The Christmas Mission

Chapter 23

Know'st thou the excellent joys of youth? 

Joys of the dear companions, and of the merry word, and laughing face?

-- Walt Whitman, "Poem of Joys"

Ruby excitedly traced her fingers over the crisp bills she held in her hand. They were crumbled, and a few had unknown stains on them, but to Ruby, they were perfect. While her paycheck was always necessary for providing her with food and clothes as well as paying off rent, she'd been saving up lately for her dress for the dance.

The dance was only in a matter of days, and Ruby almost had enough to buy a decent dress. She couldn't wait until she could go to the dress shop and pick out something nice. She felt merry with every thought of it.

For years she'd been locked away in an icy dungeon, never exposed to the culture of the kingdom or the dances they had held. Now she finally had the chance again, even if it was only temporary. Though the dance distracted her, Ruby promised herself that as soon as it was over, it was time to start conducting a real investigation with some slight interrogating. It was early December, and time was running out.

Slipping the money into her coat pocket, Ruby walked her normal route back to the inn. As soon as she stepped inside, she was greeted by warmth and a growing fire in the lobby. Mary appeared to be getting her paycheck as well for she stood at the front counter, chatting with Carrie.

Ruby was displeased to see that Mary had neglected to wear her new coat. She assumed she was just trying to be modest, but Ruby knew the old one would keep her warmer. She hadn't spoken to her friend much in the past few days. Mary had seemed...odd lately, and so Ruby had decided not to ask how her new clothes were working out for her.

"Hey," Ruby said as she walked past Mary.

Mary's face became red. "Oh, hello," she spoke quietly before turning away.

"Dance is soon," she told Mary.

"I know. I-I'm sorry. I have to go," she muttered quickly. She was out the door within a matter of moments. Ruby looked to Carrie for some explanation, but the manager only shrugged.

Ruby whistled happily as she walked down the hallway toward the end of the room. She stepped inside and threw off her heavy coat. Immediately, she put on her pajamas and placed a can of soup on the stove. Nothing was more satisfying than sipping a warm bowl of soup near her fireplace.

I was never spoiled so much in the Ice Kingdom, she thought. She frowned slightly, knowing each luxury came with a cost. All of this was temporary. If she succeeded, she knew the town would not be the same, and if she didn't, well...she wasn't sure what awaited her in the Ice Kingdom.

After her stomach was full, she crawled into bed and slowly fell into a deep sleep, memories of her past swirling through her mind.

The next morning, Ruby woke bright and early like she normally did to get to work. For some reason, she was more productive this morning than others, and she had a few minutes to spare before she had to leave. She guessed she would just spend it wandering around town until she noticed Mary coming in for work, her old, stained coat still wrapped around her.

"Hey, Mary!" Ruby called.

Mary greeted her back with less enthusiasm than normal.