Complete ✪ Finweald Fear

[Crimson Ruby]

Erick's firm repeat made Ruby return her attention to him. She listened, as she always did, even if her mind sometimes tried to push the words away, so she would continue to lock herself in the state of self-doubt and uncertainty. An unconscious attempt to protect herself, that only did the opposite. Her lips pursed, and she squeezed her hand against the table, only for it to be covered by Erick's.

"I did."

Her eyes went down to nowhere in particular, as her mind trailed around, as she tried to digest the advice. Erick wasn't too different from her, at least judging from what they shared with each other over a campfire that day.

"I told myself that..." She looked up at Erick. "Nobody told me that everything would be fine. I told it myself. I lied to myself." Ruby scowled. "Who else would tell me that everything would be fine." She muttered, frowning and looking up at him. "I... Don't go around telling others my issues. And even then, I only tell the tip of the iceberg." Ruby slipped a sigh, leaning away and looking at Erick.

"You could've told me that." She said.

"But you aren't a liar, right?" Ruby took a deep breath.

Her shoulders dropped slightly. "I don't even know how to start... To ignore the stress, I mean. This game was supposed to be where I would lash out, but it actually brought even more stress, despite all the good things I've got in here." Ruby twisted her lips. "I don't even know if I can, right now. My little sister did the same as me recently, and I took her in... I have to take care of her." She admitted.

"... And even if I can get some time to myself. What after? That doesn't wipe away the problems." Ruby's ears dropped, and her free hand reached for the mug, finishing its contents off.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

Erick shrugged.

There was little else that could be said if Ruby realized that she was closing herself off. Once someone identified a problem in themselves, the burden fell on them to do something to change it. Barring her willful inclination toward change, this was the best possible outcome for her. And then, she asked a curious question.

You could've told me that. But you aren't a liar, right?

On principle, she was right. He did not like to lie. Only, in practice, Jimmy was only human. In situations where it benefitted him in the past, he had told lies. In the event a friend was suffering, and they needed to hear something to give them peace, he knew that he would lie under those circumstances, too. Because of what he was- a human being- he was given a certain proclivity toward deception.

After all, in this world, they all wore masks. People weren't exceptionally forthcoming with their identities. It could be said that every Player in Terrasphere was a liar.

Especially when it came to themselves.

He leaned his chin on his hand and considered her for a moment longer. Was she looking for excuses to not take care of herself? Was she so anxious that the thought of a quiet place or even just a quiet moment was unnerving? Or was she legitimately drowning so deep down that she couldn't see light anymore?


"The point isn't to make it all go away," he explained. "Life is a constant series of struggles and difficulties. Even at our best when we manage to deal with it well and get things done, it wears us down. You could go on for a long time and be fine, but eventually, it stacks up and becomes too much."

As he said this, he flicked the mug with his index finger and sent it toppling onto its side, empty.

"No matter how sturdy you are, when you've got nothing left to keep you grounded, you start falling."

The barmaid came and collected his mug for a refill. Erick continued to match Ruby's gaze.

"The point of taking breaks and doing things for yourself is fulfillment. To give you a reward, or even just time away from the things that are constantly there. Life can't be enjoyed in a constant state of entropy. You have to find order in the chaos. Calm in the storm."

He smiled weakly. "You find time for yourself in order to find strength to continue."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby listened attentively to his words, trying to not avert her gaze when words continued to sting a bit too deep. But ultimately, it was the truth. Life had ups and downs, and sometimes it went as high as heaven and as low as hell.

Her ears lowered slightly, trying to figure out how to give herself this 'reward' Erick told her about. Taking breaks wasn't of Ruby's nature. Perhaps because of a desire from her family during all her early years. But even then, Ruby couldn't keep blaming on it forever.

Breathing a sigh, Ruby pushed the mug away, almost making the barmaid instinctively go for the table to fill it again, but the beastfolk gave no signs of wanting more.

"I will try." Ruby said, swaying her tails.

"I am not sure how, but I will." Ruby clicked her tongue, slightly frustrated about herself. "... If I remember about this tomorrow, that is..." Her lips quirked up slightly, glancing at the mug and shrugging.

Despite the amount of rounds, she probably would. But maybe it was a good excuse to pretend she didn't, in case things went wrong.

There she was trying to get excuses again.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

"Ruby," he said in a hushed voice, closing his eyes as compassion threatened to move him to tears. "Sweetheart. All that you can do is your best. No one can expect anything more than that from you."

Neither of them was going to be served by him crying however, and the woman needed a change of pace. Desperately. Before the booze decided to drown her deeper than her emotions already had.

He took his mug in hand, stood abruptly, and swung his body around the side of the table to land haphazardly seated in Ruby's lap. Looking up at the beastwoman with a cockeyed smile, he draped one arm across her shoulders for stability while the other kept his drink steady on the table.

"And you don't gotta do it alone," he drawled, his expression and demeanor absolutely comical despite the seriousness of his words. "You got a sister living with you now, and a whole slew'a friends who I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts will do anything for you. And- you got me-"

He emphasized that point by swinging his ale, hard.

"I'll fight flagon for flagon with you until we're both under the table."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby tilted her head. "Yes, I know, but..."

Before she could finish her wording, Erick suddenly stood up and made Ruby look at him with a puzzled expression. Her ears then perked up, noticing him approaching abruptly and making her straight her stance and open her eyes widely when he went straight to her lap.

"H-Hah?!" Her face went red, swaying her tail while looking at his eyes with a surprised and embarrassed expression, adjusting herself to not let Erick fall as he wrapped an arm on her shoulder.

