Ruby owns a monopoly on hot chocolate (thewolfwithinme) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-06-24 09:41:00 |
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Dick had been in a bad mood since his initial dream post. He’d meant to get back to those who commented, but it had soured his mood every time he tried. He finally had reached the point where he gave up and wanted a friendly face. Normally he might have called Zee, but this time his intention was to get so shit faced he wouldn’t even remember the dreams. He knew exactly who to call up.
“Ruby? Hey. You busy?” He’d started simply enough. He hadn’t gone into details as to why he wanted to get together beyond booze, but currently that was the only thought running through his mind. Ruby kept weird hours, he knew this. He doubted she’d mind if he called her up late to meet for drinks at a bar that was less than fabulous. It however reminded him of New York right on down to the stench coming from the vents in the ground. The bar keep was a gruff looking man with his ass hanging half out of his pants, but Dick didn’t even seem to care. He was more interested in a shot glass in his hands full of an amber colored liquid on the rocks.
Ruby had been reading when her phone rang. Which meant she wasn’t initially aware of the time. One would think that with the new job, her hours would change on when she went to sleep but that wasn’t the case. And it was one of the nights she was alone and she wasn’t over at Neal’s, or Neal over at her place. So that meant either Neal was calling, or it could be Mary Margaret, whom Ruby was concerned about.
Or Dick. Blinking as she answered and heard his voice, the brunette marked her place.
“Not at all. What’s up?”
This was definitely an unexpected call. She had noticed his one post, but she hadn’t commented on it. Just one of those things where she meant to and then got distracted and then forgot. Maybe she shouldn’t have? Who knew. But usually late night calls meant that something was wrong.
“Just about to drink myself stupid and it seems a little wrong without you. Heh.” He had no idea where this had suddenly come from, but he blamed his dreams for his New York Nostalgia. “Wanna join me? My treat.” He offered, Not looking for a date or anything weird. Just an old friend, he was bad at keeping those and wanted to fix it a bit. He needed to do other things beyond just work all the time he supposed.
The noise in the background was loud, but typical bar noises. Guys shooting pool, an over shot speaker system, and someone on the opposite side of the bar taking bets for something or another. Just another day ending in Y in your local bars filled to the roof with unsavory sorts.
“Aww, how sweet. I’d say it was the sweetest thing someone’s said to me, but that would be a lie and I would never lie to you.” Truthfully, Ruby was now worried about Dick given the desire to drink himself stupid, but teasing him just came so easily. “But sure. Where are you?”
Great thing about the werewolf thing? She didn’t get drunk, which meant staying out late drinking wouldn’t adversely affect her the next morning. Sleep deprivation might, but at least she wouldn’t be hung over. Standing up, she grabbed her jacket and slipped some shoes on. A friend was in need, even if he didn’t outright say it. Ruby had been in Orange County long enough to know how these things went.
“I’m a charmer, what can I say.” He flashed her a toothy grin that she could probably see through the phone itself, though he was glad she couldn’t. It didn’t meet his eyes and probably looked a little creepier than he’d intended.. It wasn’t as though they were best friends forever, but he missed home. He could use a bit of that familiarity.
“Place called Doc’s.” He supplied as he leaned against the bar and wiggled an empty glass of scotch at the tender. “Guess where it is. I dare you.”
“Always have been, Grayson.” And Ruby didn’t need to be at the bar to know what sort of grin he would have given at that comment. But she understood the desire for familiarity, even if it wasn’t spoken. She could hear it in his voice and she knew this place. Having friends from before Orange County seemed to help with the adjusting once the crazy hit.
“Doc’s.. Well I’m going to guess Huntington or Newport Beach.” And looking up the information so that she could get there. And here were her instructions. Time to get in the car and get to the bar.
“I’m downright casanova.” He mused into the speaker before nodding. “Newport.” How was it that Ruby seemed to know every bar in the history of ever? Then again, Ruby. Some things he just didn’t ask, it was better that way. Left mystery to her that was just damn sexy. Of course his eyes were for Zatanna, but that didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate sexy. He leaned on the counter and sipped at his drink, giving her instructions to the bar and letting her go to get there.
He wasn’t that needy, he could wait all of a half hour or whatever it took her to get there without yapping her ear off about what was and what had been. There was plenty of time for that when she arrived. “Oh, don’t forget oreos.” he said before he hung up, hey-he could always try.
“Completely.” And really, sometimes it was just better to accept that Ruby would know about all the bars in the general area. Part of it had been the fact that when she moved to Orange County, she had known she would possibly have to get back into the bartending scene so had done her research, the other part was probably pure Ruby.
And oreos. Well, that explained that. Though oreos probably wouldn’t be a bad thing. Just because she was trying to responsible adult didn’t change the fact that there were things going on that Ruby was okay with but still required oreos and rum. Were she anyone else, she’d probably be freaking out a lot more, but Ruby tended (for the most part) to let things go, especially if they weren’t bad things. Why waste the energy being upset about something she couldn’t change and that wasn’t even bad? No. there was plenty of that already.
Finding a supermarket near Doc’s, Ruby picked up the package of oreos that were requested and then finished her trip to the bar, sliding into a seat next to Dick as she held her hand up to get the attention of the bartender and then placed her order.
