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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.

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The man that had signaled her over had apparently walked in while Ruby was on her break, as she was positive only having her nose in a cocktail glass could've kept her from noticing one such as him. Even seated he was tall and strong of shoulder, and somehow striking and regal and elegant and just... Utterly unlike anyone from Storybrooke, and she didn't need to hear his soft accent to be positive of that.

Retrieving the drink didn't take all that long as it was a fairly simple order, and she returned to sit it down in front of him with a napkin beneath, biting at her bottom lip as she attempted to think up something to say. The truth was that he looked like he'd had quite an evening, though she wasn't sure if it'd been good or bad. "Is there anything else I can get for you?" She asked, smiling warmly and softly down at him. "You look like you've had quite an evening, if you'll forgive me saying so. Have you eaten?"

He could read body language easily, and he considered hers even as he picked up his drink. He chilled it just by touching it, but he did it in a smooth, unconscious movement, before knocking the drink back. She looked like someone who wanted to talk; chatty people had that look about them. Or maybe he was being unkind.

"I suppose I have," he said. Finding out your mother was not, in fact, dead, but also last saw you when you were a small child, was vaguely off putting, though not exactly unpleasant. "No, I'm fine," he said. "I don't... really eat." Well, he did, but he felt hunger differently. He was a godly being, and food was more for pleasure than sustenance, though it was sometimes that as well.

As soon as the word's left her mouth Ruby could've cringed at her own silliness. As eager as she was for someplace that wasn't Granny's Diner, she had certainly wasted no time in behaving as though she were back there. She was long used to serving only people she knew and talking openly with them about their day and any sort of problems they might've been having, and this man had seemed so in need of something she couldn't quite put her finger on that the comment had slipped out before she fully thought it through.

"Oh," she said when he answered, shaking her head slightly and blushing. "Oh, I'm so sorry. That was silly of me." This man was entirely unknown to her and, as he'd admitted, having quite a night. What he needed was to be left alone with is thoughts and his drink, no doubt. She chuckled a little. "Forgive me. I'll get out of your hair, but is there anything else I can get you?"

Maybe it was the fact that Frigga was here now - well, that was part of it. But she had brought him up with manners as befitting his rank, and while he bucked them often when it served him to, habitually it was all still there. And it was closer to his awareness, now, with Frigga present in his mind and bringing all those nostalgic memories to surface.

In short, chivalry dictated he couldn't let her stand there, looking embarrassed. He wasn't sure if he was the direct cause of it, but as he was present he would have to assume some of that responsibility. While he wouldn't pander to someone's emotions - he was rarely interested in trying to cheer people up outside of his family, and even now such things wore his patience thin - he did at least want to make certain she wasn't feeling bad over the wrong reasons, out of politeness. "No," he said, "Don't be sorry on my behalf. You were kind in asking. It was not my intention to be disheartening, if that is what it was."

"No, no," Ruby said, shaking her head. This man had been as kind as anyone could be expected to be, being questioned about his personal state by someone who was supposed to be serving him drinks and minding her own business unless otherwise asked. "You're fine. I'm just still getting used to this place and sometimes I put my foot in my mouth or get too nosy for my own good. I just remembered a half second too late." She gave him a less embarrassed and warmer smile for reassurance at least that he hadn't done anything ungentlemanly, if that was his concern. Either way, she didn't want him feeling bad or uncomfortable over her behavior.

She did notice his way of speaking, as regal as the rest of him, and she would've allowed herself to get even more flustered if she hadn't already made such a mess of it all. Ruby's reaction to a handsome man could vary depending upon the circumstances, and she'd already ensured this was awkward, at least to start.

"I wouldn't call you nosy," he said. Nosy was annoying, almost impossible to deal with. She was acting abashed, and he couldn't figure out why. She didn't look like the sort of woman who didn't, at least, have a few slivers of strong confidence in her repertoire.

