Delirium.

Ruby Davis. Twenty. Phoenix. “To rise, first you must burn.”

[rubydxvis]

willronson‌:

“Don’t really need to, I kind of know that feeling.” Will gives her a knowing look before shrugging one shoulder. “Yea, well I guess if the world didn’t rely on things like that then we’d have a hard time creating billionaires and giving cops people to arrest when they fly off the handles while high on bath salts.” Rolling his eyes a little at the story she told, Will smiled softly as he thought of his own daughter. “Well, I’m determined that Charity is going to be a good kid that turns into a fantastic person. I’m not going to let her be like me or her mom. She’s going to know all the good values in life and have morals and be successful if it kills me.”

“I guess you do make a good point.” The world did rely on chaos to continue functioning, at least in a way that history had proved worked to keep things going. But a peaceful world, nonetheless, was something she would continue to hope for, “Sounds like your daughter’s got a great dad by her side to raise her and take care of her. She’s one of the lucky ones. Makes me miss my own family...” Her smile faded slightly, before she realized that the awkward silence between them was her fault, “Sorry...just thinking...” Forcing back the lump in her throat, Ruby looked back up to Will, before catching a glimpse at the time on someone’s phone nearby. In a slight panic, she began to grab her things, “Well, it was nice talking to you about the world’s problems, but I’ve gotta get to work. Unfortunately, the bills aren’t going to pay themselves.” Ruby stood up and threw her backpack over her shoulder, “And hey, if we cross paths again, I’d love to continue this conversation.” With a brighter smile, than the one that had briefly come over her face earlier on, Ruby said one last goodbye and headed to her job.

[rubydxvis]

damien--ford‌:

His taste buds basically exploded with sugar and edible glitter with his first sip and the thc in his system craved even more. Damian was sipping on it for a minute before he went to answer her. “Poor, huh? I mean, I need someone to walk my dog every day. Maybe not worth $700 a week but maybe $400? Might help you out a bit and I don’t have to walk….”

By the way he was consuming his drink, she knew he had to have been on something. No one chugged caffeine, sugar, and glitter down that fast, but once she heard his offer, the idea to question him, left the room, “$400 a week? Really? Just to walk your dog? Heck yeah! I mean, yes, yes I’ll take the job.” $400 a week would be a tacked on help that she really needed. She couldn’t believe he was offering this to her. Ruby was more grateful than he would ever know.

[rubydxvis]

damien--ford‌:

The flames his fingers hand been running through were definitely real, heat scorching his fingertips and making a little more aware of his surroundings. Without even asking Damian ran his hand down hers when the flames were gone to try and find some way as to how she had done what she had just done. “Okay, what’s the trick here? You got some kind of invisible igniters or something that disappears after the heat gets to it? This is weird, even for me.”

Ruby’s face held a permanent grin. She was never going to divulge her secret. It was too dangerous, for one thing, but knowing that this guy was going to be left in confusion was just too satisfying, “Hey, you enjoy the rest of your day, okay? And maybe I’ll see ya around.” With a sly wink, Ruby turned around and walked off resuming what the day had in store for her hoping she had made his a little more magical. At least, she could look back on this day and laugh.

[rubydxvis]

damien--ford‌:

He watched impatiently, a sigh leaving his lips until he saw flames start to rise from her palm. His eyebrows furrowed, mouth opening enough to let the cigarette fall from his lips while he raised his hand up to quickly swipe his fingers through the top of the flames. They were real. They were real and they were rising from her skin. “Okay…I know I’m fucking high as shit right now but this is still pretty damn trippy. How the hell are you doing that…and how are you doing it without burning your hand? It looks like they’re coming right out of your skin…”

A smile slipped over Ruby’s soft features when the cigarette fell out of his mouth. While being a phoenix had been rough, it had also proved to have it’s exciting moments. This was one of them. She loved seeing people tripped out by things and being able to trip this guy out was the highlight of her day, “Oh, oh, oh it’s magic!” The lyrics quietly slipped out of her mouth, before she let the flames die down leaving her skin as if nothing had ever happened.

