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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 3795283" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Two-hundred-three, “Richard’s Story”, Saturday, June 17th, 10:30 A.M. Sun is pouring through the windows of the room when Richard awakens Ruby to offer her some breakfast. He says, "I'm afraid that the available food choices were limited. Mr. Eastman's Executive Assistant had in his file cabinet a small carton of crackers, a block of cheese, a jar of strawberry jelly and a small jug of apple cider that has just started to turn hard. Not the most filling meal but should be enough to sustain us for the near future. I left a few dollars in the cabinet as repayment for the items." Ruby glances at the clock in the office, seeing the time is now 10:30 in the morning. Ruby rubs her eyes and crawls out of bed. There is a red mark on her cheek from leaning on the photographs and her hair is all a mess on that side. "I guess it'll do," she comments about the food. "What are we going to do?" she asks while opening the crackers. "Can we see George? Or do you think it's too dangerous? I really do think we'll be safe with him. Look what I found last night," she says as she shows him the photograph of herself. Richard says, "Well, at the moment I would not suggest going anywhere. There are people in the building, they arrived around forty-five minutes ago, that is what woke me. They appear to be working two floors below, I think I saw four of them, plus their carriage drivers outside by the carriage house. They should have no reason to come up higher unless we give them one. I would suggest we stay here and keep one another company and watch the carriage house until they decide to leave." Ruby sighs. "I hope they don't stay too long. I don't want to be stuck here all day." She plops back down on the bed and crosses her legs. She picks at the piece of cheese Richard passes her and nibbles on it for a long while. Finally she speaks. "Richard, do you think I'm pretty?" He replies, "Of course you are, what a silly question." Ruby pouts, "It's not silly!" She picks at her cheese again. "It's just something Roger said, and made me think... I'm just not used to being around a man who, you know, didn't try anything. We've been together, what? Three weeks almost? I can't tell if you like me or not." He replies, "Ruby, I wouldn't be here now if I didn't like you. But we're business partners and prior to that you were the girlfriend of another of my business partners. Those are moral lines that I will not cross. You, Jane, wives or girlfriends of other business partners, I've mentally set those relationships up in my mind as I would a sister not a lover. It also makes things much easier for me to do my job, which in this instance, is keeping you alive and able to safely return to the Arizona Territory despite your occasionally reckless behavior to the contrary." "Oh." She smiles and bites into the cheese. "I thought something was wrong. I mean, it doesn't happen too often. It's sweet actually." She sits quietly for some time but finally says, "What reckless behavior are you referring to? I've been behaving!" He replies, "Only because I've made you. You wanted to go rushing off to see Eastman the minute we arrived here, which would have directly resulted in your running into your father if you had. I'm not sure what your initial conversation with Eastman will be like but I would imagine that the tone of it would have been quite different if your father were present as well." "Obviously if my father had been there I wouldn't have gone in," Ruby rolls her eyes. "But maybe you're right. Maybe." She pulls her feet up underneath her. "Besides, I can't expect you to understand about George. No one does. Or Jake. Or anything that happens to me! I never have someone to talk to." She sighs exasperatedly, even though she knows that isn't true... one person listened to her, even if her advice was wrong from time to time, at least she listened. "I don't know how my conversation will go with George either. I have no idea actually. I just hope he still wants to see me." She glances down at the pictures residing on the bed, the young Ruby and the younger George. What her life would have been like... she could have been In that picture with George if she really wanted to... Richard puts some jelly and cheese on some crackers, eats a few himself, and leaves some on the platter in between. He goes over to the wall switch and activates it, opening up the liquor cabinet. Ignoring the bottles of alcoholic beverages he takes two of the crystal glasses and brings them back to the desk, pouring some of the apple cider into the glasses and offers one to Ruby. "Thanks," Ruby says as she takes the drink. She eyes the liquor but decides to try to be good instead. She meant it when she said Richard was sweet. Someone taking care of her was on the top of her list of desirable. She asks, "So, maybe now you want to tell me how you're 300 years old?" He replies, "I am not, I am only 296. And how do you suppose that