Ruby nods like a wise, old uncle giving life advice and says, “That tracks. Dying probably doesn’t make you want to adopt a bunch of tiny creatures who depend on you and only you for survival.”

Looking at the pictures, she adds, “Those are some sweet little strays though, have you named either?”

little Nightmare’s aunt Serah is watching her for Ruby, and the goth bartender *hopes* she’s behaving herself and not making a mess of Ser’s living room at present.

“How many cats d’you have, and d’you have pictures of the adorable gremlins?” She hopes so, she freaking loves cats.

“Is there a club?” Because if so, she would like to join it. She would like to become the club president, actually.

“Unfortunately so, she hid it masterfully with her cuteness so I’d adopt her. Didn’t realize until it was much too late, so now I’ve no choice but to love and keep her.” Thankfully ~

their coffin-shaped purse for a blurry Polaroid of said husky. “Looks absolutely angelic, hm?”

Ruby waits a beat and then grins. “Wrong! She destroyed that whale plush twenty minutes later, cannibalized it to hell.”

The were slumps in her seat. “Ugh, I’d be more than willing to do that if people didn’t also equate that to finding love.”

Ruby scoffs and shakes her head. “I’m fine with being a loveless lesbian cat lady, really. Except I have a tiny husky instead and she’s pure evil.”

They dig around in ~

“Only *if* that trip doesn’t end with Belle trying to kill me for even looking at you.” Ruby says, all deadpan. But starts grinning wickedly when Christina looks bewildered.

“Oh, don’t act like that’s not a thing. It’s totally a damn thing.”

As for her lil lesbian love, though…”I don’t know.”

and left her feeling like Bella Swan sitting motionless in front of a window as the seasons changed without her notice.

And it was so bloody stupid of Ruby, really. “My makeup still okay?” She hopes it isn’t running down her face like a gothic heroine in a horror film.

so easily given what a little redheaded lover had done to her heart a few months back.

As summer stretched to fall and September deepened to October, Ruby had felt the giddy pang of what could be like, maybe even love, strike her heart. And then it’d all been ripped away just like that, ~

“Well, aren’t you just a regular Shakespeare in the park then?” Ruby says as she wipes unshed tears from her eyes, Annette’s little speech really must’ve cracked a tiny fissure in the walls guarding her heart.

Not that she isn’t grateful for it, because she *is*, but it’s still hard to trust ~

that her heart feels like it could beat out of the empty cathedral of her ribs and fall at his feet, still bloody and warm.

Vampires fuckin’ live here, because of *course* they do. And it’s been a long time since she’s been hunted by one, but not long enough to forget the mind-numbing rage & fear.

“No, it’d be doing better if two of my cooks hadn’t walked the fuck out on Friday.” Ruby says around an annoyed huff that ruffles her bangs. “Obviously not your fault or something you’d have known, though.”

They consider his description and say, “Damon Salvatore is your brother?” to hide the fact ~

“Glad to be back too, strange as that sounds coming out of my mouth.” She gives the brunette the ghost of a smile.

“Remember when I *swore* I should’ve moved to Boston?” Ruby could almost laugh at the thought now.

Ruby shakes her head to clear her thoughts, trying to banish the memory of her mad dash through the Avaleon snow as the townspeople hunted her down.

“Needed you to know now so it wouldn’t become a shock down the road.”

from a place where that wasn’t easily accepted.” She can still remember the wind howling in her ears as she ran barefoot over the snow, drops of blood glimmering in her wake.

“I fought for it in blood. And that doesn’t mean other people still have to like me, once they know. But I just-“ ~

“I’m uh- well I’m not like other girls. Not because I *think* I’m better than them or cooler or whatever, but because I’m not-“ This is always the hardest part, but she’s long learnt it’s better to rip the bandage off sooner rather than later.

“But because I *wasn’t* always a girl, and I come ~

“Not in Kansas anymore, are you Toto?” She says around a soft grin while she rests her elbows on the bar counter.

“Hm. Strange though, seems like I’ve met you before.” His presence seems oddly…safe. “Anyways, name’s Ruby. I run this shit bar.”

instead of doing fuck all with both.

“God, the Kennedys are the bane of my gay damn existence. Is Rose the one that got committed to a psych ward?”

Thinks about it some and wagers that, “Yeah, I can make the drink. Fuckin’ awful name if it is her though, Christ.”

“