Lovely (Ruby x Dyrroth)

twelve

A dissatisfied look flitted across Alice's face, there and gone. She didn't meet Selena's eyes as she said calmly, 'Yes, Selena. I noticed.' After several seconds of nothing but silence, she raised her head again and appraised the young elf with a subtle interest. 'Can you tell me anything about why he behaved like that?'

Her politeness was sickeningly fake, and Selena could barely resist the urge to pull a look of disgust. God, stupid woman, can't you just act a little desperate to find out? What is there to hide?

'I don't know.' Selena was struck by a sudden indecisiveness, caught between telling Alice about how Dyrroth had sneaked out at night or leaving that part out. 'I personally think that...your son's kind of interested in that girl, to be honest. It's just my opinion, though. I might not be correct.'

Alice scoffed sourly. 'I told him not to get distracted. It seems he didn't take my advice.'

'Should we do something about it?' Selena suggested calmly, keeping her voice steady. She'd planned everything out earlier. If she wasn't wrong, Alice would agree to this and Selena could put her plans into action.

Alice scrutinized her thoughtfully through half-closed lids. 'Sure,' she replied. 'What do you have in mind?'

Selena swallowed loudly. Her heartbeat sped up.

Here goes...

---

It was seemingly late afternoon when someone else joined Ruby and her friends in the miserable, lonely room. However, when Ruby saw who it was, she realised she much preferred having not been visited at all. 

It was Selena.

She sashayed into the room with a smirk plastered onto her face, and the glint in her sparkly fuchsia eyes made Ruby's insides twist with loathing. She was planning something. Ruby was sure of it.

Judging by the looks on her friends' faces, they didn't like her either. 'What do you want?' asked Harley dryly, inspecting his fingernails with great interest.

Selena pouted. 'I see I'm not welcome here.' Just then, Ruby noticed the two loaves of bread she held in her left hand. Her stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten for what felt like ages. 

But why was it only two loaves?

'You're obviously not welcome, girl,' muttered Kagura in a low voice. Selena gave her an affronted look and whipped two empty glasses and a jug of water out of thin air.

'Y'all are acting really ungrateful, you know?' asked Selena, sickeningly innocent. That was when a wicked smile briefly flashed across her face for half a second. 'No food for you, then.'

'Oh, come on,' growled Ruby, her patience wearing thin. 'Just hurry up and decide whether you want to let us starve already. Stop pissing us off by acting like such a priss.'

The elf-demon's lips curled into a sneer. 'Whatever, then.' Her tone turned into a honeyed, mocking lisp. 'I've decided that you're not getting any food. Yes, just you.'

Anger flared inside Ruby, bright and true, and she felt a familiar ruthless, bloodthirsty sensation flow through her veins, a feeling she often experienced when she gazed into the moonlit eyes of the wolves. Staring coldly into Selena's pink eyes right at this moment, Ruby realised that she saw the very same predatory arrogance in them that she saw in the wolves.

Interesting.

'I don't know what you have against my friend,' said Kagura calmly from beside Ruby, 'but it makes you look fucking biased, and I hope you know that.' There was a menace hidden beneath her emotionless voice that made Selena freeze, just for a second.