"I thought you looked new," he said. He couldn't see Fiona anywhere in sight - perhaps she was on a break, or she was back home, or she was sleeping somewhere. In any case, he didn't feel like seeking her out. When it came to people he knew Loki didn't really look for them; they just came and went on their own terms, and every now and then there was a collision.

Ruby tipped her head to the side and grinned down at him after his comment concerning her not being nosy, as at least there was that much. Confidence was something she could dress herself in as easily as an extra layer of lipstick, though the newness of the situation combined with the fact that she'd never worked a job like this in a place like this had her feeling insecure. Either way, she'd already made an ass of herself in front of this man, so where else was there to go but up, right?

"You thought right," she said, propping her hip against the table and looking down at the sharp, interesting lines of his bone structure. "I'm not really nosy, I guess, though I come from a place where I've known everyone in town for years and I suppose I'm more prone to being addled by a handsome stranger than I thought. Seeing as how this is my first encounter with one."

He wasn't expecting her to surprise him, but her next remarked brought a startled grin to his lips. Flirtation was not an experience beyond him - far from it - but at most social gatherings in his life he had been accompanied by his brother, and Thor usually received the lion's share of attention. Loki wasn't usually complimented so quickly right off the bat. "I'm your first handsome stranger?" he said, not really believing her, but amused all the same. "I bet you say that to all the boys. I'm flattered, though."

His smile was bright and beautiful, creasing the sharp lines of his face and turning him from something regal and almost statue handsome into something far more mischievous and approachable. This was a role Ruby felt far more confident in, and she relaxed a bit more at his words.

"Mmm, but you are!" She said with faux earnestness, making a solemn little 'x' over her heart with a fingertip.Ruby had seen some gloriously handsome men in her day, but they were all men she'd seen day after day, usually accompanied by their wives or at least unaware of her as anything more than someone serving up their pancakes. This fellow was all new and sitting alone, so why not? "I'd make you a little trophy if I could, but I don't think I have the materials here. Maybe I could stick a few olives on a toothpick for you, seeing as how I'm apparently so determined to see you fed."

He already greatly preferred this version of her to the apologetic one from moments before. Not that he begrudged her that - simply that Loki was used to, and more at ease around, women who tended to hover on the sharper side of things. Where he was from they normally didn't apologize. Or look embarrassed. "I'd agree to that, just to see what kind of sculpture you could manage with toothpicks and olives," he said. "But that would be cruel and toying with you, so I won't."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Really, though," he said. "You come from a place where you know everyone?" How small could such a place be? Admittedly, where Loki was from everyone knew who he was, but the favour wasn't exactly returned. That was more infamy than anything else.

"But I'd need your name, too, so I could chisel it in on the side of one of the olives, or several of the olives if you have a name like 'Humdinger Frenchfries' or something," she sad, smiling as she bit down on her bottom lip. "Which would actually serve you right, being as cute as you are. You need at least one immediate flaw in terms of the initial impression, I think. Just to make it fair to everyone else." She shifted to move and brace both hands on the table, leaning in as opposed to propping her hip against it. "Not that you've given me your name yet, you mysterious stranger, you."

At his question, she had to chuckle and sigh all at once as she gave an aggrieved nod. "I do. It's a tiny little place called Storybrooke. Before I came here I'd never gone anywhere." She tipped her head as she looked him over. He had an accent, though if she tried to guess where he was from she was sure she'd sound as ignorant as she actually was. Best just to ask. "Where do you come from?"

Edited 2014-02-05 08:58 (UTC)

"I've never had my name chiselled into an olive before," Loki said, amused. "But I think you'd be alright. My name is Loki." He spread his hands as if to demonstrate innocence; it wasn't his fault his name was so short. "I'm sorry. You'll have to find something else bad about me. Unless you also hate short names. In which case - well, there it is."

