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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 3947117" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Two-hundred-forty-three, “The Lake” , Monday, June 19th, 1:30 P.M. Ruby tells George’s housekeeper and friend Alvina "And now for your second job of the day, helping me shop! George says you know all the best stores and I only have a few things packed in my bag so I need a lot. I shipped most of my purchases from my great city shopping spree home. It was just my birthday and that was my gift from one of my friends, wasn't that sweet? I'm not sure how long George wants me to stay but he cleared his schedule for the week so I had better be prepared." Alvina replies, "He says that you should have enough clothing for the rest of the week, both informal and formal as he plans to take you to the theater and a few very nice restaurants." Ruby says, "Very good! He also said he would take me dancing, so I'd need something for that too. I have a formal gown, he gave it to me as a gift yesterday. Did you see it, it's quite lovely?. Perhaps while we're out I could get him something too, a gift as a surprise. I'll have to see if anything catches my eye. Do you have any ideas for me? Or what about that baseball, is there any of that around here? He seems to like that, maybe we could arrange some tickets." Alvina says, "Yes, the Rochester Nine play in Hop Bitters Park. They've been together for five years. Mr. Eastman has been to a number of games." Ruby asks, "Would you help me get some tickets then? I'd like to surprise him with them. I don't know anything about baseball really but knowing George I'm certain he could teach me. I don't care, as long as I am with him, I'd do mostly anything." Al states, "Of course. Most of the stores we are going to are within walking distance of each other so I can have William go see about tickets while we shop. He and Rosey both enjoy a good game of baseball too." They soon reach their destination, a long row of brick buildings displaying the names of the stores. Alvina tells William to go and get the baseball tickets. Before he leaves Ruby pulls him aside and asks him to purchase five tickets to the game. They then head into Rollins Department Store and go directly to the women's section on the ground floor. Ruby and Al have a good look around before they get to work with their shopping list. The next few hours fly by like a blink of an eye. To Ruby, Alvina is more like a friend or an Aunt she never had, than an employee getting paid to accompany her around. She helps Ruby choose a combination of clothing that should last her more than the week, being able to mix and match blouses, skirts and jackets. They also choose two evening gowns, and new shoes and boots to match all, plus some nightgowns and other accessories. Ruby talks a little to her about the West and her Saloon but isn't sure how much George wants her to know just yet so keeps quiet about most details. Alvina speaks to Ruby about her daughter and her grandchildren, obviously the joys of her life. Laden with packages and more than a bit tired they head back to Eastman's house. They arrive back at around 4:00 PM. George greets them at the door while Rosey heads out to assist William with the various packages. George suggests that they eat a light meal at the house before heading out and can get a bigger meal later in the evening at a restaurant in town. She says, "Sounds perfect. Let me just freshen up a bit first." Ruby takes a few minutes and does just that. As must as she loved shopping it was tiring, not just the shopping but all the emotional talk too. Still, she loved having another female to talk to, although it reminded her how much she missed Kate. She reminds herself to write to Kate again as soon as she had the chance. Maybe this time Kate would even write back. After she is done freshening up she returns downstairs to George. The two of them have a light meal comprised of ham and cheese sandwiches and baked apples. They then head out to the carriage, which William holds the door for. "To the Lake," George tells him. Ruby climbs up into the carriage and waits for George. Once the carriage starts moving she says, "I know you said you have a lot of questions for me. But first..." She moves closer to him put her hand on his cheek and then kisses him softly on the lips. "I thought it was about time." He returns the kiss and says, "Thank you, that helps to keep things in perspective. I do have some questions though. First of all, there appears to be a number of different types of people who can use wizard magics, wizards, dark wizards, necromancers, sorcerers, bards and illusionists to name the major categories. What type do you practice?" She replies, Oh, I don't really know the differences between all those. I suppose I'd be in the bard category. I can do a little of everything. And sometimes when I sing I can tell it's just... better somehow. Yes, bard I would say." He asks, "And the types of magics you do. Have you ever attempted to control another person's mind or actions?" Ruby pauses and tries to figure out how to word her response. "Not through magic I haven't although I believe I have the ability to do that. Let me explain something. I'm still learning how to use these... powers... and sometimes, really in the past, things may have happened because I wished them to be. But I am also pretty persuasive when I want to be, I don't need magic to do that. Once I tried to make Jake feel how I was feeling so he could understand. But that didn't go so well, he was afraid and didn't like it, so I said I would never do that again and I didn't." He asks, "And you've never tried to use magic to influence me in any way? Or make me do something? My cousin seemed to think that you did." "No George, I have never, EVER used magic on you. She takes his hand in hers and looks him in the eyes, "There is something I want you to know. I want the love