The sun slowly rose from behind the distant hills, hanging over the riverside city of Lunaria like a majestic golden gem casting a breath taking radiance as the morning breeze blew through the buildings making its way through the upper window of a small house near the west gates.
Its chilling flow washed against the skin of a young lady known as Ruby Silverwing a young adventurer with an ego that could only be matched by her audacity.
"Brrr, man, why's it always this cold this time of day? This is why I hate waking up early," Ruby sighed, shivering like a kitten that fell in a puddle as she made her way across the room to her dresser mirror.
Picking up a wooden hairbrush with tiny, detailed floral carvings lining the back, she began running the brush, smoothing out the chaotic bird nest atop her head.
Her short, jet-black hair, which had a single white streak running from her forehead down the left side of her neck, was as unreasonable as always, tangling in her brush, puffing up randomly, and taking almost half of her hair gel just to keep it in place.
"Haaaaa, can't you please just be reasonable for today?" she shouted at her hair while tugging at the brush with both hands.
After 15 grueling minutes of fighting her split ends and chaotic locks, she finally smoothed them out into a simple bob cut.
"Gasp... ha ha ha ha, yes, you gave in." Huffing and laughing like a lunatic, Ruby was now satisfied with her hairstyle.
Tossing the brush aside, she turned to a closet a few steps away from the dresser. Swinging open the oak doors with careless abandon, she began perusing her lackluster collection of clothing.
Her eyes locked onto a cute white frilly blouse with a blue gem pinned right above the chest. Its sleeves were puffy, looking like snow-covered church bells swaying in the wind as she lift it from it's hanger, and its buttons were made of a jet-black stone that dazzled in the sunlight.
She decided to pair the blouse with a black corset with silver laces running up the belly and a pair of dark leather pants.
In her head, this outfit made her look as if she were one of the high-class noblewomen of Lunaria.
She compared herself to a duchess or even a princess.
But in reality, she looked a little better than the other peasants, but far too poor to be of high-class nobility.
Now, with her ego sky-high from the delusions of her own beauty, she left the room, head held high, heels clicking with misplaced confidence as she made her way through a small hallway, passing two other bedrooms before descending the stairs to the living room.
A boy with black and white spiky hair, trimmed into a fade, sat in a wooden chair around the dining room table, rocking it back and forth on its two back legs, lost in thought, when the sound of heels clicking down the stairs caught his ear.
He turned his head to the side just in time to spot Ruby as she entered the living room and slowly spun the chair around to face her, placing a hand on his chin as he spoke.
"Oh... you're finally awake. Hurry up and take your breakfast before it gets cold," he lifted a plate of fried eggs and bacon, passing it to Rose as his eyes narrowed into a tired glare.
Dark circles ran around his eyes like the shadows of an endless abyss; blinking was a struggle. Keeping his eyes open felt as if someone was trying to slam them shut with all their might.
Ruby's face warped into an unpleasant frown that got even worse as she continued examining the boy's face, clothes, and posture.
By the end of her detailed scan, her face was filled with so much disgust it now resembled someone who had just stepped into a puddle of muddy water with nothing but socks on.
"Nex, I see you're looking as dreadful as always." Ruby reached out to grab the plate from his hand, only for him to move it at the last second.
Ruby blinked twice, confused at where Nexus could find the audacity to pull such a prank.
She tried grabbing the plate again, only to grasp at air.
They continued their little back and forth, Nexus effortlessly keeping the plate out of reach while Ruby struggled to keep up with his movements.
Ruby's face turned beet red, puffing her cheeks as she screamed,
"Nexus! I don't have time for your childish games. Give me my food now!!"
Nexus grabbed the back of Ruby's blouse, lifting her in the air with one hand while keeping the plate away from her in the other.
"Two years living together, and you still talk to me like some arrogant noble with a superiority complex. Now ask nicely, and you'll get your breakfast." Nexus's eyes narrowed, adding a bit of disappointment to his already tired expression.
"No!" Ruby looked away from Nexus, folding her arms in protest to his simple request for respect, since she saw herself as better than him.
Where did this pipe-sized bottle of pride find the guts to be so childish to a man with the ability to throw her through a window? The world may never know.
Nexus's patience was running thin; he had to hold back the urge to throw her face-first into the table. He could imagine her crying and apologizing after being thrusted through solid oak.
Personally, I think he should do it, but Nexus was a far better man than that — a man of faith, as a matter of fact.
This same faith was what was holding him back from the violence Ruby made feel necessary to gain respect.
"Well, since you'd rather starve than show me any respect, I guess Quinn can have your breakfast instead." Ruby's eyes widened, and her head whipped back to look at Nexus.
"You wouldn't," she replied, trying to sound confident, but Nexus could easily see she was sweating bullets at the mere mention of handing away her food.
A devious smirk crept onto Nexus's face as he came up with the perfect way to make this pocket-sized fountain of ego act like she had sense.
"Yo, Quinn, how about we grab dinner at the pub later, just you and me?" Nexus shouted as he turned his head to face the next room.
"Sure, but what about Ruby? You know she'll get cranky and start nagging you again," a small, almost childlike voice echoed from the other room, followed by a yawn.
"Don't worry about it. She's a grown woman who should be able to make her own food for once." Nexus turned to Ruby, looking her dead in her pupils as he spoke.
Ruby hung from his hand, sniffling while giant beads of tears rolled down the side of her face. "Sniff… sniff… you wouldn't dare."
Nexus's smirk widened. "You want to bet?"
"Ok! OK! I'm sorry, I take back what I said!"
Nexus slowly lowered Ruby to the ground, then let go of her blouse. He knew she had no choice but to apologize, since she always spent all her money on clothes, leaving her to rely on Nexus for food.
After a few minutes of wiping her tears, she stopped crying, then reached her hands out for her breakfast.
Nexus looked down at her tear-buffed cheeks and large, adorable, slightly swollen eyes from all the crying and said, "You know what to say — use your words."
"Please, can I have my breakfast?" Ruby sounded like a child apologizing to her father after throwing a tantrum.
The sight of her shattered ego was a nice change of pace from her usually demanding attitude; it made Nexus feel at peace.
He handed her the plate, now smiling pleasantly.
Ruby took the plate and replied, "Thank you,"
before conjuring and throwing a small fireball at Nexus's face, setting him on fire and ruining his shirt.
"Ha ha ha! Did you really think I would apologize to a pleb like you? You're even dumber than you look!" A giant mischievous smile ran across her face as she berated Nexus.
"That shirt cost two silver." Nexus's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched as a vein popped up on his forehead, but his body didn't suffer any damage.
"Wait… why aren't you rolling on the ground in pain?" Ruby rippled as she began stepping back slowly, sweat raining off her like a hurricane.
"I have fire resistance." Nexus cracked his knuckles, stepping closer to Ruby as electricity engulfed his fist.
"Oh wow, I didn't know that… I would like to apologize for my actions."
"It's too late for that."
Ruby leapt out of the window behind her as Nexus dashed after her, his feet sounding like thunder with every step.
Ruby booked it deeper into the city, hoping to lose him in the crowd while still eating her breakfast.