ruby-mochroi

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Lou's arm always rested heavy across her shoulders, the proximity allowing the tobacco and sweat and whiskey smells to be plucked distinctly from the regular smells of the bar. His joking regret to the patron was a claim he'd made before, as though Ruby were really the sole thing holding the entire operation together. She didn't doubt it was a really value he saw in her; she did carry a lot of the tedious work of business. But Ruby wondered what he'd say if that excuse ever failed to dissuade some suitor.

As ever, the pat on her head pulled a frown from Ruby, who primly smoothed her braid. "Leprechauns-" Absolute cartoon of a man. "We already have Nico, they're a funny enough bearded woodland critter."

A finger to pause the conversation and Ruby attended to another patron. When they reached for her hair, Ruby tilted out of reach as readily as a dance step, leaving them to sit unattended while she returned to Lou."I don't see why not. Who else would benefit from driving people through here if not a local?"

Oh Ruby, what a damn fine bartender. Lou had worried, in the first few weeks of her employment, that some of the more irritating barflies might scare her off. But in her steady fashion, she danced circles around their ludicrous requests and flirtations without bruising a single ego.

He warmed at her arm flung over his shoulder and feigned resignation. "Sorry pal, can't let this one go. The whole operation would crumble."

The man chuckled and wandered out of the bar, certain to return in a day or two. Lou patted Ruby atop the head and she slipped away from him.

"Well I'm not claiming it's anything at all, I just also know that I don't know everything. If there's leprechauns and platypuses, why not funny little bearded woodland creatures? But what, you think it was a local that took the video?"

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Angela Sarafyan

[ruby-mochroi]

Angela Sarafyan

[ruby-mochroi]

God, the glimpse she'd managed of Lou frowning at her phone lit that familiar fondness up in Ruby's heart. The fondness that kept her at the bar, kept her at his side in spite of every maternal lecture about wasting her potential.

Promising a regular to run away with him for the upteenth time, Ruby slung an arm around Lou. "If you can persuade the boss man, of course."

After the guy stumbled away, Ruby dropped the embrace and laughed. "Yeah, Lou, of course it's a hoax. What's the alternative?" The way he talked sometimes - like there was a chance it wasn't someone's directorial debut. "But was it really a tourist, do you think?"

It took him longer than he liked to navigate the touch screen of her phone, his fingers clumsy and too large for the little piece of tech. But he found the video eventually, squinted down at it as he replayed it twice.

He had to stop himself from muttering 'leprechaun' out loud. He was a damn leprechaun, not all that long ago. Maybe still. That bit of technicality was still up for debate. Regardless, the two scruffy figures looked a little gnomish. A little...odd.

He wanted to pelt Ruby with questions, see where her head was with it, but the crowd kept her busy. So he jumped in and did a bit of tending himself. She was far better than he'd ever be, straddling that line between pleasant customer service and biting sass that dive-bar patrons really went for. But he could mostly keep up.

Elbow-to-elbow with her at the tap, he lowered his voice. "So everyone's in town to see a couple of Keebler elves? Gotta be a hoax, right? Or am I missing something?"

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Nico's voice was distinct - not by the lack of Tennessee drawl, lord knew enough folk around Goodluck these days lacked it. No, it was that particular, scratchy quality; as though he spent a lot of time screaming. So, Ruby didn't need to look to see who was letting themselves in.

Meeting them at the bar, Ruby's smile was the same business-polite she gave just about everyone. "Hello, Nico, thank you for being these by."

Ruby peered into the box, curious but wary. Nico was on the unpredictable side, a trait someone of routine like Ruby found confounding. "Did you lean more sweet or tart this time?" Wine wasn't a constant request at a place like The Public House, but neither was it unheard of. Plucking a bottle at random, Ruby turned it carefully, examining the product.

starter for: @ruby-hampton

location: The Public House

"Delivery!" Nico called out as he hauled the huge box through the front door of the bar. It clinked inside as he set it down on the counter. Technically The Public House wasn't open yet, no guests had arrived, but Nico took advantage of the fact that sometimes, the doors were unlocked just a bit early.

"The people are gonna love this one, Ruby." Nico turned his attention from the box he'd brought in to the person who he frequently (tried to) sell his work to. "Cherry wine, one of my best batches. It's so much better than the watery shit they sell as fruit wine nowadays. The guests are gonna drink this stuff up."

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"Never, boss." Her laugh was brief, no time to indulge. "But they have, are and will. Scoot." The last word was tossed over her shoulder, Ruby already taking another order.

As always, she kept an eye on Lou - just in case. He probably couldn't get up to too much trouble flexing for some ladies, but the bar was the bar, and Lou was Lou.

Sliding a cocktail to a customer, Ruby winked at her before moseying back to Lou. "Some tourist video - two little guys with beards and -" A hand holding cash waved between them, breaking Ruby's concentration. She grabbed the money and tossed Lou her phone. "Youtube it."

Under sixty.

There were portions of time during Lou's long life where he'd kept quiet about his origin...his age...his...whatever the hell he was. But secrecy wasn't really necessary these days. People wouldn't believe what he was, even if he told them outright.

He'd never kept any of it from Ruby. The first time she noticed that a cut on his eyebrow had healed suspiciously quickly, he told her outright: "don't you know by now I'm a god?"

