singillatim | GIRLS NIGHT, GIRLS NIGHT!

Entry tags:

GIRLS NIGHT, GIRLS NIGHT!

Who: Various!
What: Girls Night!
When: Early in the month!
Where: Ruby's House

Content Warnings: N/A Will update as necessary

[A few days after putting the ad up on the bulletin board, the promised evening has arrived. Ruby has a banner hanging up on the patio of her cabin that reads “GIRLS NIGHT” and every once in awhile she can be seen at the door checking for new arrivals, or poking her head up at a window to do the same.

Her cabin is interesting to say the very least. She did her best to clean up all the clutter but it's pretty obvious she isn't exactly the cleanest person in town. Her giant scythe and snowboard are hanging by the door. And there's a green gem sword on display above her fireplaces' mantle with a little hand carved plaque that reads “The Protector of Mantle.” There's also a framed photograph of her looking a couple years younger with her team from home. The kitchen is a bit of mess with a few obvious scorch marks, melted bits on the counter, and just signs that there had been more than one fire in there.

But she had managed to gather up as much as she could for the big party. Including a handful of basic snacks like cookies, chips, and whatever she scrounge up that didn't require any actual cooking skills. There are a handful of games like Risk, Connect 4, and a partially torn up game of twister. There's even an old red and blue boom box playing some hits from the 80's and 90's courtesy of Kate Marsh like Eye of the Tiger, Can't Touch This, I Don't Want To Miss a Thing, If You Want To Be my Lover, and Hit Me Baby, One More time, and many more!]

[OOC: Feel free to make a top level! I'll have one up soon myself! Anyone is free to mingle or try to infiltrate the party.

Feel free to contact me at jjabarrett on plurk or discord for any plotting]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You're right. [ Although, Max is hesitant in her words. She's not sure there is any getting back to them safely. But she'll deal with that when she goes back. Maybe training with Ruby will help her with the mess she was left in back there. She doesn't want to talk about it just yet, regardless. ] We look out for each other, make new friends, work together. Then our friends back home don't have to worry about us.

[ Max chuckles to Ruby's reaction. ] See? Fun. There's all sorts of things you can do dancing.

[ It feels like it took a while before Max reached a point she smiled again when she arrived in Milton, but she does, nearly beaming. ]

Thanks, Ruby. I think we'll make an even better team, then.

[There's another brief moment where Ruby catches that hesitation. She notices how Max doesn't say anything about making it back home. ...And having nearly come very close to having no way back to her own life before, and being confronted by the images of people she had failed to protect. She couldn't say for sure- but she felt like she might know where Max was coming from.

...She made a little promise to herself that she'd do her best to protect her from here on out.]

Yeah. Watch out world, nothing is getting in Max and Ruby's way here.

[And just to show how much she's learned from this little bit. She'll make an attempt to pull Max in by the arm just like she been a few moments ago. She wanted a turn here.]

Look, you were right, okay? It's way better than I was giving it credit for.

[Honestly if they were going to be stuck here. They were going to need reasons to smile. Ruby was going to do her best to try and make sure they had plenty.]

Darn right we will- I guess the first thing we'll have to do is get you a weapon. Any ideas on what you'd like to use?

[ Someday, they can discuss those things, when they're both more ready. Until then, Max gets the impression she needs to look out for Ruby just has much. Has from the start. They can look out for each other. ]

[ Max follows Ruby's lead, impressed as she gets pulled in. ] You learn fast. And I guess you being a fighter explains why you do have grace and easy flow once you get the hang of it.

Heh! See? Dancing's meant to just have a good time. And it's great when you find your speed.

[ Jaw set, Max nods her head. Perhaps she was overly determined just to have a good time, but she is, and she's going to make the most of it. ]

A bat would work. Something heavy I can still swing, at least.

[It was a hard topic for her to approach. She wasn't used to putting herself on the same level as those around her, but she was trying.

Her grin goes wide as Max gets pulled in. It doesn't have quite the same grace as the other girl, but it looks like she had picked up quite a bit just by watching and experiencing.]

You do have to be pretty adaptable at it. It took me awhile to get where I am- I was complete garbage before my uncle took me under his wing.

[Which she guessed might be a little like what she was doing with Max now. Except minus any deprecation in there.

It takes a brief moment before she finally let's Max loose like she had been. She was just really enjoying herself and wanted to savor the moment.]

Maybe that's what we need here? Just a dance night to let loose and have some fun.

[She can't believe she's saying it. But hey- there were worse ideas out there.]

