no subject

[littlerubyred]

It had taken Ruby a few days to come to terms with her new situation, though a rare show of practicality had won out in the end after a lengthy discussion with Sheriff Graham and the man she knew as David Nolan. She wasn't going to be leaving the Nexus any time soon, at least not for a permanent return to her home, and if she was going to stay in the hotel, money had to be made for the sake of general upkeep. Her skills were admittedly limited, though thankfully there was work to be had in the hotel for someone who had grown up in a world of customer service and food preparation. Getting a job in the bar had seemed an appropriate change of pace, or at least all the change she could currently handle in a world that had been turned inside out for the moment, and after she'd been accepted for the position she'd started almost right away.

In addition to being a decidedly and thrillingly more swank environment than she was used to, the clientele was definitely more diverse in that it was a room full of people she'd never met before. For all she lacked in knowledge concerning the outside world she was attempting to put forth enough effort in charming everyone to get by in terms of the standard awkwardness she had purely by being the new girl in a very strange and new environment. She'd been serving the same food and drinks to basically the same people for longer than she cared to remember, and if this was her first attempt at branching out, she didn't want to botch it up.

The small, round tray was steady on the flat of her palm as she sat a round of drinks down at one of the tables, smiling when the patrons paused their conversation to gesture their thanks, and then continued their conversation. Ruby continued on, too, tucking her now empty tray under her arm as she looked around for someone waiting to be served.

no subject

[follow_the_wolf]

February 2nd, 2014 | The Nexus

Graham, Ruby and Charming find each other in the Conservatory

In Progress/All Ages

I've got a knife behind my back, just sayin'.

[not_lost]

Last Tuesday, Fiona had finished a morning shift at the Smoking Room, had a quick shower in her room, and headed back home to the slushy Chicago streets. Ever-mindful of the constant march of time at the Nexus, she'd only been home for about twelve hours before she'd opened the door to head back, only to find herself faced with the tiny closet of a bathroom that she'd last seen months before. It had been her go-to door, had never failed.

That was nearly three months ago.

When she'd opened the bathroom door today, it had been to use the toilet. Standing on the threshold, she'd stared with sober finality out at the cool, glittering lobby, hesitated a moment, and then stepped through, slamming the door behind her. She glanced toward the front desk. It was still Tuesday morning.

Upstairs, she'd shucked off her pencil skirt and heavy winter coat, and had soaked in a whirlpool tub for almost an hour. Afterward, she'd tried to open a door home so that she could collect some more clothes, planning an extended stay. Three times she'd tried, and it hadn't worked. She'd stared at the door for awhile, and then wrapped herself in a fluffy bathrobe and went calmly downstairs to buy a bathing suit from the shop.

( Minor spoilers for Shameless 4x04 )

There was no outdoor swimming pool here and no beach, so Fiona had carried a towel and a six pack down to one of the gardens and spread herself out next to the soothing gurgle of a fountain. On her back in a black string bikini, dark sunglasses obscuring her eyes, she reached for her first beer, intent on drinking them all.

Fuck it. Just fuck it all.

[Hover for notes.]