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mantle[ Ruby exhales one last chain of perfectly formed smoke rings before putting out her cigarette on the side of the small metal dumpster in the alleyway behind Granny's diner. It's 20 minutes after her shift was scheduled to end -- the shift that she never even really worked in the first place, because it wasn't like there were too many people clamoring for a heaping helping of Granny's famous lasagna today. Most of Storybrooke's denizens were out and about, bucking any semblance of normal routine, relishing their first taste of real freedom in 30-odd years, and in many instances also desperately seeking out information on their missing loved ones.
Ruby hates to imagine that maybe Lacey is out there among them somewhere, possibly looking to reunify with some forgotten, former beau. This whole curse was more than just another one of Regina's basic, if perfectly calculated, ploys. It seems that it wasn't enough for her to simply carve them out a whole new existence; she had to make sure to twist the knife while doing it.
Normally Ruby would already be back at the little apartment above the library that she shares with Lacey. Probably just finishing up with taking a quick shower to wash away the lingering smell of greasy food and changing out of her uniform into something much more comfortable.
As it is, she feels rooted to the concrete where she stands, grappling with the terrible uncertainty of not knowing what would be the worst immediate outcome -- being forced into an uncomfortable conversation about the lie they've been living together when she's barely had time to process any of it herself, or coming home to an empty flat and spending the night alone in ghostly silence. ]
Ruby hates to imagine that maybe Lacey is out there among them somewhere, possibly looking to reunify with some forgotten, former beau. This whole curse was more than just another one of Regina's basic, if perfectly calculated, ploys. It seems that it wasn't enough for her to simply carve them out a whole new existence; she had to make sure to twist the knife while doing it.
Normally Ruby would already be back at the little apartment above the library that she shares with Lacey. Probably just finishing up with taking a quick shower to wash away the lingering smell of greasy food and changing out of her uniform into something much more comfortable.
As it is, she feels rooted to the concrete where she stands, grappling with the terrible uncertainty of not knowing what would be the worst immediate outcome -- being forced into an uncomfortable conversation about the lie they've been living together when she's barely had time to process any of it herself, or coming home to an empty flat and spending the night alone in ghostly silence. ]