A bat isn't a bad idea to start- What about an Axe? Might be a good idea to learn something that can cut if you more things like the snake/worm/dragon thing show up again.

Edited 2024-02-05 22:05 (UTC)

[ For Max, at least, she doesn't need Ruby to worry about herself. She'll do the worrying. It will work out. So she thinks. ]

[ Regardless, the attempt is recognized, and it's fun, that's all that matters. Max throws her hand into the air at the end and grins. ]

That's pretty good for someone just picking this up now. You adapt fast.

A dance night would be great. There's time to just fit one in. We can all teach each other different moves, or something. [ And it keeps them active, too. ]

An axe could come in real handy.

[Surely nothing will go wrong if both girls only think about the other one and not about themselves. Right?]

[Ruby grins, pausing for a moment before moving to pull Max in and take her free hand briefly.]

Thanks. I had a really great teacher too. Made it really fun.

[And that was full heartedly the truth as far as Ruby was concerned.]

With everyone being from all sorts of different places, I think we'll get a variety of styles too.

[And Ruby's grin grows all the wider.]

Everyone's going to have to watch out once Max comes in with an Axe. They're going to get Maxxed.

[ That was the idea. Unfortunately, life doesn't always work out that way. ]

[ Max lets Ruby take her hand, curious. ]

I'm a great teacher, it's true.

Yeah.... Different times, too. I didn't think of that at first. I bet we can get a huge variety going. Maybe even some slow dancing, but ballroom.

[ Max can't help herself, she starts laughing. ] That's a terrible joke! [ Still laughing and grinning. ]

[Ruby let's the dancing slow down just a little. Just so she hold box of Max's hands in her as she says.]

And I appreciate this- A whole lot. It's been really fun.

[Look. She just has to get sentimental here for a second. Don't mind her. She quirks a little brow when Max mentions the different kind of dancing.]

You know- I didn't expect you to want to take it down a notch or two. But- I'm willing to give anything a try as long as I don't have to get into heels.

[And then the laugh starts and she grins all over again.]

Bad puns! That's what gets her. Tell her bad puns and they'll find you out in the woods Maxxed.

[ Max holds Ruby's hands in return and gladly slows down. They've been going at it, hard, for a bit, anyway. ]

I've had fun, too. I didn't exactly know what a girls' night was going to be like, but I'm glad I came. I thought it might be a like a slumber party. I guess, it kind of is.

Definitely, no heels. Slow dancing is just easier for some people. You just have to get a sort of sway going, and not have to worry about too much foot placement. Ballroom, though, well, that's a lot of foot work.

You seem really practiced at this. [ She grins at Ruby. ] You're gonna end up Maxxed!

To be honest I didn't exactly know what it was going to end up being either. I think we got the right mix of a normal party, and a slumber party going. I mean- Anyone's allowed to stay the night. I'm not going to kick them out.

[She gives a little sigh of relief there.]

Phew, good. Because if you thought I was going uncoordinated at first here. You have not seen me try to walk around in those. It's a disaster.

Yeah- The last dance I got stuck in. They were doing a bunch of ballroom dancing there. I had go out of it at the time. Got me stomach lurched right up- I was so awkward about it. The slow dancing doesn't sound half bad.

[Look at least she can look back on her awkward school days fondly.

Except don't mind her as she mimics getting an axe in her shoulder.]

Augh-! Oh no! She got me!

I'm going to have to just spend the night, then. [ Max grins. ]

[ Then she ends up laughing. ] Actually, I haven't worn shoes like that, either. I just wear tennis shoes. Even when I went to the school dance.

Slow dancing is...well, it's just like this. [ She shrugs and lifts their hands to show it's much like what they're doing. ]

[ Max laughs, but manages to stop to mimic pulling an axe out of Ruby's shoulder. ]

That's what happens with too many puns.

You're more than welcome to- The house has been pretty empty so far.

[Now she manages to make a face and laugh.]

See? I probably would have went for that. My sister hounded me the entire time making me dress up all fancy. If I could wear combat boots and my hood I would have been way happier.

[Ruby gives a little twitch as if she were a dead body as the imaginary axe is pulled out.]

Less puns, got it. Got it. I can work with that.

[And then her attention goes back to the change in the dance.]

Oh- Huh. So not like a huge difference. Just... I guess a little slower- A little closer?

So, staying the night. [ That settles that. ]

Yeah. I went in tennis shoes, a sweater and pants. Way better than all of that girlie stuff. It's really not me. I knew we had stuff in common.