“Oreos, as per your request. Which got me a strange look at this time, but you know, whatever.”
Dick generally didn’t ask for much from anyone, but this was a special occasion. Bruce warranted comfort food. Why did his dreams bleed over so damn much that was what he wanted to know. Hadn’t he suffered once enough he loss of his parents and the gaining of a cold and distant one? That was a life time ago, he really didn’t want to relive the fond memory of being forgotten.
“You’re the best. At least I didn’t call you out at 2am.” Night shifts tended to end there, so after particularly bad ones he’d find himself seated in Ruby’s bar. “Surprised it isn’t you behind the bar though. Doing better things out here then?” He peeled back the oreo container and put it between them.
“I’ll even share.”
“This is very true.” Hands around her drink once it arrived, Ruby nodded at the question on if she was doing something better out here, since really, bartending would have made the most sense, “Yeah. I help run a local women’s shelter.”
Thanks to the dreams. She was still convinced that part of the reason Mary Margaret had hired her after being reluctant to hire someone for the position was because of their friendship in the dreams, but she wasn’t going to complain as they had their friendship here as well. And she was being offered oreos to share.
“How sweet.” But it would be criminal to turn down oreos.
The bleed over from dreams was definitely...something. Ruby wasn’t sure, but there also wasn’t much that could be done about it. Sometimes good as was the case with Henry, but other times? Not so much.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Too many things really.” He made a face, “Any of your dreams do a repeat of real life?” He wasn’t sure if she knew of the incident at the circus all those years ago but the dreams had recently brought it to the surface. “Heh I’ve just been starting to move on with my life and they show up again to slap me in the face.” It didn’t help that Dick didn’t fully recover from that incident, reliving it all over again was extra hard.
“I told you I was a trapeze artist didn’t I?” Once upon a time he was sure he’d mentioned it along the way. There was a chance he didn’t, even with friends he was fairly tight lipped about his life. However the relationship with your bartender was a different sort of thing.
That was a heavy question. And well, given how complicated Ruby’s dreams were, seriously two lives in one go? Headaches all around. Not to mention the wolf thing. But were there similarities?
“In their own way, yeah…” She just never met her mother. If the woman would ever show up, who knew. But there were definitely similarities. Or reminders. Or reinforcements about what she was convinced of for herself. Only they ended up not so much because oh right, actually engaged. Then there was Henry but that wasn’t so much mirroring her life as Neal and Emma’s. “I’m sorry. That’s never easy.”
And then he was mentioning being a trapeze artist.
“Yeah, it’s come up before.” Along with flirtations and innuendo about contortionists and the like.
“Kinda wish it’d stop about now really.” He shrugged, he couldn’t say much else without going into weird details and nobody wanted that at the bar. Then again, the bar was a weird place. He was never sure if he ought to be dancing or sulking with hard liquor, tonight he chose the latter and was glad he did. This bar wasn’t exactly the most respectable sort of place and he wasn’t in the most patient of moods.
“It’s become a nightly thing now. I’d basically rather spend all my time at work, but apparently that’s not balance or whatever Harley said.” And another thing. Harley Quinn was one he was becoming suspicious of rather quickly.
Sulking, dancing, Ruby could do either. But she knew how that felt, the desire for the dreams to stop, especially the bleed over and similarities. At least the painful ones, but they couldn’t exactly choose what would happen, what would be similar, it was all up in the air and all they could do was deal with it.
Nor was she surprised Dick would sooner work than deal with the dreams. Harley. Who was Harley? Ruby was pretty sure she hadn’t spoken with any sort of Harley.
“Yeah… always sucks. They do stop, eventually. It’s just the getting through them. Avoid sleep and they come back worse.” Which just messed up the entire point. It was like they would find you and make you deal with them, and the more you fought, the worse it would be.
“Balance is good, though.”
"Yours have stopped then? " he asked as he inhaled another oreo. He did so much physical activity he wasn't even worried about polishing off the bag in one sitting. She sounded like she knew from experience, so he was curious.
Dick looked over at her as he munched on his fourth or fifth oreo, he had already lost count.
Ruby gave a nod to the question on if hers had ended. The question was, she couldn’t remember how long it had been since they ended. Months at this point. Which was complicated given the people who shared her dreams who had more after the fact. There was a lot to take in when it came to that.
“Yeah. I want to say around the New Year was when they stopped? They cycle through from time to time, but nothing new. There’s a handful of us who dream about the same place so I know about what happens after. I guess I just...don’t anymore? I’m not sure.”
Dick leaned against the counter and looked over at the bowl of oreos thoughtfully. "That's a little comforting in any case. .." It was better than the alternative of them getting worse, it meant there was a little hope. It seemed to lighten his spirit some. "And I thought new York was a rough town to live in. " He shook his head with a slight laugh and grabbed a handful of cookies to munch on.
Grabbing an oreo, Ruby munched on it as Dick took in what she said, that the dreams would eventually end. It wasn’t like their lives would go back to normal once that happened, as for that they would need to leave the area. But it was nice not having to worry about what else might show up in their dreams.
“A bit. And right? Who would think Orange County would be rougher to live in? Yet here we are.”