But she was too smart and sensible to believe such lunacy. He loved her for it. And it frustrated the hell out of him. So he let the "under sixty" comment pass and scoffed in mock annoyance at her suggestion. He wasn't above a bit of ego-boosting flirting, even if soccer moms weren't to his taste. But he took a silly kind of pleasure in being contrary with his manager.

"You objectifying me, little bird?" He winked at her as he grabbed a towel to go tend to the table, charming host's smile wide on his face.

When he returned to the bar, the real substance of what she'd said finally registered and he dropped the teasing pretense as he plopped onto a stool. "What's this about a viral video? Video of what?"

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She'd seen him looming from the corner of her vision, but Ruby'd hardly had time to do more than fill glasses and clear the bar top. Christ, she was glad Noah had turned up early - she had him elbow deep in dishes back in what passed for a kitchen.

Lou's whisper got a laugh from Ruby. "You might be the only person under sixty who doesn't wake up on social media." She paused to accept cash from a complete stranger, stuffing it into her apron without a word about making change.

"Viral video, boss," Ruby continued, pushing a rag into his hand. "Now we're making the month's rent in a day." Her smile was toothy but brief. "Back corner table, Lou. Load of soccer moms visiting. Give them a thrill, flash the biceps while you wipe their spill."

A beat pause, and she added, "Don't breathe too close to 'em, though."

Starter for: @ruby-hampton Where: The Public House

Lou never doubted that his bar was in fine hands with Ruby on shift. She did a far better job handling the business of it than he did, and she definitely shut down more fights than him.

But she was still vulnerable, in the sense that all mortal folks are vulnerable. The Mayor kept Goodluck safe from most prying eyes, but Lou was eternally waiting for some shit-stirrer to come poking around in the bit of safe haven he'd made.

Most weekday afternoons were nice and quiet. Ruby would beat on his door if he wasn't already awake, and he'd wander downstairs to the bar for a cup of coffee and a cigarette. There might be one or two folks having a drink, but more often than not, it'd just be him and Ruby bickering about distributors or ordering or the ongoing sore spot of what she called his "macho antics."

On this fine day, however, he hit the bottom of the staircase to find the bar packed with strange faces asking if they had a fucking lunch menu. He glanced down the counter to see Ruby pouring pints, so he intercepted the question himself. "This ain't some fancy gastropub boyo, we got booze and stale pretzels."

Sliding a sad wicker basket of the said out-of-date snack down the bar, he met Ruby at the tap and leaned in to whisper. "Who the hell are these clowns, then? Haven't even brushed my teeth yet and I'm fielding questions about lunch. Some hillbilly holiday I ain't heard of?"

[ruby-mochroi]

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Angela Sarafyan as Clementine Pennyfeather in Westworld S04E08

[ruby-mochroi]

Goodluck, KY welcomes you

Mature (18+) Fantasy/Town RP

Inspired by magical realism and mythos across the world, this game borrows bits and bobs from American Gods and The Old Guard to develop a character-driven RP set in a fictional Appalachian town. If belief is enough to make gods real, what do worship and divinity and blessings look like in the 21st century? What's it like to be a human amongst gods? And if omnipotence is hanging out in a diner in Kentucky, who's pulling the world's strings?

Soft Open: ACTIVE

Official Open: 4/10 players

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[ruby-mochroi]

Name: Ruby Mochroi nee Babayan

God, Demigod, or Human?: Human

Faceclaim: Angela Sarafyan

Age: 40

Gender/Sexuality: Ciswoman / Panromantic Heterosexual

Occupation: Manages @lou-longhand 's bar, The Public House. Occasionally manages Lou.

3 Character Traits: Practical, Responsible, Private

Background/History:

Born and raised in Goodluck, a high school sweetheart gave Ruby her surname. She'd been all lined up for the move from student council to city council, her family impressed that a girl aspired to such things in little ol' Goodluck.

She served well on the council...Then her husband left her; chasing his mistress to California. And everything went to shit.

Legal fees ate what their house sold for, and Ruby needed a job immediately to afford even her crappy apartment. She absolutely couldn't afford to campaign to remain on the city council, opponents gleefully using her divorce as smear bait.

Thank god Lou appeared, in need of employees for the bar he'd just purchased. She found him incredibly odd, but he offered the best pay in town and didn't seem like a lech. There were worse jobs.

For three years Ruby's been the one who does the practical work to run the bar. Keeping payroll in order, hiring and training staff, restocking supplies, bribing the lawmen to look the other way - and playing nurse when Lou got out of control. Against her better judgement she fell for the lug, but kept her mouth shut for two years.

This year Lou and Ruby began dating. They're planning a wedding celebration to coincide with Lughnasadh, and Ruby's been slowly learning about the reality of Gods and magic existing in the world.

Headcanons:

Tends to be solitary and lonely outside of work. She has her routine and seems to be either fine with it or waiting for a reason to change.

Had a horrific childhood, and marrying young was at least partially to escape her parents. Can't bring herself to break ties with them, alas, making for awkward psychological maneuvering.

Wanted Connections:

The Ex : Oh No, did it not work out? Sucks to suck.

The Neighbor: They share a laundry room and a building - but do they get along? @max-ophir

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ANGELA SARAFYAN IMDb Portrait Studio at SXSW 2023, Austin, Texas (March 12, 2023)

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Angela Sarafyan