Princely Knowledge and Camaraderie

[littlerubyred]

Ruby wasn't sure whether or not it was hotel policy to give out the room numbers of their guests, but she was friendly enough with the clerk on the desk at her time of asking, and finding out where she could find Loki the most quickly and easily hadn't been too terribly hard. She wasn't sure whether or not she would be welcomed by Loki when she knocked on his door, as while he'd been unfailingly kind and gentlemanly to her when they'd interacted elsewhere in the hotel, that was a good deal different than being taken by surprise in his room. Still, she was hopeful.

She'd thought long and hard about who to approach with the two problems that were currently dominating her attention, and while she was friendly with many people in the Nexus, the idea of approaching them with things that were both private and frightening was a little unnerving. She'd almost spilled her guts to Fiona the night before after finishing up a shift, but had bit her tongue at the last moment for some unknown reason. She'd ultimately decided to go to Loki as she had to figure that being as otherworldly as he was, he might have a more substantial wealth of knowledge concerning the disturbing dreams she'd been having. And, being someone who presumably had a penis, he might have a little more insight on what the hell was going on with Graham as well.

She knocked on his door twice, both loud enough to be heard within, and waited. When the door swung open, she smiled brightly. "Hey handsome," she said. "Can I bother you for a minute?"

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[littlerubyred]

Ruby wasn't sure what Loki meant to do with her hand, so she watched his expression, though there was nothing there to be seen. She'd wondered fleetingly if he was going to read her palm like that lady she'd seen with the shop set up in Vegas, but that didn't appear to be what Loki was doing at all, and anyway, whatever Loki was, it was far too grandiose for that. She thought then of how fond she was of Loki and how little she ever paused to consider how entirely different he was than her. He was a prince from a whole other world with powers and knowledge she couldn't even begin to fathom, and it was only here, when he touched her skin and seemed to see all the way through her, that she really considered their differences.

His question seemed rather random and made her feel all the more nervous for it. "All my life," she said. "I never left there until I came here."

[thelostprince]

He became aware that she may be slowly growing upset; perhaps some answers were in order. He released her hand, finally, almost apologetically.

"I don't think that's true," he said. "I think you had a life before Storybrooke, and you're starting to remember it. The next time you dream, pay attention. See if anything feels familiar at all to you, even if you've never seen it before." He didn't bother digging deeper into that explanation, which went hand-in-hand with the unspoken suggestion that Ruby was, in fact, a monstrous wolf. She could put that together herself.

[littlerubyred]

Ruby's breath caught slightly at his words, her brow furrowing as she thought over the possibility that there'd been a life before Storybrooke. Her parents were dead, and her earliest memories of childhood were of when she was a few years old, and only included Granny. She supposed it was vaguely possible that she was remembering something from infancy, but that had to be somewhere on the border of outlandish to consider. But then, weren't many things in this place?

"Alright," she said, and then sighed, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. "Goodness. Maybe I should've started with the easier problem first."

[thelostprince]

Loki raised his eyebrows at her mention of another problem. "Is that so," he remarked, though he smiled, faintly. He didn't want to tell Ruby straight out, and he figured she would come to her own conclusions in any case; he just had to get her to taste the bait her dreams were giving her. And if she had a second problem, that was better - a good way to shift the conversation along before she demanded anything more strenuous.

"What else is troubling you, then?" he asked. "And don't worry. It's always best to start with the most difficult. It makes solving everything else a breeze, so I hope that's the case with you."

[littlerubyred]

"I hope so too," she said, somewhat encouraged by his smile, and finding herself smiling back at him despite all the questions that rolled through her still. It wasn't within Ruby to linger over things that were dark or haunting, as those dreams certainly were. If there was a chance to speak of something more pleasant, she would surely take it.

