Rue: Web of Deceit - Part 3

Life, Relationship change

Having sold-out to The Spider and possibly ruined the happiness of a young couple, Rue finds themselves contemplating just how far they are willing to sink for the sake of their own survival, but a seemingly-unimportant interaction gives them a sense of peace amid the darkness.

The sun rises over another day in Bathala city, and the youth hostel room that Rue finds themselves in fails to warm the deep cold they feel in their bones. They watch, comfortable for the first time in months, as the light begins to filter through the blinds of the nearby window and listen to the sounds of footfalls in the hallways of the house.   They're not sure what time it is when they hear the sound of knocking against their door. They weren't expecting anything, and the hostel's check out time was in the early afternoon so it couldn't be that. They're fairly sure it's a mistake at first, but then it returns, a little more certainly than before. They barely have to turn their head and can easily peer straight through the rickety wooden door, their brows furrowing as they see a young girl, maybe in her early teens, with a plate of what appears to be pancakes in hand.   Rue gets out of the bed, quickly grabbing the jeans from the mattress. As they’re hopping on one leg, still trying to put the jeans on, they lean down to grab the discarded T-shirt, quickly covering up before they open the door just enough to peer through the opening.   “Can I help you?” Rue asks, certain that the girl must have the wrong room or something.   "Uhh, hi," she says, smiling at the dishevelled superhuman, "My name's Rani. My mum owns this place." after waiting for a moment in silence and realising that Rue wasn't about to introduce themself quite so readily she continues, "Err... Well, I was hanging out in the living room when you came in last night and you looked sad, so I thought I'd bring you some pancakes! Mum always says that the best way to cheer someone up is with food, and these are some of my favourites, so hopefully you like them too!" She holds the plate up to the crack in the door and Rue has to admit, they're probably the best thing they've smelled in a long while.   As if on cue, Rue’s stomach starts to growl, making them wonder how long it had been since their last meal. They open the door a little more, taking a closer look at the girl. Seemingly satisfied that she does not pose a threat, Rue reaches forward and takes the plate from her hands, “That’s… Well, thank you,” With their free hand, they reach into one of the trouser pockets, retrieving some cash and holding it out for Rani to take, "Will this be enough?”   "Oh, don't worry about that," she says, holding her hands out before her dismissively, "Mum always says a good deed is its own reward, just... I hope you enjoy them." She seems a little more invested than Rue would usually expect, but can't see anything but sincerity in the girl's slightly crooked smile.   Rue’s eyes widen, perplexed when the girl refuses to take the money. They pause for a moment longer before they put the notes back in their pocket, nodding their thanks to Rani once more. Rue watches as the girl nervously shifts her weight from one leg to the other. They open the door a little further, stepping aside, “Would you like to come in?” They offer, suddenly feeling a little foolish.   "Oh, wow. Okay," the girl mutters before wanderinig inside. She's clearly familiar with the room already so she almost immediately turns about to face Rue and begins talking again, "So what's your name? Don't think I've seen you at school. Are you one of the Railyard kids?"   Rue closes the door behind her, taking the plate over to the little table in the corner of the room, sitting down on the creaky wooden chair, “Uhh… yeah, I’m from the Railyard,” They begin, using the fork to tear a small piece off the pancakes. “I’m Rue.”   The second they take a bite from the pancakes, they let out a muffled “Hm!”, barely chewing it before they swallow and scoop up the next mouthful. “Th’se ‘r hmaz’ng!”   Rani squeals lightly and claps with glee at Rue's compliment, "I'm so glad you like them! I've been trying to get Mum's recipe down for aaaaages." But as they continue to dig into their breakfast, Rani becomes a little more pensive, "What's it like at the Railyard?" she asks, clearly having a particular interest, "Mum says that it's dangerous down there. Do you like it there? Do you have friends there? A family?"   “You made these?!” Rue asks surprised. They had assumed that Rani had simply brought up something from the breakfasts that the hostel served for an additional fee. “I think you’ve mastered your mum’s recipe.”   As Rani continues their questioning, Rue tries their best not to let the emotions that boil to the surface show on their face, “The Railyard is… complicated.” Rue puts their fork down next to the half-finished pancakes, watching as some of the syrup lazily oozes over the side of the pile. “It can be dangerous there. I’m sure you’ve heard about the big raid last year.” They absentmindedly place a hand over their shirt, feeling the scar from their last surgery underneath. They’re not sure why they’re opening up as much as they are, but something implores Rue to find a balance between answering the girl’s questions and not giving away too much. Rue suspects it’s because of the pancakes, “And, as for family or friends, I live alone.”   Despite her dark skin, Rue notices Rani's cheeks flush a little at their continued praise and she mutters a little, "Like I said, they're my favourite." Regardless of Rue's careful response, the younger girl seems particularly enraptured by their account, "Yeah, there were a lot of police out there. It made Mum sad..." she says, thinking back. The girl frowns as Rue tells her that they're alone, "Don't you get lonely?"   Rue silently wonders if the mum’s sadness was for personal reasons, but they decide not to pry. They ponder Rani’s next question, taking their time to answer it, “Actually, I’m not sure…”   The days after the raid were a bit of a blur for them, and after the initial shock of being alone had worn off, they had preferred it. At least no one was prodding them, they’d told themself. And then there was the fear of bumping into Dr. Quade again, which had led them to believe that it was for the best to be alone, but was that the same as not feeling lonely?   “Maybe I was feeling lonely far before I was alone.” They mumble softly.   "That sounds tough," Rani says, allowing the silence to continue on for a couple of seconds before piping up again, "Are you planning on sticking around for a little while? I could show you how to make pancakes! You'll never be lonely with pancakes."   Rue smiles faintly, taking in the situation before them. Though they’re not exactly proud of how they got it, they do have enough money to spend a few more nights in the hostel. The mattress, albeit thin, had been so much better than sleeping on the cold concrete and having to use their powers to keep from freezing.   “I think I can stay a few nights.” They confirm, picking up the fork to take another bite.   "Yay!" she cries, clapping again in her glee, "This'll be fun! I bet we-"   "Rani, it's time to get ready for school!" came a call from downstairs, no doubt from Nadia, Rani's mother who Rue had met briefly the previous night as they checked in. They were starting to think that this 'hostel' of theirs was just a family home with a few spare rooms.   Rue can’t help the chuckle when Rani rolls her eyes and lets out a sigh. They get up from the chair and move to open the door and let the girl out. “I’ll bring the plate down when I’m finished,” They say with a small smile. “Thank you again for the pancakes.”   "No problem, Rue," she says, waving as she begins to descend the stairs, "It was nice to meet you!" And just like that, they were alone once more, but not lonely. No, they'll never be lonely with pancakes.   To be continued...