Rue: Web of Deceit - Part 23

Life, Milestone

With a certain Pancake Queen celebrating her birthday with family and friends, Rue gets a chance to both see the type of normal family life they'd been denied as a child and strengthen the bond they share with one of their only friends.

As the weeks go by, Rue finds themself becoming accustomed to as peaceful a rhythm as their lifestyle would allow for. They meet up with Julius a few more times - at first for the agreed upon hot chocolate, but gradually they develop a friendship that feels oddly safe and comforting regardless of who his father is. Thankfully, no further kidnappings occur, though Rue would pity the fool who would even consider it after word of Cupid's brutal demise  spread like wildfire amongst those who needed to know.   Doug and Tara are only growing closer by the day, the blonde having practically moved in with them. They don't particularly mind it, though they occasionally start to feel like a third wheel, causing them to hide away in their room with a book more often than not.   They also started going for walks again whenever they could, often making their way towards Chapman's Bargains for a hot chocolate and a chat with Arthur before meeting with Detective Upton to share any information they might have on Creel.   Wit everything that had happened before in mind, they'd established a way of working which would make it harder for anyone watching Rue to determine what was going on (though lately they hadn't felt like they were being observed quite as closely as before, if at all), Blue thankfully being able to change his appearance enough each time, and Rue being able to recognise him by smell, they had managed to meet on a biweekly basis without anyone catching on.   For the past 3 weeks, however, their routine had been slightly interrupted - though they didn't mind why. It's late March, the weather in Bathala had warmed up considerably and the copious parks throughout the city were in full bloom. Rue is making their way through one of these parks, a small parcel in hand as they head towards a hostel on the edge of the Railyard. Rani would still be in school, but that was perfect, as it allowed them enough time to set up for the surprise birthday party.   Knocking on the door of the little urban house, Rue can't help but think back to that darker time after they started working for the Spider, when Nadia, Rani, and the promise of pancakes helped them keep their head above the water.   The door swings open and the familiar face of Nadia pokes around the corner, "Ah, Rue. Thank you so much for coming!" She says opening the door wide and inviting Rue inside, "Rani will still be a little while so I'm just getting set up, but you're welcome to come through in the meantime."   Nadia leads the way through the kitchen and into the back half of the house, where Rani and her live, affording themselves a little privacy separated from their guests in the front half, "I've told Rani she can invite a couple of her school friends over for the evening, but she has no idea about any of this," Nadia continues, guiding Rue into the living room.   It's a small place with some traditional furnishings interposed with modern conveniences. There's pictures all across the walls of the family over the years, many of which feature a man with a distinct resemblance to the younger Farooq who Rue notes may just be who's currently inhabiting the urn proudly displayed above the fireplace.   "Rue, I'd like to introduce you to my father," Nadia says, directing Rue's attention to the only other person currently in the room, sitting on the couch and reading a book, "Mr Waseem Iqbal."   "Ah, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Rue," he says, standing up and offering his hand to shake, "My daughter and granddaughter speak very highly of you."   Rue looks a little lost in their home, but they quickly move to shake the man’s hand with a polite smile, “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Mister Iqbal,” they say, glancing at the book in his other hand, “What are you reading?”   "Ah, it's an old favourite of mine," he says, picking up the well-loved paperback and passing it over to Rue, "The Kite Runner. It's about man's quest for redemption and forgiveness set against the backdrop of Afghanistan's tumultuous history. Are you much of a reader, Rue?"   “I’ll have to add it to my list,” Rue says after reading the synopsis on the back. “I only got into reading recently, but I’m really enjoying it. I’m currently reading 'The Giver'.”   "Don't think I know that one," he says, scratching his balding head as he thinks, "Any good?"   “I must say I’m not too sure yet,” Rue answers truthfully, “It’s not bad, and the writing style is great, but I’m just not loving it as much as I feel most people do?”   "Ah, I know how that feels," he says, smiling warmly. The two's conversation continues as they make themselves comfortable, with Rue offering to help with the party preparation as Nadia scurries from room to room preparing for the festivities, though her offer is quickly refused as the older woman makes it very clear that they are a guest and will not be allowed to lift a finger. Rue can't help but wonder what it must be like to have a mother who's as devoted as Nadia, but they quickly dismiss the thought, reminding themself that this day is about Rani.   Soon enough, Nadia ushers her Father, Rue, and several other family members that have since arrived, into the kitchen, instructing them to lie in wait with party poppers in hand, ready to surprise the birthday girl.   Still feeling a little out of place, Rue follows them into the kitchen, observing the family as they shush each other in between giggles. Nadia switches the lights off, and footsteps can be heard from the other side of the door, accompanied by the light chatter of teenage girls.   Rue looks through the wall to see Rani and her two friends shrugging off their jackets and kicking off their shoes, still discussing the events of their school day. The birthday girl leads her guests towards the kitchen door, looking back at them as she walks through it and flicks on the lights.   ''Surprise!'' Comes a chorus of voices, brightly coloured confetti bursting out of the poppers with a bang. Rue flinches a little at the noise, but Rani's dumbfounded expression makes it worth it.   The birthday girl is quickly swamped by all manner of friends and family members, leaving Rue to sit in the corner, a position they often preferred during events like these. They can't help but smile as Nadia retrieves a birthday cake sat atop a pile of pancakes and Rani rolls her eyes fondly at the sentimentality of it all. As her gaze returns to the scene however, she makes eye-contact with Rue, smiling softly and giving them a slight wave as the crowd begins to sing 'Happy Birthday" to her.   Rue mirrors the smile, mouthing a silent 'happy birthday' at the girl as her family and friends continue to sing. They all cheer when Rani blows out the candles, and Rue briefly loses sight of her as she gets engulfed in hugs and kisses from her family.   Rue gratefully accepts a piece of the birthday cake, making some awkward small talk with various uncles and aunties whenever one of them decides to target them. After a while, Rue manages to actually make their way over to Rani, handing her the recipe book wrapped in alarmingly pink wrapping paper (courtesy of Tara).   "Pancakes of the world?" Rani says, a big grin on her face as she unwraps the package and leafs through the pages, showing it off to her mum before turning back to Rue, "Can I..." she falters momentarily, still wary of upsetting or annoying their friend, "Can I give you a hug?"   Rue is a little taken aback by the question, but they quickly smile, “Hmmm, that’s two presents…” they say teasingly, making a show out of rubbing their chin in consideration, “Of course you can.”   The newly-minted teenager quickly wraps her arms around Rue's shoulders, holding her with a tightness that seemed to squeeze the air out of their lungs, "We're gonna have so many pancake days," she says as she finally relents, "to work our way through the book!"   “My stomach is ready.” Rue chuckles, silently wondering if Rani has a super strength power like Suplex to give hugs like that.   "Mine too!"   As the party reaches the mingling stage, two of Rani's cousins begin applying traditional henna patterns to her hand, allowing the pair of them a moment's respite with which to chat, “How have things been over here? Sorry I haven’t been around much lately.”   "It's good actually," Rani says, smiling again, "I finally switched algebra teachers," she says as one of the cousins grabs Rue's attention, brandishing a reddish applicator and offering to give them a pattern too. Rue is about to object, but one eager look from Rani has them reconsidering. With a small nod, they cautiously extend their arm for the cousin to apply the henna.   “How’s this new teacher, then?” Rue asks, flinching slightly when the cousin first takes their wrist in her hands. They’re reminded of the time when they had tried to make sense of the algebra homework that Rani had been working on over breakfast, and they make a mental note to look into some books for beginners.   "She's really nice," Rani says as she watches the intricate pattern appearing on her skin, "She's not like the other teachers either. She's younger and lets us call her by her first name. She said I'm one of her favourite kids in the class."   “That sounds great,” Rue says genuinely, impressed by the cousin’s skill, “Did you bribe her with pancakes?”   "Not even!" She exclaims, clearly excited by this development, "But she says they're her favourite too! I bet she'd love to see my new book," she grins from ear-to-ear, "She's not like the other teachers. She isn't mean to me like they are."   “I didn’t realise most teachers are mean,” Rue says, looking at Rani with concern, “I’m glad she’s nice, though, she must be if she likes pancakes.”   "Yeah, they don't like me very much," she says, seeming a little despondent, "But Ava's not like that. She's been helping me during lunch, and I was gonna ask mum if I could stay late some evenings for more study sessions."   ''Wow, really taking your studies serious, huh?'' Rue says with a smir,. ''She sounds like a great teacher, any chance she can tutor someone outside of school?''   "Well," Rani says, thinking to herself for a moment, "She did say that she does some private tutoring on the side. Maybe I could give her your number? See if she's taking on any more students."   ''Wait- Really?'' Rue asks, eyes wide. Rani's cousin gives them a stern look as they shift in their seat, and they give her an apologetic glance in return, ''That'd be great, actually, thank you.''   "Yeah, no problem," she says, beaming at Rue, as their henna finally receive the final touches, "I'm sure you'll really like her!"   Thanking the cousin for the henna, Rue continues to chat with Rani for a while longer. After tasting a myriad of new flavours (some a little too spicy to Rue's liking), they eventually have to say their goodbyes, armed with a couple of slices of cake and other leftover food. They share the treats with Tara and Doug, a slight spring to their step as, for once, they a sense of normality.   That evening, Rue sends a quick text to Rani before bed, taking a moment to appreciate the beautifully detailed Henna pattern on their hand, ''Hope you had a good birthday, don't eat those pancakes without me!''   Rani sends them a gif of an animated stack of pancakes holding a fork and knife, a frantic expression on its face as it wiggles back and forth, the writing saying ‘NEED PANCAKES’.   ''That... Is terrifying.''   Another gif is shared, this one of a bunny inhaling plate after plate of pancakes.   ''Okay, you've had way too much sugar today''   Continuing to communicate solely with gifs, the next one shows the same bunny as before, looking extremely bloated as it slowly forces another stack of pancakes into its mouth.   Rue laughs at the third gif, ''Goodnight, birthday girl!''   "Niiiiight Rue! Thanks for coming today!"   To be continued...