faderift | all of nature wild & free

Good. That's good. Even though she doesn't need to be relieved, as such, she's glad to have helped, have made even a little difference, and she relaxes a little.
... Right in time for Bruce to ask his question, and she groans, good natured and full of true (not true at all) suffering. Raising er right hand, Ruby turns it so Bruce can better see the rosewood ring on her right hand, grain shifting under the light.

"I found it in some ruins in the Hinterlands," she starts, leaning her shoulder into the wall and watching more flowers start to crawl a little higher up the wall. "It's... Kind of ridiculous, but I'm getting kind of fond of it."

Bruce blinks at the sight of the ring, looking at it for several moments before he looks to the still growing array of flora around Lucas for another couple of seconds--then shifts his gaze back to her and frowns.

"...is this all that it does?" Just... making flowers appear? What was the point of it? Bruce was almost half-certain that there had to be more to what was going on.

"Well," somehow just that one word sounds a little strained and awkward, "so... far? I mean, I don't want to jinx it or something. Anders figured it might be like Dalish Keeper magic that makes it do its thing."

She leans forward, slightly conspiratorial. "I can't take it off," Ruby admits. "It's weird. But I'm kind of getting used to it? I mean, fair warning for people to know they're dealing with someone ridiculous, right?"

So far wasn't entirely reassuring. Bruce frowns, not feeling very settled with this piece of information, but it wasn't like enchantment was a thing he did that all often, even back in the Circles.

Before he can voice out any of that though Lucas speaks again, and Bruce frowns even more at her words. "Ridiculous?" What did she mean by that? "You're not ridiculous." At least, as far as he could tell - which he supposed wasn't a lot, but still. If she really was he supposed it would have shone through already.

Her smile becomes self-deprecating. "Depends who you talk to."

So far as a good many people in Storybrooke were concerned, Ruby Lucas was a flighty, lost girl who talked a talk bigger than she could match. That front had been corroding even before the Dark Curse was broken, but reputations twenty-eight years in the making are a hard thing to break, to forget, and most people knew the girl who served them coffee or double whiskey neat better than they knew Snow White's oldest ally. It's easier, sometimes, to cut herself down before other people can get around to it, even playfully.

But she smiles and shakes her head a little. "Although, I am helping organise a giant team building morale boosting exercise that you should absolutely be involved in and absolutely is ridiculous."

That was a smile that Bruce knew well - if only because he did that far too often himself. It was always something to see it on somebody else. Of course, he knows better than to try and pry, but still--he hopes that whatever it is that weighed her down so, it would be eventually resolved. Ruby was a good person and he'd hate to see her get down due to something beyond her control.

So he moves on with the conversation, as does she, and sends a quizzical look her way. "I'm not really known to be a team player kind of person." In fact, he was probably the last person who should be involved in those sorts of things; being with people never tended to end well for him.

"Arguably," she starts, and now her smile has upped a few watts, "that means you are exactly the kind of person who'd benefit from a team building exercise."

Ruby leans back against the wall, and a few more flowers start to peek out in between the leaves, slowly but surely, the area she's effecting spreading out the longer she lingers there.

"Random teams, getting to work with some different people," Ruby continues, somehow making it sound wistful and ridiculous at the same time, "chucking snowballs at people? Oh, and there'll be team colours. With sashes."

She shakes her head at herself. "Kind of a way to kick back and relax a little after all the Fade stuff." Fade stuff has a little weight on it. The Fade sure was a thing. A really, really messed up thing.

"I don't know if there will be others who are inclined to agree." Bruce wasn't really a... fun sort of person, to put it mildly, and he knows that very well. Not that he was going to be grumpy or annoyed over people having fun at his expanse, but he just wasn't the kind of guy who mixed well with these things.

Even if there had been the whole Fade stuff that happened.

He watches the flowers containing to bloom around where Lucas is standing, letting out a sigh after another moment. "I'm quite sure I'll just ruin the atmosphere, anyway." What with all the rumors floating around him; it was best to just not make things worse than they already were.

Ruby can't quite help quirking an eyebrow at that, a mix of sympathetic and curious.

"Speaking as someone who was chased by mobs with fire and pitchforks on more than one occasion," she starts, rather frankly, "you definitely won't. Besides, sometimes it's good to just do something really different. Show your face, show people that you're willing to get involved. Maybe you won't be skipping through fields of daisies with anyone after, but you're a healer. It'll be good for everyone to have a chance to get to know you."

And a moment, before she idly plucks a couple of the bright flowers from the wall beside her, keeping the stems long so she can start to braid them together, "Worst case scenario is that we have an extra healer on hand in case someone gets hurt, and I'll promise not to drag you into a snow fight ever again."

Bruce blinks at the frankness of Lucas's words, having not quite expected them... but appreciating it all the same, in a way. He isn't so optimistic as to believe that this one thing would do anything for his current situation, but she does have a point as well. It would probably be safer to have somebody around in case anybody got themselves injured in the whole thing.

He lets himself dwell on it for a while more before he sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "...alright. So long as you don't expect me for anything amazing anytime soon. I'd hate to disappoint."

He was probably going to regret this later.

See? It's almost like its an amazing idea and Ruby's totally right. (Yes, both are true.)

"You won't, trust me." Her smile is delighted, and she holds out the two flowers to Bruce, woven together in an impromptu little bracelet. "But I fully give you the right to tell me 'I told you so,' after."

There's another blink as he looks at the.... bracelet? that Lucas had apparently made while they were chatting, and he hesitates for a moment before reaching over to take the bracelet.

"I'll exercise that right if I deem it necessary," he says, even though he knows he probably won't. Even if things went south, he could hardly blame Lucas for simply wanting to do something good for others.

When he accepts the bracelet her smile widens just a little. Ah yes. Floral friendship bracelet. Their ultimate friend status is official, now.

"Entirely fair. And if you do, I will make t-shirts for the occasion. They'll say 'Bruce is always right' and I'll wear them every day."

Except then she frowns. Does she need to explain about t-shirts? And words on t-shirts? Oh, man.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Bruce frowns as well because--shirts, yes, he knew what those were, but t-shirts? Were they some sort of variant of shirts? And what did she mean by the whole thing about them saying something? Could these t-shirts speak? A ridiculous idea at first glance, but then the last year had shown him even the most ridiculous thing could be true.

He knows he could ask, but he isn't entirely sure how Lucas would interpret that. And the last thing he wanted was to come off as rude.

"...okay," he settles on saying just that, eventually, even though it sounded as unsure as he felt right now. "Though you don't need to wear anything just because of that. I'm fine as nobody gets horribly injured or maimed."

all of nature wild & free

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omg I'm so sorry, I thought I replied a couple days ago

its cool haha, i've been slow as balls

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