Combat boots, though. I might have to get a pair.

[ She still just laughs. ] You're a dork. [ The way she says it, though, is with plenty of fondness. ]

Yeah. You just sway. [ Max shoves by weaving her body at a slowly pace. ] Just like this. It's easier for some people to learn to start dancing that way.

Staying the night. [Yeah. She is just up and rolling away with it.]

Seriously? Okay. I'm telling you right now I'm jealous. They never would have let me do that when where I went to school.

[She gives that a thoughtful moment of consideration before.]

Well we could go hunting through the houses again. Someone has to have had something in your size around here.

[And she grins brightly.] That's me. You're just going to have to get used to it.

[Ruby sways back and forth with the pace, following Max's steps as they go.] It's kind of relaxing. What we were doing before may have been a bit more fun, but I can see this being kind of nice too.

Deal, then.

Forget school. I'm lucky my mom let me out the house like that. I thought she was going to shove me in a frilly dress. I had to let her do my hair as a compromise.

We should! No telling what else we might find.

[ Max gives a laugh, and shakes her head. ] Good thing I'm pretty sure to dorks, then.

[ There's a nod. ] This is just meant to sway together. And it might help you get the rhythym better.

As someone who used to wear a lot of frills, I'm pretty sure you could pull it off. In a dance setting? No thanks.

That's at least a good compromise.

[The closest thing Ruby had to a mother figure was her sister- And that wasn't quite the same thing.]

At least I'm a dork with fashion sense? I can pretend to be cool.

[ Max's face scrunches up with distaste and she shakes her head with a laugh. ] I don't want to. It's really not my thing. [ Combat boots, on the other hand.... ]

It ensured I could wear jeans.

[ Max's mother is a complicated subject matter, but in Milton, she does miss her presence. ]

[ There's another laugh - not unkind. ] You don't need to be cool. You're fun, and you're my friend. Those are more important.

[Okay. The face scrunch gets a good laugh out of her.]

Okay, okay. No Frills, I promise. I left them behind last year anyways. I'm still more of a leggings kind of girl- But jeans are fine too.

[Ruby's mom was also a complicated subject, but she had been missing her since was a kid. Being stuck in another world didn't change that.

Her smiles goes a little brighter, and she holds Max's shoulders a bit more earnestly.]

You have no idea how much that means. You're my friend too, Max. And that's not going to change.

You're pretty cool too, even if you hang out with a total dork.

[Ruby is the total dork.]

Deal. No frills for me, no frills for you.

[ Maybe, someday, they'll both be in a place they want to talk about those situations. But for now, Max is just content to have more friends, even in some weird place called Milton. ]

I... [ Max rolls her eyes up with a smile and a chuckle ] hang out with a lot of dorks. They're, usually, good people.

Deal.

[Ruby feels about the same way. At least, she's more concerned about being trapped here and how they're going to deal with any threats that might bubble up around them. At the same time she's very rarely put her own feelings first.

Okay. The gets a little grin out of her.]

Oh yeah? Have there been some bad apples in the bunch? I'll do my best not to end up like one of those.

[ Max shakes her head as her eyes roll up to the side. ] No, not really.

They might annoy me a time or two, but when things get bad, they rise to the occasion.

[ Ruby isn't even that kind of dork. Max is pretty sure she already has her pegged as the type that needs someone looking out for her because she either forgets to do that part, or doesn't think she's worth looking out for. That's okay, though, Max has her back. ]

[Ruby gives a playful little nod at that.]

Yeah. My friends were kind of like that too. We didn't all get along at first and we've had our fights here and there too.

But there isn't a group of people out there I'd trust more when the going gets tough.

[ Unexpectedly - though it shouldn't be a surprise - that makes Max miss home so much. ]

Then, we need to make that here, for us. [ For everyone who needs it, really. Not everyone deserves it, and Max won't want to let just anyone in, but the rest. Why not? ]

[Ruby knows that feeling too. She misses her home, her family, and her friends so much.]

We do. If it's any consolation, you're getting pretty high up on that list already. I'm sure there are a few more people worth that sort of trust too.

[ Max's eyes widen. She hadn't quite expected that. ]

You know, sometimes, it's still hard for me to open up and trust. Even though I want to.

[ She still smiles, though. If she's telling this to Ruby? It's because she trusts her. ]

GIRLS NIGHT, GIRLS NIGHT!

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CW: Brief mention of suicide ideation.

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