#I think she helps with his confience

[tobias-hankel]

This is where a pimp works?

Criminal Minds: The Caller, 09x10

[rwbyvein]

Firen Lhain: Chapter 708: Chooser of the Fallen:  Part I/III

"Soooooo?" Nora asked, as she swung her legs while sitting on a crate, "Why are you guys evil?"

"What kind of question is that?" Emerald asked.

"A sincere one." Cinder said, looking Nora in the eyes. Behind her Ilia's skin changed to camouflage against the back wall.

"Not the brightest one, is she?" Mercury asked.

"You can't just?!.." Emerald tried to say, but was cut off by Nora.

"Okay, yeah, I'm not the brightest, but you know what I'm not?!" she asked, "EVIL! That's what I'm not."

"Emerald." Cinder lightly admonished.

"Bu?.." Emerald asked, looking at Mercury.

"We're not going to earn their trust by lying." Mercury stated.

Emerald looked desperately between the two, unsure of what do say.

"He's right." Cinder said to Emerald. "We have to do the most difficult thing we've ever done." Emerald looked at her with quiet, nearly panicked anticipation. "Be nice."

"And mean it!" Nora exclaimed, pointing vigorously at Emerald.

"How can we?!.." Emerald asked.

Ilia's colours moved away form the camouflage for a moment, between camouflaged and normal, "Learn to get along." Ilia said, and then nearly disappeared back in the wall.

"If you want a story?," Cinder asked, "you'll have to get me some water."

"Ha!" Nora exclaimed, pointing at Cinder, "Ironwood said the taps work!"

"You haven't tried them?!" an exascerbated Emerald asked.

"We were kind of busy..." Nora nervously said.

"Doing what?," Mercury asked Nora, "exactly?"

Ilia reverted to her ordinary colours and stepped away from the wall, "They are on their honeymoon."

"Who?" Emerald asked.

"All of them." Mercury said, laughing at what he thought was a misspoken word.

"I've got Renny." Nora said, "Jaune has..."

"the rest of them?" Cinder asked.

"Like?.." Nora asked, counting on her fingers, "all but Aurora and Ilia, and from what I heard they TRIED to join in." Once again Ilia stepped back and camouflaged against the wall.

"Aren't they?," Cinder asked as she walked towards the tap, "I don't know, jealous?"

"Renny's more than enough for me, thank you very much." Nora stated, "Though it is, like, incredible to have friends, and a home, and..."

Ilia's face reverted to normal, the rest of her skin hidden against the wall, "It's... surprisingly..."

"They LOVE each other." Nora stated, "Literally. The TOWER SHOOK!" she exclaimed, and Ilia camouflaged her face again, as Nora pantomimed grabbing the tower and shaking.

Cinder tried the tap, and it did, indeed work. "Nora?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah?" she asked.

"The tap works." Cinder stated, "Could we get some cups?"

Nora pulled out her scroll and started texting. "Okay, start talking in."

"I guess?," Cinder asked, and stepped towards her, "we'll have to... trust her. So, you want to know the deep, dark truth?"

"YES!" Nora eagerly exclaimed.

"I was offered power and took it." Cinder said with a satisfied smirk.

"That's it?" a curious Nora leaned forward and asked.

Cinder sat on the ground, "I was young, so young. I barely remember my father, other than at some point, he existed. But, I do remember my step-family."

"Was it Salem?!" Nora asked.

Ilia uncamouflaged her face to ask, "How could you?.."

"It was." Cinder said with a sultry smile.

"Called it!" Nora exclaimed.

"How could you possibly?.." Ilia tried to ask.

"It was me," Cinder stated, "my three step-sisters, and my step-mother. My existence was only allowed on the condition I work for the family. And I worked." Cinder paused, looking at Nora.

"Aanndd?.." Nora eagerly asked.

"My cup?" Cinder asked.

"I wonder what's taking them so long?" Nora asked.

* * *

Blake opened every cupboard in the kitchen, "Do we even own cups?"

Ren walked up behind her, "Aurora did say she had shopping to do."

"Mayhap?," Weiss asked, "we'll have to share."

* * *

Ruby Petal-Burst down the stairs and stopped in front of the cell. She then stepped forward, holding a single wooden cup through the cell.

"That's it?!" Emerald asked.

"Yeah, well, you see?.." Ruby nervously asked, "We don't have enough cups."

"Obviously." Ilia said, and broke her camouflage, stepping away from the wall. Ruby jumped with a start as she turned to looked at her, the cup clanging against the bars. She then jumped once again as Cinder gently pulled the cup from her hands.

"A bright one, isn't she?" Mercury sarcastically asked.

"Where did you think Ilia was?" Nora asked.

"I don't know." Ruby nervously said. "I'm not used to having guests. Prisoners? Prison guests?"

"Prison guests." Nora affirmed.

Cinder passed the cup to Emerald, "If you don't mind?"

"Of course!" Emerald adoringly said to her, and rushed over to the sink. She then passed the cup to Cinder as she sat on the floor.

"Okay, uh?," Ruby asked, "have fun?" She then Petal-Burst back up the stairs.

"How can she be so?.." Emerald tried to asked.

"Adorable, isn't she?" Cinder asked.

"Not what I was going to..." Emerald mumbled.

"She meant every word of it," Cinder said to her, "even if you did not like the way it came."

Emerald's eyes grew wide with shock.

Cinder then looked back to Nora, drinking from her cup. "Now, imagine me, but young and disheveled..."

"Imagine." Nora said, and snickered.

"What does that mean!?" Emerald shouted at her.

"It means," Nora said, "she's not as good looking as she used to be. I mean, you were like all so va-va-voom, and now you seem embarassed."

Cinder was surrounded by minor flames, but concentrated on breathing.

"Maybe there's a reason she wants to be healed?" Mercury asked.

"Pssht." Nora said.

"Pssh?!" Emerald exclaimed.

"I mean, like scars are wicked cool." Nora continued, "That's not it at all."

"Then what is it?" Mercury neutrally asked.

"I don't know?," Nora asked, "like, confience. The Grimm arm would be pretty cool if it wasn't so evil. But evil is cool, isn't it? I mean, Torchwick was pretty cool, and he was evil? Adam was like WAY evil, and he was like, wa-shooosh." she said, and mimicing Adam's Iaido draw-slash.

"Then what are you?" Mercury asked her. This caused Nora to jump up and flex her bicepts.

"Like wicked strong." Nora stated. "But, like, Cinder USED to have like a wicked-sexy dress, and a wicked sexy walk, and just exuded evil, but now she exudes..." Nora said, gesturing to Cinder sitting on the floor, "I don't know?"

"I was avoiding saying this," Mercury said to Cinder, and held his hand out. Cinder passed him the cup, which he drank deeply from, "but Cinder doesn't have the power she used to have."

"I what?" Cinder nervously asked.

"Now," Nora interjected, "she's just like angry and raspy and depressing."

"This is true." Mercury said, and took another sip from his cup. Cinder tried giving him a dealthly glare, but it didn't have the fire she used to have. "I really hate to say it."

"Then don't!" Emerald admonished.

"You don't have the fire you used to have." Mercury stated. Cinder tried to look angry at him, but ended up just looking lost. "Let's hope the healing helps with that, though, I do think it goes deeper."