I have reach such an advanced age? "Sorry, 296," she says and sticks out her tongue at him then laughs. "Well, Nana just told me of a spell she says we can even use on me starting soon that can double your life span. That or you have a magic item. Or you're an elf or part elf. You don't look like an elf, so I'll say magic was involved." He replies, "Yes, magic was involved but it was not wizard magic but instead clerical magic. As I mentioned before, my grandparents fled from Russia in the 1500's to get away from Czar Ivan and settled in Norway, which was predominantly dwarven but had a small human population. The Kalmar War broke out between Sweden and Denmark in the year 1611 and lasted until 1613, pulling the Norwegians into the conflict as well. The purpose of the war was to gain control of the waterways between the Baltic and North Seas. The siege of the City of Kalmar was a major part of the war. My involvement in the war was the Battle of Kringen. The Swedish king had hired mercenary soldiers from Scotland who were on their way to enlist in the conflict, sailing on two ships and landing in Norway. Lars Gram, a Norwegian dwarf and local sheriff, gathered together a militia of peasants to stop them. I was in my mid-twenties at that time and joined alongside my dwarven friends from the village of Lesja. We were joined by other peasants from the villages of Vaga, Dovre, Ringebu and Fron. We met the Scottish force of several hundred in the Valley of Gudbrandsdalen. The Scotmen had far better armor and more powerful weapons that they were far more proficient in, so instead of charging downward we instead rained boulders and logs down upon them. Only when they were demoralized and weakened did we meet them in hand-to-hand combat. The battle is celebrated in Norway to this day. One footnote of the battle not known to many was the rescue of a dwarven Princess named Prillar-Guri, who had distracted the Scotsmen by blowing a horn which signaled to the Norwegian defenders where the invading army was at. She was then captured by the Scots but then later rescued by myself and four of my dwarven friends in the heat of the battle. It turns out only three of her grandparents were mortal dwarves, her paternal grandfather haven been the dwarven deity Clanggedin Silverbeard, the Father of Battle. He appeared before us and said that he was grateful of our saving of his granddaughter and said that he foresaw a time in the future where warriors such as us would be needed to not only save Norway but the Dwarven race as a whole. He predicted that in the mid-twentieth century an evil human would become ruler of Germany, gaining strength and popularity by turning the German humans against the German dwarven population. He would build a destructive army that would attempt to take over Europe and Asia, declaring war against North and South America in the process. The destruction of the dwarven race would be one of his goals, and the dwarves of that era would be too reliant on modern technology to know how to use the sword and shield as we would, which is what will be needed to defeat this evil man. So he granted the five of us long-life, where we would age but one year for each half-century, so that when the time comes in the 1940's we will be around and still with the vigor of our youth to take on this man first hand and bring about his demise." Ruby had stopped chewing at the beginning of his story, she sat still, her mouth half open and her eyes wide. It took a moment for it all to sink in. "So you've... you've been touched by a God? That's amazing. And now you live your life knowing you have to go into battle again, against someone so evil no less, in an entire world war! I'll probably be dead by then." She picks up a cracker and starts eating it. With her mouth half full she blurts out, "What happened to the Princess? Are you scared? What happened to the rest of your family? How did you meet Red and does he know?" He smiles, "My, you are full of questions. The Princess still resides in Norway as a member of royalty. She is now what you would call middle-aged and has many children and grandchildren. My family have all passed on, as would be expected of humans. After they were gone I migrated to the United States. I met Red eight years ago in New Orleans in a situation where he was at risk and I protected him. He hired me and it has been a fond friendship. And no, he does not know of my full history, just as I do not know all of his, but he does know that I worship the Norse deity of Clanggedin Silverbeard. He also has figured out that I am considerably older than my visual years, just as your grandparents did, as I am less cryptic of my past around people whom I trust." She comments, "It must be sad having all your family gone. I've been alone for a few years. At the time I didn't think it was that bad but now I know I can't go back to living like that. How did you know to trust them, or me for that matter? I sometimes have a hard time knowing who to trust." He replies, "You have to rely on your instincts. Over time you will develop those