Title: Dancer
Fandom: Final Fantasy IX
Characters: Ruby/Blank/Zidane
Word Count: 1300
Summary: Ruby doesn't dance for everyone. And when she does, it isn't always nice.
Notes: FFIX didn't have a Dancer class (unless you count the dancers in Cleyra.) I decided to play with that idea a bit. Pre-game.

---

The sun is setting over Lindblum, and Ruby is dancing.

You and Blank are too tired to join in; you’ve just had a great dinner, complete with some really good ale, courtesy of Marcus (who’s good at getting things that Baku would rather not share with you “kids,” give the choice.) But that’s fine; it’s fun just watching her, and she’s smiling as she catches your eyes, as you both cheer her on.

She doesn’t dance for just anyone. And when she does, it’s not always as nice as when she dances for you two.

---

A few weeks ago you and Blank were shadowing her - at her request, of course. Not that she needed the help, she’d say with a grin, but she did love having an audience. You and Blank were quietly teasing each other about the next play - it was your turn to play second to Ruby’s leading lady, and you were looking forward to this one - when you’d noticed the guys following her, whistling way too loudly. “Pretty lady!” the leader shouted, a man in a ridiculous feathered cap. “You wanna dance with us? I’m talkin’ to you!”

“Hey, Blank,” you’d said, interrupting Blank’s whispered tirades about lace. “You seen that bunch before?”

He stopped, peered down with his good eye. “Nah. Bunch of drunk rich kids from Treno, I bet.”

“Should we do something?” You were still confused by the whole arrangement, and you’ve never liked watching a bunch of rowdies shout at a lady without doing something about it.

“Not yet.” Blank grinned. “I think she’s got this.”

Ruby had turned around, and was watching the men with the sort of smile that a cat had before it ate a canary. “You boys wanna see me dance, don’t you?” she asked.

They started cheering and calling again, and a few of them got a little close for comfort, but Ruby dodged nimbly and jumped to a nearby crate, just out of reach. Pretty impressive, you thought, considering the ridiculous boots she was wearing that night.

“Be careful what you wish for, boys,” she continued. “You just might get it.” And with that she whirled, swishing her skirts, and started a dance you’d never seen before, her steps light and quick.

You heard Blank behind you, trying to choke back laughter. “Oh, no. That dance? Those poor bastards!”

You looked at him, trying to figure out what that meant. “Whew, hey! It’s getting hot out here!” you heard the leader shout.

Blank shook his head. “Turn around, or you’ll miss the show! Things are about to heat up!”

You turned back, getting ready to grab your daggers and jump in against his advice, when you noticed something odd about the leader. “Is... is that smoke coming from his hat?” you whispered.

Blank laughed loudly behind you, and before the drunk kids could react, the leader’s hat burst into flames. The next minute was a blur of screams and singed hair and clothes; Ruby never stopped dancing, not once, and Blank never stopped laughing.

You didn’t say anything else until Ruby had finally rejoined you, close to the headquarters. “What was that?” you asked, eyes wide. Blank was still snickering, and Ruby was breathing heavily, but her grin hadn’t faded at all. “What did you do, Ruby?”

“Why, I... I danced, darlin’,” she answered, with a wink. “Thought you’d be able to... see that.”

“Well, yeah, but usually when you dance you don’t set people on fire!”

“Oh, that one’s - whew! - that one’s special. I’ve got a couple of special dances like that.” She laughed happily. “You’ve never seen ‘em because they’re just for people who get on my nerves.”

---

You figured it out, after she explained it to you a couple of times. It was a kind of magic - not as powerful as the stuff you could learn if you were rich enough or lucky enough to get an actual teacher, but that suited her anyway. She didn’t like the idea of sitting around some stuffy old school and reading books for hours - and you can relate to that, because who would? Definitely not you.

You’ve seen a couple of her “special” dances a few times since then; theater and thievery were both dangerous professions. The one that sticks in your mind the most is when you were fleeing some minor noble's secluded summer home or another. You'd been commissioned for a special private performance for the Earl and a couple hundred of his closest friends, but the real patron had been his little brother, who wanted you to steal back a few trifles. Everything had gone so well; your part of the theft had gone just perfectly!

You still don't know what happened. More than likely some servant working for your employer decided he'd have better luck with the Earl, and told him everything. It doesn't matter; what really matters is that it wasn't your fault that the guards started running for the ship before you could even take your last bows. Cinna was usually ready for a quick escape, in case of emergencies, but he was having some mechanical trouble - possibly related to whoever had sold you out.

"There's too many of 'em!" Blank was yelling, still in his dress, grabbing for the short sword he kept concealed in the stage. You, for your part, had already tossed your flashy dull rapier aside for a pair of much stouter daggers. "We can't take 'em head-on! We've got to hold them off until they figure out what's wrong with the engines!"

You hear Ruby laughing, before she pushes her way out from behind both of you. "I've got somethin' for this, boys. Watch and learn!"

And she was off before you could say What are you talking about? Setting fire to the ship is a horrible idea! The steps were different, though - she wasn't kicking and tapping her feet the way she had been before. She was twirling, her skirts billowing higher and higher.

"I hope you've got this, Ruby," Blank said, eyeing the guards that were getting too close for comfort.

"What's she doing?" you asked him.

At first you didn't think he'd heard you; he was too busy tearing the skirts away, slashing at them with his sword to get them out of his way. "I don't know!" he finally managed. "I've never seen - Whoa! Look at that!"

You glanced back down, cursing yourself for taking your eyes off of the guards... wait. They were running a lot more slowly than before, weren't they? And you could still see Ruby out of the corner of your eye, still spinning, if more slowly than before. And then - you look back and forth from her to the men as you realize what was happening, as both the guards and Ruby slowly ground to a halt. The foremost guards were locked into place next to the ship, their swords outstretched.

Blank grinned at her. "Not bad!"

She snorted. "Cinna'd better hurry up," she said, panting. "I can't keep this up for that much longer -"

As if on cue, the ship started to rise, the engines humming back to life, and you all braced yourself the takeoff was going to be a bit rougher than before.

"Nice," Blank said, standing up as the airship stabilized its course. "Their boss isn’t gonna be too happy about this, though. Bad luck for them.”

“Oh, those poor things." Ruby rolled her eyes, still breathing hard. "Whew... I don’t know about you, darlings, but I’m gonna need a bath when we get back to Lindblum.”

You’d grinned. That had been a hell of a job, and you weren’t just talking about the acting. “Sounds good to me. Bathhouses, here we come.”

---

Ruby’s dancing now, too, but she’s not making anyone’s clothes catch fire, or making anyone fall asleep, or whatever. She’s just swaying in time to the music, her skirts flowing as she dances on the deck, spinning and laughing. You’re sleepy and full and happy, and you wonder if this is a special kind of dance too, albeit a nicer one.

Maybe. Or maybe you’re just glad to be back home. For now, you're happy and at peace and don't feel like questioning it. Might as well enjoy things while you can, before they get complicated again.