"Perhaps so," Ruby agreed. She expressed fondness and general attraction easily and without much thought, though when matters tended to move towards something more serious she was forever at a loss. It was general inexperience, she had to think, and the overall wariness when it came to getting hurt that was part of the human condition. "I knew we were friends for reasons outside of your glorious cheekbones and my bitchin' fashion sense."

"She doesn't like me talking with any men," she said. "Not beyond the realm of what is considered appropriate for my job, so I'm sure if she saw me buddied up with a fellow as handsome as yourself she'd probably have some sort of a meltdown. You being a stranger would make it all the better. Then again, I can't imagine she'd take it any better if she knew what I'd been getting up to with Graham. Not that I can take him back with me, I don't think," Ruby said, the smile that had formed on her face wilting a bit. For all the guilt she felt about not telling Graham that he'd died in the point in time that she came from, she had no idea how to approach the matter. It was far more delicate than the matter of loaning his clothes to Sif, after all.