if you haven't at this point in time yet." Ruby laughs. "I've always been a stupid, foolish girl. That doesn't seem to change, I always make bad decisions. Maybe one day I'll get better at making bad decisions." She giggles at herself. She then asks, "What about you, Richard, do you have a girl somewhere?" He replies, "Not at present. I was married during the last century but she has long since passed away. We were never blessed with children." Ruby comments, "See, that's sad, you must miss her. Isn't it hard to watch all your friends and loved ones die? How do you not have someone to, you know, share your bed with?" He replies, "I have the fond memory of the many decades with my wife, that sustains me for the time being." Ruby smiles softly. "She must have been wonderful then." She pauses. "I hope I'm not getting too personal. I'm just curious, especially about someone who's lived so long." She is quiet again, nibbling on her cheese. "Where did you get that carpet?" He answers, "The carpet? I traded for it with a sultan in the community of Benha. That's in Egypt along the Nile River, around twenty-five miles north of Cairo. That was around eighty-five years ago, during the French leader Napoleon's occupation of Egypt." Ruby's eyes go wide with excitement. "You've been to Egypt! You're so lucky! I guess being alive so long you've had some adventures. Tell me about it, Egypt that is. I'd love to go there one day and have my own adventures. I thought to have gone with Jake but...," Her voice trails off and a sad look crosses her face. He replies, "Well when I was there I wouldn't exactly call it my being lucky or it being any fun, I feared for my life and almost lost it. The French Army was taking over then, imposing rules and strict discipline on the locals. Being a Caucasian many of the locals mistakenly thought I was French, and not being a soldier, wanted to take out their animosity on me. I retreated to the palace of the Sultan, who I had previously met. I traded a considerable number of possessions, everything I had at the time, in order to get the carpet which became my sole means of escape the county. That got me to West Africa and then across to Spain. It was another two months before I managed to scrape together enough money for ship's passage back to the United States." She replies, "That sounds scary. I hadn't thought about it being like that. You've really been through a lot and when we have more time I'd love to hear all your stories. You could write a very entertaining book I bet." Ruby pulls her feet up underneath her on the bed. "I have to get to the Western Union office today, it's really important. I'm hoping for some good news." Richard replies, "We're not going anywhere in public while the Pinkerton's are roaming the city with photographs of us thinking that we're Deadeye Douglas and Mae Clark. That was actually a pretty smart move on the part of James's opponent, as Douglas and Clark are still on the loose with over a million dollars from that recent bank robbery. If they catch us nobody would question their need to search our possessions looking for the money, giving them a chance to look for the documents that are their real target." "We can't wait forever," Ruby says sternly. "I have things to do here and then I have to get back home. I have to get to that office and I have to see George." Her voice changes to a pleading tone, "I have to do this, maybe you don't understand. I will do it Richard, even if I have to sneak around. What's left of the papers? I don't recall what we put where. And just how long do you think they'll be looking for us? I mean, it could be weeks, no? We can't hide out here in the office forever." Ruby sighs. "I'm sorry, I'm just edgy. I have a lot on my mind." He replies, "I split the papers up evenly between our three sets of luggage, so Jane now has two-thirds of them, the other third being here within your luggage." She replies, "Well, that's good, no matter what they can't get all of it." Ruby takes a sip of the cider and scrunches up her nose. "Blegh! I can't drink this!" She climbs off the bed and goes to the liquor cabinet, retrieving something dark brown in color, pouring herself a drink. With her back to Richard she continues, "I have an idea. It's not without it's risks but it could work." She takes her full glass and sits back down on the bed. "We mail the papers, from here. We drop them in the mail... mail them home to Promise City. We sneak out and make sure we don't get found here." Ruby sighs. "Then we let them find us. They bring us in, they don't find the papers. And...," she pauses, then runs a hand through her hair, "We tell them who I am. My father is a powerful man, he'll stop this nonsense very quickly." Richard replies, "Your father is one of the people I'm trying to protect you from. Your idea does have merit, but I would send them to the Three Gods Meeting Hall in Tucson instead of Promise City." Ruby pauses and taps her lips. "That isn't a bad idea but...I know that your allegiance is to Red, if you can call it that, and I understand. But I do not