Her ears twitched and she sniffed, casting a glance at her empty mug and looking back at him again before nodding sheepishly. "A-Alright, alright. We will do it." She cleared her throat, looking at the barmaid. "More, please." Ruby called, sideglancing at Erick.

Was it his way to tell her to go all out?

If she got drunk enough, there would be no room for her to worry about anything, so perhaps...

Yeah.

She smiled faintly at him.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

He remained stationary as she adjusted, holding his drink upright for the barmaid to refill. The woman laughed at his antics and happily refilled both drinks, leaving the two to their own devices. At this point, neither Ruby nor Erick could be made to care about who was looking, because the entire point of his sudden display was to take Ruby out of that dark place and bring her somewhere fun.

It was a world he'd made just for her.

There were a few skeptical and disapproving looks from the peanut gallery, but just as many people or more were laughing, smiling, or watching intently to see what the goofy guy was going to do next-

Or how the poor catgirl was going to react. That was the real fun of it. Instead of all the problems Ruby had to deal with on the outside, in that moment, the most thought she would be able to conjure was about how embarrassing this all was.

And how more alcohol sounded very appealing as a result.

Erick took a swig of his drink and winked at her. "That's the spirit," he encouraged her. She loved her dancing and singing, and Erick loved being the life of the party.

He kept his arm around her and slid neatly from her lap into the seat beside her, with no room between them. Erick made sure to hold her close.

"Let's do it."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

It was a silly situation, yes it was. A very embarrassing one, but honestly Ruby didn't feel the embarrassment about anyone looking at them, instead, it was just a mild one. The typical comes from the sudden physical approach. The fact that anyone else was around was forgotten, or at the very least was put in the back of her mind, giving her no reason to care about it.

Ruby's tails swayed slightly, brushing on Erick briefly when he slid to sit next to her.

She sideglanced, knowing that turning her face to look at him would probably end up with an accidental face hit, tilting her head slightly. "To drink until there is no more today, only tomorrow... Barely..?" Ruby said, chuckling quietly and looking at her mug before nodding.

"Yes."

After the confirmation, Ruby turned her mug to pour its contents down her throat, sinking her deeper into the drunkness once again. Except for this time, it wasn't with sorrow.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

There was admittedly some recalcitrance behind the scenes when Erick heard Ruby talk about "today" and "tomorrow" like they were bleeding together. It was never right to lose respect for time because experience had soured it. The past was not something that could be bought back, and the precious moments that a person lived in could be squandered. But- there was hope, and light, for Ruby so long as she could still look to the future.

So, together with the Cat Girl, he took another drink and terminated the sadness they now shared. It was never a waste of time to help someone in need, and to Erick, it seemed that Ruby was someone who needed a friend desperately. He was all too happy to be that friend.

When their eyes met, he offered the woman the kindest, softest of accepting smiles. She had to be allowed to know she had found a place where she was accepted, and where she could feel those things she had been suppressing, even if her desire was to not feel them.

That was her right. It was her decision to make. It was her destiny to write. He just wanted to facilitate it in a way where she actively made the decision. Because, then, there would be no regrets.

Except the hangover, maybe.

"Until we waste away," he agreed, smirking at last.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Finishing her drink, Ruby sighed joyfully, going for another refill while her tails swayed back and forth. With another refill, her lips once again touched the mug, with a brief sip as she enjoyed every second of it, tilting her body as she leaned on him, resting her head on his shoulder and holding the half-full mug with both of her hands.

Her tails curved around Erick's waist, soon resting on his lap and tapping twice each, making sure he wouldn't leave.

"... Thank you..." She mumbled and twitched her free ear, having a faint pink tone on her cheeks when she went for another pour, and then another, whenever more of that numbing drink came.

She needed to have fun, and so she would have, all the way through the night until her eyes couldn't stay open any longer. If it would be sooner or later, her mind would be already too far away for it to register.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

She looked so delicate as she fell asleep against him that Erick couldn't help but to watch carefully, just to be sure that she was safe. He'd had a brother, but never a sister; and his relationship with his sibling was strained at best. He always wondered what it would be like if they'd been close, or even remotely supportive of one another. Erick sought friendship outside of blood because he had learned that while the family you're born with might learn to respect your boundaries and dreams, they don't necessarily have to agree with them. Seated there with Ruby curled up against him, he found himself hopeful that whatever dream she had- even if it was a simple one- would come true.

Because they both came from similar worlds, broken families where the loved ones that they were supposed to confide in and seek out in times of strife willfully abandoned them. They let him live in the house until he was able to get disability for his mental health, and then what? Let him waste away in a one bedroom apartment all alone and with no friends?

That seemed to be the plan. That was why he drank tonight, even if he didn't mention it to Ruby. They'd taken another series of steps toward alienating him entirely, phasing him out like they had never had a failure of a son at all. Eventually, they would have their perfect, ideal outcome. A son who wanted to inherit, and a future for their farm.

And Jimmy? Well, Jimmy would scrape by on social security until he wasted away, depressed

Terrasphere seemed more and more attractive as an alternative. He'd thrown himself into his magic and sought the secrets of time and space, and he was getting better at it. If only he had those kind of powers in his real life, he could...

Erick heard the first soft breaths of sleep come from the girl, and the dark spell of depression faded from his thoughts. His priority, in that moment, was her safety. So, after he paid the tab quietly, the blue-haired youth cradled Ruby gently in his arms and made his way toward a nearby Inn. The innkeep told him they could sort out payment after she was safely asleep in one of the beds, and Erick thanked him profusely.

With her tails wrapped around him, Erick knew that the woman would not sleep long if he tried to wrest himself free. Tired and affected by the alcohol himself, he fell asleep right next to Crimson Ruby, holding her close to his chest protectively. No harm would come to her so long as he was watching.

@Crimson Ruby