At the news she had never left her small town, he gave her a mild look of surprise. Well wasn't that... cute, he supposed. His entire childhood involved worlds-travelling. "Well, this is a a good place to start your travels. You've already seemed to settle in. I'm from a place called Asgard, and I really can't seem to make my way back there, so there you have it." His door opened out into the same space he had first been lost in, no matter how many times he tried.

"Loki," she said, repeating the name for the novelty of it and looking his face over again with a smile because, well, why not. He looked like he should have an old world name, at least if he'd come from her world, which he apparently hadn't. 'Fitzwilliam' would've suited him, she thought. Or 'Sir Reginald VII' or something along those lines. Knightly. Princely. "I like Loki," she said. "And it'll be plenty easy to chisel onto the side of the olive. I do want you to know the award is for you, after all. Just so you know I'm not giving one to all the boys."

"I'm trying," she said, grinning and pleased that she was at least somewhat maintaining an air of normalcy despite the fact she was still a slack-jawed newbie. Ignoring her awkwardness with him a few moments before, of course. "I've never heard of Asgard before," she said, curious. "Where is it?"

"Oh, I'm glad to hear it," Loki said, giving her an easy smile. When it came to taking or leaving Loki most women chose the latter, but at the same time he was nowhere near barren and lost in that regard. He was a prince, after all, with a slightly wicked reputation. He'd never wanted for female attention when he sought it. Though this was a bit new, being flirted with by someone who had no idea who he was. "I'll give it a pride-of-place on top of my next drink, and how jealous the rest of the men will be."

How to describe Asgard? She was clearly from Midgard, or a version of it, anyway, if she was blending in so easily here. "It's another world," he said. "A bit warlike, but mostly peaceful, in these past centuries. We make use of magic and technology more fruitfully there."

"So jealous. There can only be one first handsome stranger in a girl's life," she told him, leaning in a bit more and dropping her voice, as though she were being conspiratorial or sharing a great secret. "You've earned the honor, dear sir, though I suppose I made my offer of an olive trophy without being sure of whether or not we have olives hanging around. What if we don't? What sort of trophy would you like then?" She smiled at him a little more and straightened up. "I used to be quite a hand at folding origami swans. I could perhaps put your drink napkin to use."

At the mention of magic, Ruby felt a kick in her subconscious that brought upon a feeling of dread and wonder, which she was rapidly becoming quite used to in this place. So much of the unknown and so much of it potentially dangerous, but so much of it desirable as well, at least to her. "Magic," she breathed. "You can wield magic?"

"I'm starting to feel like I'm pressuring you over this trophy," he said. "And I certainly don't want that, even though it's a great honour. But if you'd like to take a crack at the napkins, I'd be more than happy to watch."

Magic. To some a foreign concept, but for Loki as familiar as his own breathing. "I suppose, yes," he said. He could touch it, form it, create with it. It was a science of energy, and he had gone far beyond the original teachings of his mother. He nudged out the chair next to him, offering it to her. "Please, sit," he said. "I'd rather you comfortable, and I'm sure you've been on your feet enough."

Edited 2014-02-06 09:15 (UTC)

"Oh no, of course not," Ruby said with a wave of her hand and another bright smile. "No pressure at all. I just want to make you a trophy you will like, Loki." She said his name purposefully because she liked the way her mouth shaped around it, and because it was utterly unlike any name she'd ever heard before. It was also quite strange to be talking to a man as much as she liked without someone putting a stop to it, and when Loki offered her a seat, she moved to take it.

"Thank you," she said, scooting it in a bit and crossing her legs beneath the table. She was used to waitressing in heels, perhaps too used to it, but it was still more uncomfortable than not to be on one's feet for hours at a time. And besides, it'd been a good while since her last break, anyway.

"So, the magic," she said, "can I ask what you can do with it?"

Magic was multi-layered and always changing; it was also incredibly old. He had never really been asked about it before - on Asgard, beyond what was used for their technology, his 'tricks' garnered little interest, and was also seen as a smokescreen to take away from apparent his lack of fighting ability. Directly faced with a question he wasn't sure how to describe it - not in a way a layman might understand.

