Work Text:
Ruby let out a low and frustrated sigh as she twiddled her fingers in her black and slightly red locks. She sat alone in an empty café and stared aimlessly at her teacup. It was filled with a special mixture she always liked, a spiced black tea that had a little kick of sweetness but a strong taste would still linger on the tongue.
The taste wasn’t there though, considering it had gone cold at least a good couple of minutes ago.
Ruby rested her chin in a hand, sighing at the almost empty cup and let a thought cloud her mind. It was a persistent question that had been relentless for the last minutes-- days, no weeks.
When are you coming back, Oscar?
He had been out for practically a month, called upon to travel for some goods and examine other farms for evaluation. He had already proven how much his work ethic and kindness paid off despite his young age. Young adult and all, he acted more maturely despite that fact. His intelligent mind propelled him to heights that were beyond him. And though Ruby was incredibly proud of that fact, maybe even more than him, she had the right to indulge in some selfishness; she always misses him when he’s gone.
That’s a reasonable thought, right? You’re not being too selfish…
At least they had their scrolls to contact each other, but Ruby wanted to reassure to both Oscar and mostly herself, that she could handle restraint.
With a bite of her lip, she took her device out of the confines of her pockets to eye the last bit of contact she had with the boy.
There was a lot left to be desired though, considering it was a simple exchange of “Have a good day!”, “You too!”.
So earlier in the day, before Ruby traveled to the café to hopefully get her mind off things (which was obviously in vain), she had the dastardly idea to do something in her own quirky, Ruby-certified way.
A Few Hours Earlier
Ruby was trekking along a plain sidewalk, hearing a few splashes from the puddles on the ground. A tranquil sprinkle fell through the sky as the air had that signature smell to it; sweet, fresh, and wonderfully relaxing.
She needed that, something to evoke comfort as the result of staring at her last conversation with Oscar made her anything but. Ruby felt pathetic and she could barely embrace it. She was better than this!
There had to be some way to stop this shameless lamenting…
She turned off her scroll and dragged her eyes to the left, a mailing office in front of her. Seeing the bustle inside and all advertisements for some featured postcard designs made a mischievous part of her leap out without any warning. Perhaps writing a postcard to him could guarantee an exchange worth something.
And so, Ruby almost sprinted into the building with a triumphant grin.
If only she had kept that enthusiasm from earlier.
She at least had tried her idea again, or she would’ve wasted her spare change.
And her pride.
Ruby fished the postcard out from her purse with a huff and slapped it down with some force, along with a collectible Pumpkin Pete’s pen (one she had the joy of finding alongside with Oscar). She bit at the top of the pen and thought about the first words to put on the card.
The obvious was already on, a Dear Oscar Pine.
It was easy to have an unfiltered approach, easily filling out the blankness with words that came easily to mind.
How are you?
An easy start, one that had the potential to ease into a flowing, more meaningful approach. But the words to follow were struggling to appear in Ruby’s head. From there she contemplated one last time about this idea. Did she have to go this far just to make a statement?
Ruby thought back to the way Oscar admired her determination, and though it was under a very different set of circumstances, a characteristic had many levels of nuance regardless of such. With that, she flashed a grin and set herself to work.
Dear Oscar Pine,
How are you?
I know we talk every day, and I should be satisfied with whatever time you offer to even just send me a text. I know you’re awfully busy and so am I! But...
A moment of hesitation stopped her hand from continuing. Was she going to be completely honest to him?
“Should I be honest with myself?” Ruby muttered.
She eyed her scroll and nodded.
But I can’t help having these lonely feelings. You’ve been gone for a while and it makes those feelings keep growing and growing. As I’m writing this, I have a nice cup of tea... ya know, the one I like and you would make me some mornings?
Ruby giggled at those warm memories. Those were peaceful bits of time that she and Oscar found. She cherished them.
Well, the tea is cold now but it’s all my fault for acting like an indecisive dummy. Funny enough, it isn’t as cold when I think about the thought of us meeting again. I really wanna be hopeful and not feel down. And not just for you, it’s for me.
