Co-operation

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"No. Absolutely not!" Ruby Lockhart's grey eyes were narrowed in defiance, despite the fact she was stood in her commander's office right then. "Bringing them in will only bring more questions and red tape!" She insisted, her slender fists balled up by her sides.
"This isn't a discussion, Lockhart. I have my orders, and now you have yours." The grey haired man told her, though he sounded somewhat weary, like he was all too accustomed to these childish outbursts. "You are to meet your new partner at 8pm and brief them on the case. The sooner we clear this whole mess up, the sooner I can go back to letting you do things your way, alright? Believe me, I don't want these blind fools involved anymore than you do, but this last case has made local news. We need to stop it before it goes national, or global."
Ruby's lips pursed together as she continued to scowl, seeming to be considering all this new information. There was a reason she didn't have a partner; no one could put up with her hotheaded, shoot first ask questions later attitude. It created mountains of paper work, but unfortunately she came from a long line of the divisions pure bred hunters, and her skills were... invaluable. 
"Fine!" She huffed at last. "But if this yokel ends up dead because they couldn't do what I said or panics when faced with the truth, I won't be held to blame!" Having said that, she stormed from the office, waves of dark hair swinging behind her before the door slammed shut.

“Your mother?” Jett asked uncertainly. “After all this time?” He breathed, worried that this was going to hurt Piper more than he could fix.

Ruby tore herself away from Red and launched at Aren with murder in her eyes. The only thing that saved him in that moment was the mark that bound her to the order. That very same mark now caused her to fly backwards across the street as though shoved by an unseen force.

"I was wondering if she came to gloat. Now that the gypsy strong hold is completely gone she has nothing to worry about. Her secrets are gone with it." Piper sniffed, softly, trying not to cry. "Sorry I acted rude. I just...I got reminded of my father dancing with my mother. He was so happy and she ruined it."

"You know better than to go after the Captain." Tobias said as he picked Ruby up off the ground. "Why would you do that?"

“Funny think about secrets, they’re never truly gone, or forgotten.” Jett breathed as he crouched in front of Piper. 

“Shut up!” Ruby snapped childishly as she attempted to shove Tobias away from her. “How about I kick your ass instead?” She added with a hateful sneer.

"These are." Piper whispered. "Along with all family's things. I suppose it's a good thing...I could go back to being a true gypsy. Not one trapped by the secrets...but I liked it here with Ruby and you..." She sniffed, more tears dropped loudly onto the pillow. 

"Would it make you feel better?" Tobias asked, the crows feet around his eyes twinkling with his smile. "I love it when you take your anger out on me. It's...hot..." He chuckled.

“Don’t worry about us.” Jett breathed. “You do what makes you happy. You can get out of this place... Ruby and I...” he paused and sighed heavily. “You have a chance, don’t screw it up.”

Ruby narrowed her grey eyes at Tobias as slender fists balled up by her sides. More than she hated that smile, she hated that she didn’t hate it at all. That smile alone turned her insides to mush, and made her want to agree to whatever he said. Then she remembered how he only ever came to her home for one thing, which only left her feeling cheap and worthless. “Amuse yourself some other way, I still haven’t found my brother.” She told him thinly.

"I want to go home." Piper breathed, not sure what made her say it. 

"Why don't you try his home?" Tobi asked gently.

Jett didn’t know what to say, and so simply wiped away Piper’s tears. “Home could be... here?” He suggested gently, knowing she would never leave Ruby behind and get out of town. “I ‘now you think I’m an asshole, it’s no secret. I’m not exactly a nice guy, but... you can stay here as long as you need.”

Ruby didn’t say anything to that. If Jett truly was in his apartment, then it meant he had simply not cared that his twin would worry that the last place he had been seen now lay in ash. Just as she had seen that Tobias didn’t care if she lost her brother and her best friend that night. She was hurting, and it seemed no one cared. Simply wanting to spite Tobias, the young woman grabbed the front of Redks shirt as she passed him, pulling his lips down to her own in a heated kiss, before she kept right on walking.

Piper shook her head. "I can't stay here. Not with you bringing women here. What would they think? It's no secret you don't want me...but the others..." She finished sadly.

