XII. RUBY'S RESOLVE
"I have to make this Lucky Rabbit's Tail juuust right." Ruby's dull butcher's knife cut its way through the bottom tip of the Lucky Rabbit's Tail. "I keep telling my parents I could make cleaner cuts with a chef's knife, but I gotta make do with this. They keep on telling me no, and this will build character through adversity. Yeah right, mom and dad. As if learning which knife I should use for my clean cuts isn't me building better character. This is just building frustration due to the fact I can't cut through clean enough for my own high standards." Groans escaped Ruby's mouth as she couldn't steady her hands enough take make precise cuts with her out of shape knife. With the best of her self-restraint, she made her body move in ways that felt unnatural to her. Precision isn't her forte as she just barely grazed the edges to get the perfect rabbit's tail with her slices.
"All done. Who needs luck when you have perfection? Not me of course."
Ding dong. The doorbell rang as she wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Finally here, huh? Took them long enough." Ruby put out two chairs near the cutting room table before answering the door. Gotta make sure everything is nice and pretty before they enter. Don't want them thinking she's a slacker from the slums now does she?
"Blake, Graham! Ready for lunch?"
Graham's energy went unmatched when he saw Ruby's Lucky Rabbit's Tail. "Oh my god, oh my god! I can't wait to bite right in to that rabbit's tail!"
Blake grinned at the sight of Graham's giant grin. "It's a little on the sweet side when you make it, Ruby, but I'm sure we'll love it nonetheless."
Ruby extended her arms to point them to their beautiful strawberry shaped chairs as she walked them over. "What a half-fitted compliment like always. You gotta do better than that if you want to attract the lady birds, Blake."
The rabbit's foot quivered as three hungry animals surrounded it. "Psh. Whatever, Ruby." Anxiety made it too difficult for Blake to even entertain the thought of dating another person. His insecurities would surely scare them off he believed. Even with no experience under his belt, his is certain in his assumption.
Ruby gripped her butcher's knife and cut the Lucky Rabbit's Tail into eight partial sphere pieces. Light red-orange liquid on the side of almost looking like the sunset oozed its way onto the knife with each slice. Ruby lick the dripping liquid sliding down the edge of the knife. Her face glowing bright red from its heavenly sweet taste. Ruby gave a piece for everyone to enjoy. "Let's dig in!"
Those words gave Graham the go ahead to let himself free and devour the entire piece in one giant bite.
"At least chew it." Ruby chuckled.
Graham is speechless. Approaching him is a food coma from the taste of heaven in his mouth. "I can't resist. Your Lucky Rabbit's Tail is like a drug. Better than chocolate cake if ya ask me."
"It is just a chocolate cake with carrots instead of chocolate."
Blake let off a sly cough. "With enough sugar for five individual cakes if I may add."
"How else am I gonna get everyone coming back for more?"
"You're our drug dealer in training, Ruby."
Sleep made its way into Graham as his head hits his sugary plate without resistance, nearly shattering it. His eyes dripped red from the cake's filling as he is dozing off. "Two red flames? T-Twin-Tails?"
"Oh. You noticed?" Ruby went and grabbed her home-made Flaming Twin-Tails on the shelf. "I went out and colored two pinecones red and glued them tight together. I'm getting pumped up just looking at this! That's why I called you guys over. We're gonna take matters into our own hands and search for the Twin-Tails ourselves. Imagine the look on everyone's faces when a bunch of kids are going to be the ones to bring the enchantress home!" Ruby's fists tightened as she held her head up high with gleam as her imagination gave her life.
Blake crossed his arm like he is ready to engage in a serious conversation. It is an uncomfortable topic for him to bring up, but if not him, who will get Ruby off her high horse and back on her feet safely? A good friend wouldn't let his friends get too full of themselves that they can't see things objectively. Stern eyes made its way towards Ruby. "Ruby, I understand admiration, but this? This isn't admiration, it's obsession."
Ruby's head fell backwards in confusion. "Nonsense. What's the difference?"
"For one. Just look at yourself. You've never even met this Twin-Tails, yet you've already made a pseudo statue from your idea of it. This isn't healthy. Your whole world practically revolves around this creature you don't even know."
"I got close enough to see its magnificent charms, Blake. Isn't that more than enough to appreciate its marvelous nature? This feeling of awe and admiration surely isn't dangerous to have."
"You haven't the slightest clue what it's like. For all we know, Twin-Tails is a trickster. Maybe it's trying to earn our trust to pull a fast one on us? These fantasies you're having are dangerous."
Ruby's eyes tightened. "You're being insecure, Blake. What's the worst that could happen?"
"We saw the Twin-Tails with the Giant Walkers, right? Maybe it's working with them to get us to drop our guard so the Giant Walkers have a chance to strike when we're most vulnerable?"
"Pfft. As if something so precious could be so disastrous!" Bam. The table gently shook as Ruby let her hands ever so slightly slam against the table. "I love having all these exotic things! Special edition ornaments? Check! Handmade clothes of the finest silk? Check! My own crafts and delicacies made of blood, sweat, and perfection? Check! They get everyone's attention, and in turn, I get to see what it's like to be special for once in my life!"
"Ruby, beauty is only skin deep. It fades with repeated exposure. We know nothing of its character. We should take it slow and have it earn our trust lest it reeks disaster for everyone living in Billowing Embers."
Everyone put their eyes to Graham as his stomach began to talk to him with a loud growl. "Beauty is like scrumptious food. One moment food is here, the next, food is gone. Like my cake. Where'd it go?" Lighthearted drips of Graham is exactly the remedy for a boiling steam pot. This isn't something he put conscious effort into. It's simply within his nature to express himself in this way. Unconsciously, Graham understood just being himself around them gave the two the space to not let resentment fester.
Ruby put her arms back behind her chair as she leaned back with her head gazing towards the ceiling. "Oh, Graham. It's kept safe away right in that big belly of yours" She chuckled as Blake uncrossed his arms and did the same.
With the tension easing off of everyone, Blake gave himself a moment to consider Ruby's proposition about going after the Twin-Tails themselves. Despite his worries, his curiosity won him over. Who exactly is this animal, and what can they learn from it? He nodded his head. "Can't say I'm not at the very least curious to see who this Twin-Tails genuinely is. Since the chance meeting with Graham, my thoughts have been racing to see if it is truly nobility. Speaking in poetry and making grandiose promises? Is it genuine or just narcissistic promises? I want to find out for myself."
Graham simply nodded his head. "There better be more snacks afterwards. Thinking about this journey is already making me hungry again." He reached for another cake only for Ruby to slap his hands away.
"The extras are for the market. I wanna give some away for people who need a delicious snack to sweeten their day."
"Awe." Graham's smile ran off a mile as it turned down into a frown.
Ruby's father walked into the room panting from a long day of staring at his carrot fields. Tunnel vision made sure Ruby's cake was all he is aware of. "Oh. Lunch!" With hungry feet, Ruby's father went right for three pieces and went straight for the door back out. Ruby's eyes were on him the entire time, but her gaze went unnoticed for the nth time. "Oh, one for the wife." His feet rushed back in to grab one more piece, leaving Ruby with only a single slice left. Most of Ruby's Rabbit's Tail Cake is now outside next her father's comfy chair in the garden. Ruby's mom paid no mind to the single slice given to her as she's too busy lying on her back soaking in the sun's rays. Ruby's mouth had a slight tremble before sitting up straight with a stilted body. Only Ruby knew to let go of her insecurity in the moment is by asking her friends to accompany her to a trip to the market to give away the last piece to someone in need of something sweet.
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