that I have in my life to be real. It's why I have such a hard time believing in love, because so many times someone has said it to me and it hasn't been real, it was only said in the sad attempt to get me to sleep with them. If I were to use a spell, what would be real about that? The person might believe it for a time but I would always know it was false. And that's not what I want. I want it to be real and true and come from the heart. That kind of love lasts forever. Your cousin doesn't like me. She thinks you are better than me and that I would not make a good wife for you. She may be right about the wife part, I don't know how to be a wife and haven't really spent much time thinking on that. She wanted to keep us apart and in my opinion, would say anything she had to achieve that goal." He replies, "I know that, my cousin is many things but subtle isn't one of them. But she also make me aware that magic was fairly easy to come by in that part of Arizona and warned me that you might have put a love potion into my drink or something similar to that. I didn't believe that you would do that and still don't. That man that you were with however, Cook, I wouldn't have put it past him to have used magic against me." Ruby laughs. "George, you've loved me since we were children. That would have to be one super long lasting potion!" She laughs again, "And the thought about Jake is absurd. He's more afraid of magic than anyone I've ever met. He can't use magic like I can. And it's actually not easy or cheap to come by it, no matter where you are. My teacher never liked him either so I doubt he would have helped in that area. So no, I do not think Jake used magic on you. Is there something in particular that you think happened where you were influenced by magic?" He replies, "No, but my cousin went on about that like a broken record and then to hear that you can actually cast magic spells, well, it raised some doubts in my mind that I felt we needed to address." She replies, "I understand. I would be wary too. I don't want to have any secrets from you and will tell you anything you want to know to make you as comfortable as I can with what I can do. You know, this is why my grandmother was cast out of the family, the very same reason. I truly hope you believe me when I say I haven't used any sort of that stuff on you. That's why... well, that's one of the reasons you've stolen my heart so quickly. I know in my heart that you really love me." Ruby sees that they have left the city proper and are heading in the direction of the large country estate owned by William and Alma West. Ruby sighs as she catches the sights out the window. "It's been a long time since I've seen this. I'm anxious to see what you've done with the lake. Do you have more questions for me?" He says, "No, only that I would need you to be very discrete about any use of magic here in Rochester, others would not understand." She states, "To be honest, I've mostly only used it when we, my friends and I, have been in danger. That and in the privacy in my own home to do menial tasks." Ruby sees them reach the upcoming fork in the road that leads to her parent's front driveway. The carriage turns right instead, away from the estate and towards the nearby lake. She sits anxiously, still watching out the window, waiting to get to the lake. They pull up before what had been the summer lake on her parent's property and Ruby's memory is shattered by what she sees before her. The lake is not longer there, just a dry lake bed. Some large ugly black machinery is erected near the beach and out on the dry lake bed she sees dozens of mule-driven plow teams hauling metal plows, with dozens more workers following behind with rakes, raking the freshly upturned soil. About seventy-five feet from shore is an even uglier metal contraption than the one by the beach, which she recognizes from having seen some out west as a derrick used for drilling for oil. The carriage comes to a halt. "George... what...?" Ruby's trails off. She climbs out of the carriage with her mouth hanging open and stands in front of the dry lake in the same state. When George joins her she squeezes out, "What is going on?" He replies, "I began this project after I returned from Arizona. I drained the lake and we're now checking the bottom, inch-by-inch. I'm searching for your ring." Ruby's eyes go wide as she looks from George to the lake back to George. "What? All this for my ring? Why?" He says, "Not to hold you to that childhood promise, but so show you my dedication. After I received the note you left for me in Tombstone I knew that I still had a chance. I sincerely doubt that your Mr. Cook would have spent any effort searching for that ring. I wanted to be able to see you again, to hand it to you, and so show you how sincere I was." She says, "You're right. I am sorry to say he wouldn't look for it or even consider giving it to me, probably the thought of touching it would scare him to death. Maybe that's why he... well, why he left, or is leaving me. And if I'm being honest with you, it was not so long ago that thought was breaking my heart." She pauses, then smiles. "But that is why I'm here with you and not him." Ruby steps towards him, stands on her toes and hands on his face, kisses him softly on the lips. "You don't need that ring to prove anything to me. I already know." He steps back and reaches into his coat pocket, taking out a folded up sheet of paper. He says "I met with my lawyer today to take care of this." She unfolds it to see that it is some sort of legal document. Before she asks he says, "It is the deed to this property, the land that I purchased from your parents, now signed over from me to you, no strings attached. I still haven't found the actual ring but it has to be out there somewhere, probably under a foot of mud and muck. A hurricane came through this area a few years back which created havoc and probably the ring shifted it to another part of the