Tobias said nothing to this. It wasn't the first time she'd done something like this to make a point. But he didn't dare react this time. He knew better.

“There are no other women.” Jett told Piper firmly. “You’re the first to come here... not counting queen bitch Ruby.” He added, hoping to make her smile.

In all truth, Ruby had felt nothing at all when she had kissed Red. There wasn’t any of the fire that threatened to consume her from the inside like there was when Tobias kissed her. That’s what troubled her. The young woman worried he a,ready had too much power over her. It was just as Jett was calling her a bitch that Ruby pounded a fist against his door.

Piper couldn't help but laugh and she heard the pounding. She knew who it was. She believed the the captain had finally gotten in contact with her as she'd asked to let her friend know they were okay. She had no way of knowing the vindictive elf never had. "I dare you to say that to her face." She teased Jett.

Jett was still laughing as he opened the door, and instantly received a small but powerful fist to the nose. “You son of a bitch!” Ruby hissed. “I thought you were dead! I spent all night looking for you, and you can’t even pick up a goddamn phone?!” She shouted, shoving him roughly while he still reeled from the first punch.
“Shit, Ruby!” Jet wailed. “Did someone put another stick up your ass?!” He snarled as he wiped away the blood. 
Ruby wasn’t truly angry with Jett, it was all the anger she had brought with her from her encounter with their captain and the exchange she had had with Tobias.

"Ruby! The Captain told us he would tell you!" Piper said, wiping the blood from Jett's nose with her burnt, torn skirt. "He ordered Jett to his apartment after their fight and told him to stay there. We've been unable to contact anyone.
"I told him to tell you!" Piper insisted.

“Since when did you do what that asshole says?” Ruby asked her brother. 
“And you know better than to trust elves!” She insisted, turning her anger on Piper now. Apparently no one was safe from her current mood.

Piper didn't say anything for a long moment, trying not to pout. "The captain said faries are showing up from everywhere which will bring an orc sooner or later. You know they love to feast on those. "She muttered. "I don't have anything to get rid of them anymore."

“Yeah, well, the captain says a lot of shit.” Ruby growled. 
“How about you back the fuck up.” Jett warned, pushing Piper behind him when he hear the growl in his sister’s voice. “You’re the one keeping people in the dark. You don’t trust me, how do you expect me to trust you with anything?”
Ruby glanced between her brother and Piper, not liking the thought that was nagging at her brain. “I don’t have any secrets.” She replied thinly.

"you two stop it!" Piper snapped. "It's not going to make this situation any better. The bar burned. My house burned no one told you where we were. We're all sorry. Ok?" She pushed her hands thorough her hair to try nad stop them from shaking. It didn't work. "It won't change anything."

The only person Ruby was really angry with was Tobias. She expected something like this from their captain, and she couldn’t blame Piper for anything. Hell, even Jett hadn’t really done anything wrong. It simply felt like Tobias was lying to her about everything, not that she could tell anyone this, as it was supposed to be a yet another secret that she was even remotely involved with the powerful sorcerer.
“Fine.” She finally muttered after some moments of battling with this secret turmoil.

Two months passed and Piper found herself slowly rebuilding things. She had agreed to stay with Jett once Ruby had given her the go ahead and the three of them had settled into a quiet life. It was minus Tobias who seemed to have disappeared during the night.

Today Ruby would find herself in the Captain's office, the dark haired elf looking pleased as punch about something.

Quiet was exactly what Ruby had been for two months. Once she realised Tobias had indeed abandoned her she became withdrawn, and even more volatile than usual. The young woman had thrown herself into the hunts, unknowingly on the very path that had sent a reaper for her in the first place.
Even now, as she stood in Aren’s office having to look at that self satisfied smile, she showed little outward emotion.

Jett didn’t understand his sister’s sudden mood. He had no idea she was in love with a man he despised and was glad had disappeared. At first he tried to speak to her about what Pigpen had done all those years ago, but she had shut him down every time. In the end he simply gave up and enjoyed having Piper back in his life again. Nothing had actually happened between the,, he was too afraid he would ruin this small piece of bliss they had carved from his destruction of her home.