"Men trouble," she said. "Forgive me for treating you like an advice column, but since you're my favorite friend presumably with a penis in attendance, I figured you'd be the best to ask." She smiled at him, moving her hands to the table to get them free from her lap and concentrating on smoothing her fingers along the smooth finery of it, versus fidgeting as they had been. Speaking so plainly with Loki about something so private was going to perhaps be a little embarrassing to start, but it helped that she'd gotten the worst off of her chest first.

"I was wondering if you might have any insight as to why someone who appears to be attracted to me in every other second of the day freezes up and shuts down when I make advances. Not the second advances are made, mind you, so I know that it's not that I make him uncomfortable or that he doesn't, you know, want to. He lets it go on for a bit, then sends me on my way. I don't have a whole lot of experience with men, but from what I know that sort of behavior isn't really normal."

[thelostprince]

For a moment, Loki looked at her with an expression that was a mixture between surprise and vague confusion. Not because of her problem, really - men and women (and for that matter, anyone who felt attraction for one another) were destined for instance after instance of miscommunication.

No, the real surprise for him was the fact she wanted to discuss this with him at all. "You're asking for my relationship advice?" he asked, starting to grin about halfway through the question at the complete strangeness of it all. In his experience, most people wouldn't breach this subject with him if there was someone better available, and 'better' could even mean inanimate objects.

However, it was pretty clear that that was exactly what she wanted, so he tried to continue on without any more issue. "I'm not sure," he said. "I guess the two things that spring to mind are that he doesn't feel like he's ready for you yet, and keeps forgetting every time you flash all those teeth at him. Or maybe he thinks he doesn't deserve you and sends you away out of self penance - and, again, forgetting every time. Men are very forgetful." The second answer came easiest to him because, naturally, he was guilty of that himself, a long time ago. Proud and arrogant, yes, but his self-worth had still been remarkably low in the trials of love.

[littlerubyred]

"Yes, and don't you laugh," Ruby said, though she was grinning brightly as Loki's smile grew wider at his question as to whether or not she was really asking him for relationship advice. He apparently thought such a thing was ludicrous, but Ruby couldn't fathom why. Loki was handsome, charming, intelligent, and apparently a prince where he'd come from. It seemed only logical that he would have experience on the matter, whether or not it was recent.

Her smile remained as he continued to speak, though it softened into something that was more fond than amused. She supposed his explanations made sense, at least to a certain extent, though she wasn't sure how much of either really applied. Still, it was nice to have someone else confirm that there was a reason to Graham's behavior outside of there being something wrong with her. She was positive that Graham was attracted to her, though after her dreams had started up she had to wonder if there was something about her that was going wrong at her core, and he could somehow sense it. Ridiculous, probably, but worrisome none the less.

"I suppose you're right," she said with a nod. "He won't discuss it with me, other than to suggest I go back home. I don't want to do that, though. He's here, and you're here, and all my new friends are here."

[thelostprince]

"No, no, I'm sorry," he said. "Forgive me. I'm not laughing at you, Ruby." He didn't want to accidentally offend her, not when she deemed him worthy of her problems. Not that Loki would have cared, normally; but being treated this way by people was new to him, and he found he sort of enjoyed it. He was used to attempting to solve problems for people, but usually not these problems - also, to be honest, most of the time the person he was trying to help was Thor.

First Fiona, and now Ruby. Sif would get a kick out of it and tease him, no doubt. He was distracted from that musing by another detail, however. "He's from your world?" he asked. "And he wants you to go back? Has he said why?"

Maybe the answers Ruby sought about her dreams could be found in her paramour. What an upsetting thought that could be.

[littlerubyred]

"I know," Ruby said with a laugh, leaning over to pat his hand gently. "If I thought you were going to laugh at me I wouldn't have come here to talk sex problems with you. I was just teasing." Not that she thought Loki needed reassurance on the matter, but she didn't want him to think she was taking offense where there was none. Besides, she supposed it was all cliche enough to earn a chuckle.

