldn't that be fun?"
Raucous voices outside the door made Ruby jump and Blake rub her eyes for a moment, the familiar bursts of silvery-red and bright green a welcome sight against the backdrop of her eyelids. Cinder gave them both a secretive half-smile, stepping past them and towards the exit. "That's my cue. I look forward to seeing the two of you again." She opened the door, standing back to allow the newcomers in, then slipped through it without a word.
Blake thought the whole thing was a little anticlimactic. Shaking her head, she turned her attention to the scene in front of her.
"I cannot believe you!" Weiss was berating Yang, swatting away the blonde's attempts to pull her into a consoling hug. "We may not be professionals yet, but we'll never get there if we don't act like it now, so I'll thank you to keep your hands off of me, you enormous oaf!"
Noticing that Ruby was still recovering from their little encounter, Blake covered for her. "Did someone walk in on you two making out in the bathroom?"
Weiss made a squawk of outrage that couldn't have been good for her voice, but Yang's grin told Blake all she needed to know. These two, honestly.
"Well, you lucked out, because Cyril was running a little late with his last client," Ruby piped up, her composure regained and cheerful smile in place. She bounced a little in place, already back to being excited about their presence in a real live photography studio.
"Oh? Well, whoever they were they can't have been as important as us. Maybe I should have a word with him about priorities, or..." Weiss had apparently already forgotten that she and Yang were outstandingly late for their appointment time. As she rambled off about reputation and due respect, half-dragging Yang over to the studio door, Ruby turned to Blake with wide eyes.
"She is going to lose her shit when we tell her."