#c; ruby

“Yeah, well, Kage lives next to the Stowaway, so we don’t have much of a choice.” She shrugged. “He swears to me he’s fine, but…you know Kage.” They rolled their eyes. “I have no way of really knowing until I lay eyes on the man.” With a nod, she glanced up sympathetically. “I feel you,” she mumbled, still worried about Nic. “Is it bad?” Eyes following Marissa’s gaze, she caught onto the item on the shelf. “Ah—this one is one of my favorites.” She grinned, stepping around the counter to reach for the crystal skull. “It’s actually a candle holder. You stick it in the top of the skull, and it collects the wax inside as it burns.”

x

“Right,” Riss nodded a little. “Seems to be the universal thing at the moment-- everyone insisting their fine but nobody is.” At least, that’s what seemed to be happening with everyone Riss cared about, and actually that was exactly what she was doing herself. She wasn’t fine. But she’d continue to say she was. Fake it until you make it, right? Is it bad? Marissa wasn’t sure how to answer that question. “Just-- smoke inhalation and light burns physically, she’ll be alright,” she paused. She knew Ruby was close with Nic, and perhaps she’d be able to help in a way Riss couldn’t. “But she’s beating herself up about the fires... Both about going in and being reckless, and about not being able to save much,” she picked up one of the things from the counter, for no real reason than to just do something. “I keep telling her it’s alright, but my words don’t really seem to be making a difference. I-- don’t know what else to do, if I’m being honest...” Riss glanced down at said thing in her hand, which turns out to indeed be a candle. “Huh...” She mused, mind clearly on her partner laid up in hospital.

He had pissed off quite a few war-pals back in the pit, and it didn’t seem like they would let him go anytime soon—came into Foxes an hour before it even had to open, left a message right before his eyes with broken chairs and damaged tables. Theo himself got to taste it as well, knuckles bruised and nose aching, adrenaline going through veins still forcing his muscles to pulse. At least none of his workers were there yet, and he had time to throw some chairs out, fix some tables—at least enough for them to do their job. Thirty minutes till opening and the place was still in an obvious mess, as was Theodor now turning to the sound of doors opening. His eyes met a pair of wide emerald ones framed by red hair, and the man let out a deep sigh already knowing what was to come. “You know what? Whatever it is, just say it and lets get it over with.”

“Ruby!” Although it came out more like a whine than anything else as she rubbed her head from the sudden impact with a book. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the yellow cover which ended with ‘for dummies’, but that was about it. Lydia, while familiar with the series, hadn’t had an opportunity to take a single one in her hands, no matter how popular they were. “What is it even about?” She paused, frowning for a second before shaking it off. “..As I was saying. If anything, I spent New Years with you. Anyways. What have you been up to, birdie?”

.｡.:*☆ “I do not know?” Ruby asked back, brows furrowed as she eyed the other woman from head to toe. “Maybe we’ve met before and you forgot?” It obviously was no thing only happening in Storybrooke, from what Ruby had learned so far while living here in Sdyney. That memories could be erased here, as well.

“And, yeah, sort of does make sense, I guess. Not sure what I should think about cold summers, but thank you for explaining. And, no, I am not Alice from Wonderland, as far as I know. My name is Ruby, actually. Ruby Lucas.”

Cocking her head to the side, Hope shakes her head softly. "No, I have all my memories so it can't be that." She muses and furrows her eyebrows together, before her eyes widen at the name and she facepalms herself. "Of course! You're Red! I've heard stories about you, you worked at your Granny's Diner, right? Sorry, my name is Hope, I'm Emma's daughter."

         Phos looked quizzically down at the other.  Were they a gem just like Phos?  They had the same gem-like texture, but they were much smaller than Phos and not wearing powder.