Ruby’s hand grew sore and as such, she felt displeased over how awkward the handwriting was. Inconsistent, wobbly and all over the place. The more her eyes looked downwards on the postcard, Ruby noticed just how worse and worse it got. Lost in her self-ridicule, the ballpoint pen spun out of her hand. It hit the floor with a very discreet sound and rolled over to the leg of the wooden chair she sat in.
She felt slightly embarrassed but felt an undeniable bit of amusement. “How could that have happened?” she laughed loudly, her laughing more distracting than the pen itself.
The owner of the café, an old man, looked at her confusingly. This only made her laugh even harder.
“Oh Oscar!” she chuckled. She wiped a tear from her eye and sat herself down, picking the pen back up. “If only you were here to help me calm down…” She gave a last snicker before returning to her writing, trying hard not to make it seem so messy.
Just after I wrote that last paragraph, my pen fell out of my hands and landed on the ground! I don’t even need your help to feel embarrassed.
Ruby had to stop when she noticed how little space was left on the card itself. She figured she had to wrap it up soon anyway.
I think that’s enough of a life update. If you can, please write back with the date you’ll return. Stay safe!
Sincerely, Ruby Rose
For the next couple of minutes, Ruby stared at the card, checking for mistakes and seeing if it was satisfactory. Everything seemed to be fine, adequate…
Except that ending.
There was a simple answer to this problem, however.
P.S.
Thank you very much for tolerating me and my crazy ideas.
She was finally done with this little venture of hers and it was time to actually mail a postcard. If anything, it’ll cement the fact that her day was not a total waste. Ruby stood up, returned the teacup into the bin near the door and walked out.
It still smelled of dew, a soothing smell Ruby gladly welcomed on her way to the mailing office. While she traced back her steps to the titular building, she felt a sudden ache in her chest. Questions sprung about, uncertainties if Oscar would actually be able to reply or not. He was busy after all and not obligated to answer back.
Ruby pushed these silly thoughts aside and shook her head at them. Though she had to admit that the tightening in her chest hurts a little.
She must’ve been lost in thought when she bumped into a body, hard enough to where she fell over. The postcard had the misfortune to land in a nearby puddle. Ruby grunted in annoyance and was about to go on a lashing to this stranger…
But when Ruby’s silver eyes laid upon a familiar freckled face, she leaped right into him again. This time it was completely on purpose.
He took a few steps back due to the sudden impact and had his arms hanging in the air from the action. Ruby was practically suffocating him in her tight grasp, but he accepted it.
“Gah, Ruby, I-I can’t breathe.” Oscar coughed.
Ruby tore herself off from him and gave multiple apologies. “Sorry! I just got excited. Hey, wait a second…”
She slapped his shoulder with a bit of force. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming back today?Absolute idiot!”
Oscar yelped and brought a hand to rub his shoulder. “I wanted to surprise you, that’s all. I probably should’ve implied it more, but I’m here now! Sorry for making you worry.”
Ruby pouted as she crossed her arms to her chest. She was pretending to be more bothered than she actually was. It wasn’t until he bent down and picked a familiar rectangular paper did she really become irritated.
“Were you carrying this? It’s wet now so I figure another apology is needed.” he chuckled while taking a look at the postcard. His eyes widened when he noticed who the postcard was for.
“I wrote you a postcard!” Ruby blurted out, covering her mouth almost immediately after spilling the true intentions of the piece of paper. Her eyes drifted downwards and she kicked a foot into a puddle. “You can read it if you want. You’ll probably wince at it though. It’s your choice.”
Oscar beamed at her. “Of course I’ll read it. Writing a postcard… that’s a very Ruby thing. I hope the handwriting is legible.”
Ruby gave a playful shove and laughed. “Shut up! How about we go somewhere better to read it? But please, not a café.”
“Why not?”
Ruby linked her arms with his and winked. “Read the postcard. You’ll see.”
They began to pace themselves together, neither sure of where exactly they were going. Along the way, Ruby felt a glow of happiness blossom all over, making her smile wide. Oscar noticed and returned with a smile of his own. “I missed you,” he said earnestly.
“I did too, and you know what Oscar?”
“What?”
She gave a quick peck to his cheek, making him go still almost instantly.
“Thank you for putting up with me!”