Asgardian Princes and Midgardian Fairytales

[littlerubyred]

It seemed to Ruby that the moment she began to really look for the door back to Storybrooke, it had appeared and not moved a single time since. She'd been wary of it at first, only sticking her head through to have a look around before scuttling back to the Nexus. For all that she needed to go home, she was wary of leaving the Nexus behind for too long, lest it disappear entirely and take all her friends and Graham along with it. That had not been the case the two times Ruby had made her way back to Storybrooke to check on Granny and on her friends there, none of which seemed to notice that she'd been gone for any amount of time at all.

Knowing all of that, she'd invited Loki to go home with her as they'd discussed after running into him on one of her days off. Graham had disappeared for a while, then seemed distant upon his return, and Ruby, unknowing of how to handle it, had left him to his own devices. She wasn't sure what was going on, though she was not the sort to pester or plead when she invited someone to confide in her and they declined, and she'd decided to wait to tell him about the door to Storybrooke for when he seemed in better spirits as well. He would come to her in his own time, and she'd deal with whatever sort of revelation he wanted to lay upon her then.

"I do hope your prepared for a lovely dose of small town quaintness," she teased Loki as she swung open the door and took his forearm in her hand so that they could both pass through. "I don't know if it's necessary to actually be holding onto each other," she said. "Is that necessary when going through the home door?" She asked once they were in the bright sun of Storybrook outside of Granny's Diner and she could let his arm free. "Either way, here you go. This is home. Spin around and you can see it all in its entirety, I'm sure."

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[littlerubyred]

There were some days when Ruby thought nothing at all of Regina. She was the mayor, a woman who was known to be less than friendly on occasion, but mostly tolerable on a day in and day out basis. Ruby could not ever think of a time when she'd been suspicious of Regina outside of the general wariness reserved for politicians, but there was a feel to the woman's gaze when she looked upon Ruby and Loki that reminded Ruby inexplicably of an oil slick. Her spine tightened and she stood straight up, and Ruby had a strange, fleeting thought that dipped in and out of her consciousness just as quick. If there was a curtain over Storybrooke, it was a curtain of Regina's design.

The unsettled feeling made Ruby want to climb over the counter to put herself in between Regina and Loki, not because she thought that Loki couldn't defend himself against someone like her, but because she sensed Regina would know that Loki was not simply a stranger traveling through town. She didn't know what Regina could possibly do about it, but Ruby felt like she did not want to find out.

"Madam Mayor!" Ruby said brightly in an attempt to distract. "Don't you look wonderful! You're usual?"

Regina's acknowledgement came in the brief flick of her fingers, her gaze already locked on Loki's profile, and she moved past Ruby as though she wasn't even there to claim the seat beside Loki. There was a smile on her face, but it was as slick as her gaze, and equally unsettling.

"Regina Mills," she said and did not offer her hand. "Hello. How did you wind up in our little town?"

[thelostprince]

He had not bothered to turn and look at the Mayor when she came in; but as she edged nearer into his focus, Loki regretted that, because now he did, he wanted the casual turn easily hidden by the mild curiosity of a visitor. She prickled at his awareness. These were people of a different make, beyond the realm he knew, and his senses were not finely tuned. He was expecting to find something strange or off about the place, and that's how it felt, and maybe that was why he was able to notice it.

He could only hope this Mayor would have a similar experience, and not see how much stranger Loki's visit to the town really was. She would undoubtedly pick up on something, of course; but hopefully something much too blurry for her to accurately guess at. Though it itched at him he waited until the woman was sitting beside him to turn, one elbow leaning casually against the counter.

She was a very good looking woman, older than Ruby, with a more settled, domineering look to her. He knew a sorceress when he saw one, though, and even though she didn't offer her hand, he smiled and offered his - much more brightly than he would have, normally.

"I suppose the same way everyone else did," he said, cheerfully, knowing his demeanor might surprise Ruby, but that was a chance he was taking. Mysterious stranger was not a title he wanted in a small town with a sorceress who, for all he knew, ruled its undercurrents with an iron fist. And boisterous, cheerful people we far less interesting, and far less mysterious, than calm, wry intellectuals. If it had been only him, he wouldn't have cared so much - but this was Ruby's place. If he made a mess and left her in it, who knew how it would turn out? "It's a beautiful little spot."