she needed a day off.

and with fernando on a vacation, she was more or less swamped with the minor work that he's usually told her her deal with, or quickly dealt with himself. she knows better than to call him during his trip, and she doesn't want to intrude (in fear of angering him, but that was most likely due to the air of authority he had that exuded from his person). a beach party was something that she chose to invite herself to, after seeing flyers advertising for it.

unfortunately, once again, her partner refused to leave the house. he almost stopped her from leaving, too, until he picked up a call from a friend so that they could go.. make big money together (she knows he takes her money, gambling it away with the promise of a better future). she doesn't try to stop him.

instead, she just wanted to have fun. so at the party, as she walks, she sees a young girl who seemed to be hanging around alone. it.. was an odd sight, to say the least. young trainers like her would have at least come with a few number of friends, she would think. surely, the little girl couldn't be any older than the average high schooler, could she?

either way, there was no one ophelia could bring herself to speak to. that, and perhaps some new company would help her feel more at ease in such an unfamiliar region.

she approaches the young girl, parasol resting against her arm in fear that sun tanning would quickly turn to sun burning, what with her snowy pale complexion as the result of albinism. "excuse me," she starts, leaning forwards and resting a hand against her knees. she offers a warm smile. "it's not often you see someone else alone at a party. it's reassuring.. since.. i ended up coming alone, too."

she laughs it off in the form of a soft giggle, trying to break the ice with a bit of self depreciating humour.

Ruby Walker

lord knows that she dreads to imagine being approached by men with their shirts off, likely due to the heat, and try to get her to take hers off. gods forbid, lest she burn under the sun.

at the very least, the young girl didn't look too anxious in her presence. and so, ophelia offers her a more cheerful smile while lowering herself down onto the sand, sitting crosslegged by the teen. "that's true," she can relate. so long as her partner was satisfied, she couldn't find any other joy in the world (even when he's lost his definition of joy a long time ago). "it's a very noble thing of you to say, especially being as young as you are."

and out of habit, she tents her fingers over her chest as she hums to herself, looking out to the gradually revealing stars that blanket over the skies.

with a question posed, she glances over to ruby then gives a soft giggle, holding a hand out for a shake. "it's ophelia. no need to be so formal, ruby." she tilts her head forwards. it wasn't good to be so nervous as such a young age.

Ruby Walker

a shame that she was alone.
she was talking about ruby, of course.

she's a young girl, with many experiences she'll have to enjoy. from what she's heard, and the events that she assumes that ruby's had to work through, the months have forced her to mature and grow at a quicker rate. or she was always like this, and she was really worrying over nothing. assuming that there was something to worry about to begin with.

"it's alright." she reassures her, eventually bringing her knees up to press against her chest, in favour of letting her rest her arms on top of her legs. "initially, i wanted to enjoy a vacation with my boyfriend." she mulls it over, then sighing softly and giving a slightly defeated smile. "unfortunately, work called him in last minute. he still insisted that i come and enjoy myself, though."

it was a lie. a lie between her teeth, but a good lie nonetheless. the slight, sentimental air around her quickly shifts into a brighter smile as music began blasting louder.

"... why don't we dance? the night is still young~"

Ruby Walker

she smiles.

it's better to dance the night away, rather than wallow in otherwise not.. fond thoughts. it was a shame if they wasted the party sitting around the majority of the time: after all, they could have plenty of time stargazing after working up a sweat and getting some non-alcoholic punch later on. with a chime, ophelia stands up, brushing sand off her legs while leading ruby over to the floor.

"in that case, let's go~" and she wastes no time in getting closer to the crowd, yet not right up to them. she didn't like the feeling of having other bodies possibly touch her, after all. "i'm no good at dancing either, but it's fun to just move around with the music~" she chimes, following suit.

with small movements, first, of course. it was simple swaying in place to the beat, moving to gently taking ruby's hands to have them harmlessly raise ad rock about in front of her. "it's easy, though. just small movements like these~"

Ruby Walker

everyone had to start somewhere, and it just so happened that awkward dancing was square one. the way ruby danced was, in its own way, endearing to see. she was like a baby pokemon who was trying to figure out where she was.

still, ophelia tries to encourage her while leading her with simple movements. "i don't dance often, no. but it's a fun hobby when i do have the time~" if her job permits it. nowadays, she rarely had the time to do what she likes - between her partner nagging her for money and her job still demanding her time.

the night was still glorious as ever, while the two of them danced around and about like two rigid beans on the sides. still, she pays no mind to how ridiculous they may have looked and had her own fun with the music. in an attempt to ease ruby, she gives a warm smile. "just focus on me, don't worry."

maybe then the eyes of others would fade into obscurity.
even if for the moment, because the worries and stress had faded long into the music.

end