"He is from my world," Ruby said, seeing no reason why she should hold back the details of that now. "He says that there are things I don't understand, and that I just need to go home and wait for the answers to come to me, but how could he possibly know that? In the point of time that I come from, he's dead. He's been dead for weeks. "

[thelostprince]

"How did he die?" As usual, Loki's questions were not phrased for gentleness. He supposed if the man had died and was now walking around upright here in the Nexus - as Loki himself was - then surely Ruby wasn't feeling personal about the loss anymore.

The nature of the death could be something. Maybe Ruby wasn't in the mindset to see a conspiracy, but Loki was.

[littlerubyred]

"Heart attack," she said after a moment of thought. "Or rather, I think that's what they determined the actual cause of death was. Something to do with the heart, anyway. He was with a girl at the time, and she said he just collapsed. No indication anything was wrong health-wise beforehand." She twisted her fingers together again, looking down at the knot they made in her lap as she continued to speak. "That's something else that's strange. He and I have known each other for a while, but when we were home he acted like he barely noticed me. Now that we're here, he claims that he's had all these feelings for forever and it's just that none of it feels right, you know? Not the stuff between he and I, but what he's telling me. It just doesn't make sense with how I remember things being between us."

[thelostprince]

"Maybe he's manipulating you," Loki suggested. "Or maybe he found out something right before he died. Or maybe both or none at all. Try not to get too attached, Ruby. Men are as ruinous as women, in my experience."

He knew he was not being particularly kind in that approach; but he liked Ruby well enough, and watching people he liked wander into disaster, while it was something he expected, wasn't what he relished. Still, he was also aware that if Ruby had known the man for a long time, he did think she was clever enough to at least notice if the man had some talent at dissembling.

"Just give it some time," he settled with. "Try not to get too distracted by his winning smile or whatever it is you like about him."

[littlerubyred]

It was harsh advice, but of the sort she would've given a friend who had come to her with a similar problem, so she could not find it within herself to be wounded by it. Ruby was admittedly naive, especially to the ways relationships worked between men and women, but she could read people well enough after working with them her whole life, and she didn't think Graham had an ulterior motive. Still, she could be wrong, and Loki's advice to not get too attached was good advice, which she was smart enough to take.

"Thank you," she said after a moment. "I realize that showing up in your hotel room in the middle of the day to rattle off my problems like you're some sort of therapist perhaps wasn't warranted, but I thank you for tolerating me all the same." She stood, then walked around the table to stand in front of him, gesturing with her hand. "Stand up, please."

[thelostprince]

Well, she didn't seem angry with him, so Loki was going to count that as a good sign. Most of the time people bristled, at the very least, at his words, which he honestly didn't see reason for - after all, if they wanted his advice and wisdom, why should they also expect it to be tailored in a way they wanted to hear? Was he not already doing them a courtesy in putting his mind to their problems in the first place?

"It's no trouble at all," he said, and mostly meant it. There was not much else he could have been doing with his time, after all, besides the deep and wandering thoughts he tended to indulge in when left to his own devices. He wouldn't ever readily choose to be burdened with someone else's problems, but he understood that was something he had to do for friendships, which were what he was ultimately cultivating, he supposed. At her request that he stand, though, he gave her a startled look, though he rose to his feet as suggested. She didn't seem to be one for formal leave taking. Unless she wished to embrace him? That would be odd, if only because the last person who really hugged him was his mother, and he wasn't used to it.

[littlerubyred]

Ruby couldn't help but grin at Loki's startled look, mostly because it was so entirely rare for him. He had always been gentlemanly and kind to her, but his approach had always been one more of cool, dry detachment than anything else. She was fond of him, and thought that the sentiment was at least somewhat returned in kind. Otherwise, she might've held off from what she was about to do

When he made his way to his feet, Ruby moved in to wrap her arms around his middle, pulling herself in for a tight, sincere hug. He was warm and solid, the material of his shirt surprisingly soft against her cheek where she tucked it against his chest. She could feel his surprise at her actions, which also made her smile. She didn't know whether people just didn't often offer to hug Loki or if he was the sort who just didn't welcome them, but she found she liked hugging him as she was just then, and hoped that if she tried again in the future he would not be too terribly upset.

