"If dat's an arrestable offense 'round 'ere, ya're gonna need a bigga jail." Ruth could let her own somewhat strange sense of humor wander about in Wisdom's presence without worry of too much reprisal. He actually could laugh, unlike some of the folks she'd met. Herself included. Truthfully, she rarely let herself be as silly as she could be, but that was because she always ran about with the weight of the world on her shoulders. It was a damn sight hard to laugh when you felt like your chest was caving in under the weight.
The clock ticking in her head wasn't speeding up, so they still had time. It was still fast, maybe five seconds on it for every one in the real world, but that didn't matter. If it started to speed up, they were in trouble because that meant the situation was about to change and her prior information would only be good in pieces. So far, she'd only had one situation where that truly mattered, but she didn't like the possibility of them losing this particular lady again. Wisdom hadn't taken it well once, to go through it a second time, she wasn't sure how he'd deal. Then there were the others throughout the Haven who had looked to her as a leader or a parent or just a friend. They missed her. No, they didn't have a choice but to come back with her. Not in Ruth's mind anyway.
The elevator ride, thankfully, came without elevator music. Small favors. The Blackbird bay sounded like machinery to Ruth, and echoing footsteps on metal plates. Such was the reality of her world, surrounded by sound. There was no reason to get on the Blackbird quite yet. They were still doing pre-flight inspection. It would give someone, anyone, more time to get down there.
"20 minutes. 25 minutes. An hour." The timetable building in her head was promising. At least in that they would get there in time. The question was whether or not it would make a difference in the long run.