"Illusions, sometimes," he said. "You can manipulate light to create an image. And a few other things, but I don't really know how to describe them. I've never had to, before." And things like teleportation, astral projection - they were finicky, and he also used them offensively. Even to a girl like Ruby, he didn't want to discuss his arsenal too much unless he had to.

"Illusions," Ruby repeated, turning that over in her mind. She'd become aware of magic as a somewhat tangible thing since she figured it was the only way to explain how she'd arrived her along with everyone else in the hotel, inexplicably, from other points in time and from other worlds. Speaking with someone who could manipulate and use magic was still a novel thing, though, and Ruby had never met an interesting man who wasn't additionally all the more interesting for being pleasant to look at, as well.

She smiled slightly, jokingly, and waved a hand at the entirety of his face and what upper body she could see over the edge of the table. "Is all of this an illusion?" She asked. "If so, it's a masterpiece. Kudos to you, Sir."

For a split second, Loki didn't know what she meant; but once he understood, he had to laugh. "Is someone putting you up to this?" he asked, teasingly, leaning forward slightly on his elbows. "Have I any childhood bullies around the corner who slipped you enough money to convince you to flirt with me?"

Not that a prince of Asgard ever had bullies, but that was besides the point.

His laugh was the reaction she had been aiming for, and when it came Ruby laughed too, as his laugh and smile were just charming in a very contagious sort of way. He looked so much more approachable when he smiled, and it was a far deal less intimidating than his appearance when she'd first approached him.

"Are you telling me you don't have women telling you daily how attractive you are?" She said incredulously and still smiling. "Oh Loki, honey. Say it ain't so."

"Well, of course not," he said, amused. "I'd need to be around women daily in the first place. And they might be shortsighted." Loki was not, after all, the very picture of Asgardian nobility - he didn't have enough muscles, nor golden enough hair. It was just strange, when he was removed from all of that, and his brother's rather towering, distracting presence.

He leaned back in his seat, considering her. "I suppose I can blame it on the fact you come from a small town," he said, but he said it lightly, teasingly, not meaning to cause offence.

"You're not around women on a daily basis?" Ruby asked, and on that she really was confused. She had only met him a few minutes ago, but usually there were oodles of women waiting to make their way to a man like him. "Well, the only way I can figure that is legit is if you are very good at hiding from the horde."

At his comment on her compliments being blamed on the fact she came from a small town, Ruby had to laugh. "There are plenty of handsome men where I come from," she said, nudging him gently with her foot under the table. "That's how I know how to recognize a prize handsome fella when I see one."

"I'm very antisocial," Loki admitted, with a somewhat roguish grin. Ruby's attention was, alas, bringing the charming prince out of him. It tended to only make its appearance during festivities, though of course lately it hadn't really been present even then. "But even when I'm not hiding in rooms or closets or what have you, I'm not always being trailed by women.

"If you've so many handsome men back home," he added, "can I expect someone to jealously pop out of a door and take a swing at me, then?" He wasn't going to suggest all pretty women have a suitor - Sif, one of the most striking women he had ever met, was certainly courted daily, not that she paid them much notice. But a woman didn't need to take a companion in order to be angrily fought over, and Ruby had the sort of face kings launched armies over.

"Ahh, I figured," Ruby said with a nod when Loki said he was antisocial, though she certainly hadn't thought much of the sort. Loki seemed gentlemanly and pleasant and intelligent, which, when she thought about it, could mean that good conversation was harder to find for him. If Asgard was anything like Earth in that way, anyway.

"Nah," Ruby said with a wave of her hand. She flirted readily enough and had done so even back home, though nothing had ever come of it. She couldn't imagine anyone bothering to imagine they had a claim on her, let alone so much to come and get angry that she was talking with another man. "No one to make jealous, at least on my end. I trust no one is going to hate me forever for telling you you're cute, either?"