"You're very smart," she told him as she hugged him. "So smart, and wonderful to boot. Thank you." She leaned away from the hug just enough to lean up to press a kiss to his cheek, then stepped back from him with a smile. "I've tainted your beauty," she said as she began to rub gently at the lip print she'd left on his cheek with her thumb. "Don't want anyone thinking I came in here and made ill use of my friend."

[thelostprince]

When she confirmed his suspicions and moved to hug him, he accepted it. He would not push her away, after all; he did not dislike her, and though he was a solitary person and unused to physical contact, it didn't exactly make him uncomfortable. It just put him on uneven ground, which, in some senses, he was more than comfortable with these days.

"You're too kind, Ruby," he said, and though he didn't think she would hear it as such, it was a double-edged phrase, for in his experience kindness could turn on its giver as quickly as an act of callousness. Still, if she was careful it could serve her well.

"I rather think a lip print would improve my countenance," he said, but allowed her to clean the lipstick off.

[littlerubyred]

"And you give wonderful hugs," Ruby said as she worked at wiping away the lip print she'd left behind. Much like her, his skin was so pale that almost every color stood out stark against it. It was often a problem she had when she smeared her own lipstick doing something or other, and while every tube of red lipstick she owned claimed it wouldn't kiss off, she hadn't found a single one that wouldn't yet.

At his words about the lip print improving his countenance, she laughed and dropped her hand to his shoulder for a gentle squeeze. "Remember that conversation we once had about girls getting jealous over me telling you how handsome you are? Imagine those same girls seeing me walk out of your room with red lipstick smeared all around. " She gave a dramatic shudder. "I would, however, be willing to risk their wrath if you'd like to go with me for lunch. I know you don't like to eat much, but I could buy you a few drinks while I eat. All friendly like, of course."

[thelostprince]

"Despite anything I say that may sound self-effacing, I assure you, you needn't keep complimenting me so zealously," he said. He put his hand on top of hers where it lay against his shoulder, but only for a moment. He felt that for the time being they'd indulged in enough contact.

"I'd be happy to go for lunch," he said. He might have considered changing back into something a bit more armoured, but he would only have done so had he made the long decision to leave his room of his own volition. Spur of the moment invitations didn't garner quite that much consideration.

[littlerubyred]

"I'm not complimenting you," she said, then amended, "well, at least not that last time. That was just a fact, young Loki-son. Tall guys with nice arms usually give super fabulous hugs, so I guess that's just your lot in life." She grinned at him and dropped her hands to slide them into the back pockets of her bright red shorts, feeling much better about things now that she'd at least spoken of them to someone else. She wasn't sure how much had been cleared up, exactly, but it was at least a bit more proper footing to continue on.

"Fabulous!" She said when he agreed to go with her for lunch. "Now that I've talked your ear off about my boring shit, you can tell me what's been up with you lately. If you'd like to, of course." Loki was private and tended to only speak of specific things if she asked specific questions, but he did have the sort of voice and thought processes that made listening to him fascinating.

[thelostprince]

"Well, if you say I'm good at it, I will trust your judgment," Loki replied. She was so boisterous, even after coming to him with her troubles. Was she just not someone to soak in her own emotions, or was this something indicative of her species? (And, after she had spoken to him of being a wolf, he had to wonder now what, exactly, her species was).

Still, it suggested a strength he liked. Loki did not like to be around fragile things, for a variety of reasons, simply because he could not figure out which reason was the real one. Did he not trust himself around them, or did they remind him of himself? Both? Neither? "We can talk about whatever you like," he said, with an idle smile, holding his arm out so that he may escort her, in that friendly, courtly way he had never been able to pull off with anyone back home. And he liked that about her, too.