know Red that well, and how he would feel about me if I was not with Jake any longer..." Her voice trails off and she takes another sip of her drink. "That makes me hesitant to send them there, unless you tell me differently." Richard replies, "We're not sending it to him, we'll mail it to me. He won't open things addressed to me, nor would any of the other partners at the Meeting Hall." Ruby nods. "Alright, I trust you. Let's mail them to you. Although I do have a spot in Promise City that they will be untouchable. I'm sure you have one too though." She laughs, "That one of my problems, I trust people too easily. Maybe that's why I'm always in trouble!" He answers, "There are far worse faults than being trusting. I also think that you are mistaken about Red, he may consider Jake to be his best friend but he wouldn't have extended a partnership in the Meeting Hall to you if he just considered you to be Jake's girlfriend, nor would he have thrown you the elaborate party a few weeks back." "True." Ruby nods her head and has a drink. "Perhaps that's just me being too untrusting. I like Red a lot, I just wasn't sure. But you're right, why would he make me a partner if he didn't like me." A smile comes to Ruby's lips although it's not hard to tell it's fake. "Maybe it won't even be an issue, perhaps there is a telegram waiting at the office for me right now!" Richard says, "Perhaps, but I wouldn't count on it. I didn't tell you before, but I dispatched a telegram to Mr. Cook a few days ago myself, asking him to send a reply to your Grandmother's house with the date and time we would be there until. We never received one." Ruby face's drops. "Oh." She takes another sip of her bourbon, this one larger than before. "I suppose he was bound to break my heart someday. I would say this is the day, but I guess I've really known it for a while now. If I didn't I would not have spent the night with dear Officer Birch." She swirls the thick liquor in it's glass. Her head down she raises her glass, "To broken hearts," and drinks the entire glass. "I guess we don't have to go to the telegram office now. He says, "We probably still should, there could be any number of reasons why a reply wasn't sent, you shouldn't assume the worst." He drinks his cider and says, "You're right, this isn't very good. Would there be any bottles of brandy or cognac over there?" "I believe so." Ruby smiles as she hops off the bed again. "Just so you know," she says, glancing at him sideways as she stands at the liquor cabinet pouring the drinks his and a new one for herself. "I'm not exactly assuming the worst for no reason. Unless Jake is dead, he promised me he would always come for me. As hard as it was to get a promise out of him, he did. He said he would always follow. Back on my birthday I was expecting him to show up in Tucson. And from New York, I wrote him two beautiful love letters, not so much so he would read what was said, although partly, but so that he would have the address to where we were. And no, not a word in return. And believe me, Jake isn't dead, he's too cunning for that." Ruby walks over to Richard. "So that," she hands him his cognac, "The fact he did not come, makes him a liar." She squeezes next to Richard, sitting closer than she should to him, on the couch. "But I'm a liar too, I lied to myself that he would be different, I convinced myself because I wanted it so badly. I lied about a lot of things. We both knew we were liars and thieves going into it, we knew what we were both are, so why should it have been any different?" Richard replies, "Don't be too hard on yourself, life out west is not easy for anybody and many relationships are of a short duration. I did assume something of that sort had transpired when he didn't cable back, plus as you say, your time spent with Mr. Birch. I won't tell anybody about that, as far as I am concerned what happens in Rochester stays in Rochester." Ruby looks into Richard's eyes and gives him a genuine smile. "You're very sweet, loyal and kind. I'm lucky to have you as a friend. Of course, I wouldn't know half of what I know about you if we hadn't come on this trip, so I guess it's a good thing!" Ruby sips her drink again. "I'm not sure who I'll tell, about Roger, we'll just have to see. Jake isn't exactly the confrontation type if he doesn't have to be, so he might have even left Promise City already. Although I'm sure his plan would be to win the tournament and then leave. He wouldn't break up with me to my face, he would be too pained to watch me be hurt like that. Besides, he knows I could easily convince him otherwise if I wanted to." "But who wants to live a lie? I'll tell you, not me anymore. I have to be as honest as I can with people from now on. So ask me anything!" she exclaims, her smile growing wider, "While I still feel honest," she laughs. Richard notices something outside and heads over to the window, moving back so that only a minimum of his head is potentially visible from the outside. "What is it?" Ruby whispers.</blockquote>

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