Ruby’s eyes must be lying to her. She didn’t understand what she was looking at. Robert looked so happy and at peace. His eyes were closed, and his face was relaxed. So why did Ruby have an awful feeling rising up in her soul? With shaking hands, she reached out to check his pulse. His skin was cold, so cold. Ruby drew her fingers back right away. No. This wasn’t really happening.
"Don't leave me alone! I-I still need you! R-Robert... please... answer me. What am I going to do now?" No, this wasn't happening. Robert was just asleep, that was it. He was just sleeping soundly and peacefully. After all, he looked so happy and at peace right now. Hopefully he was dreaming about pleasant things. Ruby felt a hand on her shoulder. She pulled away. Right now, all that she wanted was to be left alone with Robert.
"Ruby, come on. We need to go," said a voice. The room seemed to grow dark around Ruby. She shook her head and nestled up closer to Robert. This voice sounded as if it was coming from somewhere far away. It was far too faint for Ruby to make out whose voice it was. "We need to leave him. Let him rest in peace."
"No! Don't say that!" Ruby burst out. "Can't you see that he's just sleeping? I need to be here for him when he wakes up! I promised him that I would always be there for him!" Hands grabbed Ruby had pulled her to her feet. "Stop that! Leave me alone! Let me stay here! Robert, help me! I need you, Robert. I-I still need you..."
Ruby sat bolt upright in bed. Her whole body was shaking from head to toe. The memory hit her instantly and she sank back down into the covers. Burying her face in her hands, Ruby tried to block out the memory. She could hear people talking and moving around downstairs. It was time for her to give up and join in the games. But that was the last thing Ruby wanted to do right now. For the moment, she just wanted to lie there and feel sorry for her miserable little self. A knock at the door shattered Ruby's dream of laziness and self-pity. Ruby was half tempted to sit up and scream leave me alone the way she had done in her dream.
"Everything alright in there? What's taking you so long? We need to leave like now, Ruby!" Ivy called. Oh well, it wasn't like Ruby could stop time. Life wasn't going to wait for her to feel better.
"Sorry, I'm coming... just give me a minute."
"We don't have a minute, Ruby! They'll punish us if we arrive too late." Reluctantly, Ruby sat up and climbed out of her soft warm bed of misery.
Ivy led her through the hall and down the stairs. Judging from the grumpy and tired looks on the other dolls’ faces, Ruby hadn’t been the only one who slept poorly. Well, at least Mia seemed to be feeling okay. Mia was sitting in the corner, balancing various items on top of her head and laughing when they fell off.
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"Do you still have your dagger, Ruby?" asked Ivy.
"N-no... I lost it during the first game," Ruby admitted.
"Okay. Mary says that We're just going to be using our daggers today and she gave out some extra ones to all the dolls in case they had lost their old ones. Come here, pick out any dagger that you like!"
"Just daggers, huh. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the metal poles are used for. To tell you the truth I was wondering about them," said Ruby.
"Excited? You still get excited, really?"
"Yeah... I mean sometimes."
"You are an interesting one, Ruby. Anyway, first come first serve. Choose your weapon wisely." Ruby swallowed. She really had no idea what made a good or bad dagger. It probably wasn't a good idea to choose something too big because that would be hard to carry. On the other hand, something too small wouldn't do much damage. So, Ruby went with the most balanced dagger that she could find. Once she had chosen, Ruby looked up to see if Ivy approved of her weapon. But Ivy was already busy instructing another doll.
Ruby's grip on the dagger grew tighter. After this, they were going to meet with Blossom. She couldn't die now that she was so close to reaching her goal. She was so close to finally making a difference. That thought gave Ruby something to fight for. Her eyes closed and she clung to that thought with all her might. This was exactly what Robert would have wanted her to do. He wouldn't have wanted her to sit still and wait for death. She was going to fight for herself, and for him and for every single doll in the city.
"Ouch!" Mia shrieked suddenly.
"What? What's wrong?" Ivy was by Mia's side in an instant. "Are you okay?" Ruby leaned over Mia's shoulder.
"Yeah... I-I just chipped my finger. It doesn't hurt too much. But I can see it draining my health a little bit." Ivy sent Ruby a hopeful glance. But Ruby was already leaning over Mia. She gently but firmly took hold of the child's hand. This was perfect.
Now Ruby could talk to Robert without having to hurt herself. That same heavenly warmth crept over Ruby as she closed her eyes. (Hello again. Look, I didn't hurt myself this time) Ruby thought. It was in these moments when all of her fear and loneliness seemed to melt away. Right, she wasn't alone. She had Robert. Even if he wasn't right next to her, he was still here for her.
I convinced Ivy to help me fight the humans. Do you think I did the right thing? Then, to Ruby's surprise and delight, she felt Robert answer her. But not with words. It was more of a feeling than anything else. A calm, firm and trusting reassurance that she had done the right thing. That was more than enough for Ruby. All that she needed to know was what Robert wanted her to do. He wanted her to keep fighting back. And now that Ruby had gained some more strength, she had a better chance of actually being useful. All that she needed to do now was convince Blossom.
Well, her first priority was surviving today’s round. But all that mattered right now was the fact that Robert supported her. Ruby's eyes opened. A fully healed Mia was smiling up at her. That sight was enough to warm Ruby's imaginary heart, even as Robert's warmth faded away.