Ruby's POV:
We turned a corner, and as we continued down the hallway the murmurs began to fade, and silence slowly took their place. Soon, all I could hear were the sounds of rubber boots and claws hitting the metal floor.
The guard in front of me came to a stop, and in front of him stood a metal door, similar to any other on the Ark. Pulling down the metal handle, I was greeted by a near empty room, save for two chairs, in one of which sat a hunched figure, and two large crates, much like those I had seen on my last night of freedom.
"Wait here," The guard said, ushering Odin and I into the room, "The chancellor will be arriving shortly to speak with you- both of you."
Before I could object, the door slammed shut, locking us in.
"Ruby?" A familiar voice spoke, and I spun on my heels to face it.
Gus looked much different from the night I had last seen him, though somehow the same. He was taller now, and his hair had grown to cover his ears, but his eyes still glittered with enthusiasm, and his face still held that same, childish grin.
Before I could react I was in his arms, Gus holding onto me as if I might slip away any second. I wrapped my arms around his neck, smiling uncontrollably. The iconic duo, together again.
"I thought I'd never see you again, " He spoke flusteredly, breaking away from the hug and bringing his hands to my face to make sure I was real, "I missed you."
"I missed you too Gus," I replied, still smiling like an idiot, "So much."
Gus looked down at Odin, obviously taken aback by the massive creature, but surprisingly calm.
"and that is?"
"Odin." I spoke confidently, bringing a hand to the dog's head as a sign of control, "His name is Odin. What about the other dog? Did they let you keep it?"
"Oh, Clover?" He stepped to the side, welcoming a dog, almost as large as Odin, who stood obediently at his side, "They let you keep Odin didn't they?"
She had grown into an elegant creature, Clover. Though she was smaller than her 'brother', she stood with great power, and her deep brown eyes held a look of sheer calm and peacefulness.
"I would have gone half mad if it weren't for her," Gus said proudly, looking down admirably at the dog.
"I know how you feel."
"You wouldn't happen to know why we're here, would you?" He asked, concerned, "I've been waiting here for almost an hour and the Chancellor still hasn't shown. Do you think it has to do with the dogs?"
"I'm not sure, but I don't think it has to do with just us-"
The door opened, and both of us turned to face Chancellor Jaha, arms crossed over his chest, who looked down at us with an unchanging expression of neutrality. Then, he did something I had never even imagined he was able to do. His stern mug cracked, and a smile leaked through, however small, as he walked across the room.
"Ruby Conan, Augustus Stidolph," He spoke calmly as he paced across the room, "Sit, and please, contain those creatures."
We did as we were told, and I gripped the chain around Odin's neck in a mixture of fear for him and me.
"Well, I won't keep you waiting. I'm not sure if you've heard, but you and the 98 other prisoners here in the Sky Box awaiting trial will be making the trek down to the ground."
The room was silent for at least a minute, before Gus spoke up, his voice almost shaking.
"What? Why? How I don't-"
"I have no time to explain the technicalities of it Augustus," Jaha replied, "But I'll need you to contain Clover and Odin for the ride down. They'll have to be placed in crates until you reach the ground."