lake. So while I can't give you the ring itself I am giving it to you indirectly by passing onto you the entire one-hundred-fifty-five acres comprised of the lake and lands immediately surrounding it. And as for the present condition of the lake, do you see that large oil drill out there? It can dig up to a thousand feet down and the fresh water is down no more than a few hundred feet. Once we start drilling and hit the water it the entire Lake will fill back up again." Ruby can't hide the fact that she is absolutely flabbergasted. Her eyes start to well up with tears as she looks at the paper in her hand. "All this over a stupid twelve-year-old girl throwing an insignificant ring into a lake on a whim. George I-," Ruby can't finish her thought as a small tear rolls down her cheek. He replies, "Actually, I believe that you were thirteen at the time. And what you do with this now is entirely up to you, it's now yours. I can have the workmen stop searching for the ring immediately if you would like and we can have the lake refilled tomorrow." "Yes, fill up the lake, stop searching for the ring..." Ruby throws herself into George's arms and embraces him tightly. She whispers into his ear, "...You don't need it." He replies, "Well, as I said before, I was never going to hold you to that old promise. And I'm not ready to ask you that question again just yet, but also haven't ruled it out either. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go talk to my work foreman about the new owner's wishes for the property." Ruby stands still, in shock, as she watches George walk away. Her mind reeling, her thoughts jumbled and confused. Why was he still not sure about her? In Promise City he wouldn't stop asking her to marry him and now even if she wanted it, he wouldn't. Is that what I really want though? I don't want to get married do I? If not, then why am I here leading the poor boy on like I would do anything for him? Why did you tell him you love him? Ruby wipes her face with her hand and pushes her hair off her face. She knows the answer but can't believe it is suddenly how she feels. Or was it as sudden as she thought? She needed guidance, she needed to be able to talk to someone. At least confirm she had gone crazy. She needed a friend. She wanted to talk to George but at least right now he seemed... inaccessible. She looks out over the dry lake bed, biting her lip, as she waits for George to return. George spends around ten minutes talking to a tall man wearing work clothes and a fancy silk top hat that appears inconsistent with the rest of his attire. George returns and says, "Okay, it's settled. They'll start to remove the equipment this evening and tomorrow they'll begin refilling the lake. It should look like the way you remember it by Wednesday." Ruby smiles. "Thank you, for all of it. It's very special that you would do all this for me," she says, holding up the piece of paper in her hand. "I'm still in shock that you would think to look for it. So thank you. Maybe we can come back later in the week to see how it looks." Ruby takes one more look out across the dry bed. "I wonder what happened to it..." she says softly. George replies, "The hurricane mixed up the bottom and deposited it somewhere within the many acres of the lake. I would have found it eventually." Ruby just smiles at him then looks out over the lake, contemplating. Finally she takes George's hand. "Now I'm a new land, well, lake owner, we should celebrate!” He states, “Both actually, the lake and the acres of land surrounding it." She asks, “What would you like to do? As they say, the world is our oyster, we can do anything you want to." He states, "Assuming that you still do not wish to attend your parent's garden party that is taking place now, we could do whatever you would like." Ruby blinks a few times and considers. "Well...," Ruby summons her courage, "Okay, let's go to the party." "Are you sure?" he asks. "I...I don't know what type of reception we can expect from them." She states, "No, I'm not sure. Not too long ago I never wanted to see them again. And with things between you and I being... well, I don't know what they are... I"m not sure. Maybe we shouldn't. Do you want to?" He replies, "I have very mixed feelings. I do not want them to do anything that would upset you." She says, “I just don't want them to do anything that would force me to stay here." She looks at George, "You know, against my will. I can't guarantee they won't do something to upset me, they're pretty good at that. Perhaps we shouldn't." The pause is not very long this time. "Or perhaps it's time to face them." He replies, "Or perhaps we could arrange to meet them some time when they aren't surrounded by all of their society friends. We could invite them to my house for lunch or dinner tomorrow, that would provide a setting that you might be more comfortable in for the inevitable reunion. Also, don't forget, they need you to maintain their lies about where you were for the last five years." Ruby takes a deep breath in. "That would give them time to...," her voice trails off. She looks out over the lake, exhales and considers. "Alright, invite them for dinner. Tonight would be better, I don't want to be worrying about it too long." She bites her lip. "I can't believe I'm suggesting this. You'll be by my side, right George?" He says, "You ask silly questions. Of course I am on your side, although I am optimistically hoping that the situation will not require it." Ruby smiles at him. "I just wanted to make sure you'll stay with me." Ruby takes his hand and pulls him to the carriage. "Now I'll need you to distract me so I don't think about it all afternoon. Come on. We can come back to our lake later in the week." He says, "I think I know of a distraction." He heads outside and chats briefly with William. He then returns and they get into the carriage which then departs.</blockquote>

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