"The Orcs have insisted on joining our society. I personally would rather they all met a firey end. We have no...are you listening? Ruby, this is rather important to you." Aren seemed more than a little put out that the witch wasn't responding to him. "If you are pouting about Tobias then don't. You know he was no more then a bounty Hunter. He only ever shows when things are at their worst."

Piper didn't fool herself into thinking that Jett was in love with her. But the moment of domestic bliss was nice. She didn't ask where he went on Friday nights. She figured he was getting out his urges. It was after all, his right. 
It bothered her that Ruby stopped talking to her. She blamed herself for her friend's desision to step away.

“Why would I give a shit where that self serving asshole has gone?” Ruby asked icily, her arms folded across her chest as she glared at her captain with an unfeeling gaze. “So let me guess, you want the world to think you’re welcoming the orcs, but in reality you want them to meet sticky ends?” She asked with a bitter snort. 

Jett hadn’t even glanced at another woman since Piper had moved in with him. He was scared it would ruin any kind of relationship he could one day have with her. He was simply out there looking for leads on Tobias. It had sickened him at first when Piper told him of the relationship Ruby had had with the aloof sorcerer, but as the weeks wore on he saw how much it was affecting Ruby and in turn, Piper. He hated that the woman he loved seemed to have lost her best friend.
“Something smells good.” He mused that night as he wandered into the kitchen to find Poper cooking dinner for the both of them.

"You don't think people would figure that out? I'm not stupid. No. I'm going to show that we can play nice. You're going to have one as a partner. You can play nice. Can't you?"

"It's lamb stew." Piper said, her head bent over the food she was cooking. It seemed she wasn't alone that night. Red had returned though he looked different from the last time they'd seen him.

“I think we both know the answer to that is no.” Ruby replied with a sneer.

Jett had been grinning at Piper, ready to do his usual taste test to ‘make sure it wasn’t poison’, until he saw the other man sat at their kitchen table. 
“Thought you had ran back home with your tail between your legs.” He snorted.

"Good. Then I can wipe out two problems with one go. Enjoy your new partner, my dear. Try taking this one between those smooth lovely thighs of yours." Aren purred. "Here's his file." 

"Actually I was called back. My part of the case was over. Neither of the subjects I was called to retrieve ended up needing to be. I'm glad for that I must say." Red said gently, nodding at Piper when she sat a bowl in front of him.

Ruby had learned her lesson the last time on what happened if she tried to attack the elf captain. “Someone sounds jealous.” She purred spitefully as she snatched up the file and headed for the door.

Jett didn’t like this at all. “Doesn’t explain why you’re here. In my home.” He replied thinly. “If you’re looking for my sister, you’re shit outta luck.”

"I wouldn't touch a witch if someone paid me." Aren spat. He allowed her to leave, knowing she'd find a folder with information on a troubled Orc named Bastion. The monster had been decided on for the Hunter program in hopes that his troubles would bridge the gap between the races. So far the very idea was upsetting them all.

"Actually I came looking for you." Red said, looking sadly at the food in front of him. "It smells lovely. You don't deserve her."

Bastion would not receive a warm welcome from Ruby, and it had nothing at all to do with him being what he was. Ruby felt Tobias had made a fool of her, making her trust someone after all these years... only for him to let her fall hard and fast when she had needed someone to catch her the most.

Jett snorted and shook his head. “Wow, you do have magic; the power to state the obvious.” He sneered.

Bastion stood in the burned remains of the bar, kicking the chard remains of glass bottles and chairs that had once been a thriving business. He was in no way ready for this.

"Watch yourself." Red said softly, poking at the bowl. He watched as Piper sat down another bowl, her green eyes sparkling as she paused in front of Jett.

“Oh I’m sorry, am I interrupting your brooding?” Ruby asked with a snort, in no way wanting yet another partner.

“Or what? You’ll list how many ways I’ve already ruined Piper’s life?” He asked, his chest constricting painfully when he saw the way the moment in question smiled at him.

"Why do humans always think I'm brooding?" Bastion snapped. "You people don't know me. You don't know anything."

"Worse." Red said darkly.
Piper patted Jett's cheek and spun around him to grab a beer for both men. She'd gone back to humming.