[rubydxvis]

damien--ford‌:

“Is that all it takes for groceries? Fifty bucks? God, the chef at home keeps making a huge deal out of only getting seven hundred a week….” Shaking his head at this new revelation, he lays it back down on the table as she walks away and starts flipping through a magazine that was next to him. He couldn’t even remember if he’d grabbed this on his own or if it was here when he sat down…hell he couldn’t even remember how he’d gotten to this table in the first place. “The fuck do I care if I please my man every night or not?”

It didn’t take them long to make the drink. Walking back over, she sat it on the table in front of him, “To answer your question...when you’re poor? Yes. You take what you can get. Which isn’t much these days.” She wasn’t going to sugarcoat it. It was hard, but she’d be in worse situations, “I’d be grateful for $700 a week, unfortunately, I’m not a chef, so looks like you’re stuck with him.”

[rubydxvis]

willronson‌:

“Honestly? I never understood the coffee addiction thing. I think it’s gross. Addiction, I understand, coffee not so much.” He shrugs, having once been pretty into cocaine before he became addicted to his daughter. “Exactly. My mom doesn’t get that. She keeps saying stuff like “Hey, I fed you captain crunch when you were a kid and you didn’t turn out so bad, did you?” and I’m just sitting there thinking of how much of a little shit I was when I was growing up.”

“Yeah, tell that to the people addicted to any other drug. Unfortunately, we thrive in a society that relies on addiction to keep it afloat. Just think about it. Coffee, sodas, electronics, adrenaline...If people didn’t get ‘stuck’ on things, the world might be a better place for all of us.” If people hadn’t been addicted to social media, Ruby knew she would still be living at home with her own family sleeping in her own room in her own bed. “Captain Crunch is good, but times were a little different too. Besides, turning out ‘good’ just doesn’t seem realistic anymore, unless you actually put the effort in in parenting. I watched a little kid pitch a bitch today, because his mom wouldn’t buy him some expensive robot that does about three things, before it breaks.”

[rubydxvis]

willronson:

“I don’t understand anyone who would spend money on something like that. I think there’s so many other important things out there.” Of course this was coming from a guy who spent at least half of his salary on diapers so he had something to save for. “Yea, I guess. I want her to be happy and being healthy is part of that. I’m not going to be one of those parents that refuses to give her anything she can indulge in but…yea.”

“Right? I mean I understand a coffee addiction, but I understand a hot meal addiction more.” When she was between work, she had survived on thrown out food and anything else she could find or beg for. It was embarrassing, and nearly impossible, all while trying to keep a low profile. “I think what you’re doing right now is admirable. Besides, she won’t know any different when she gets older, if all she’s known is good habits to begin with.” Ruby smiled.

[rubydxvis]

damien--ford:

Damien could only smirk slightly as the girl held her hand out to him, the idea that she thought he wouldn’t pay up crossing his mind. Opening his wallet, he pulled out sixty dollars and slapped it into her hand before laying his head down on the table in front of him, mumbling while he closed his eyes. “Keep the extra change, buy yourself another if you’d like. I won’t judge. But seriously, is it sour?”

When he slapped the money in her hand, Ruby let her smile widen. It must have been nice just having that kind of money to throw away on anything. This would buy her a week’s worth of groceries, “Oh, no. I’m not wasting any of this money on that crap. This is going for groceries. And, yeah, kinda. But it’s worth it for the experience I guess. Like I said. Got mine for free. Be right back.” Ruby walked off to go purchase the drink.

[rubydxvis]

damien--ford:

Pausing in his endeavor to get each lighter tossed where it belongs, Damien furrows his eyebrows as he looks over at the girl. What in the hell was she getting at here? “Let me guess: ameteur magician?” Nevertheless he sighed and abandoned his task at hand before leaning towards her and placing the cigarette between his lips, not expecting much to come from this. “If something blows up in my face this is not going to end well for you.”

“Uh, something like that.” It was magic, and she was still relatively new to her powers and what she could do. “Don’t worry. I’ve done this hundreds of times. Nothing’s going to blow up in your face. Now, stay still.” Taking a deep, calming breath, Ruby held out her hand in front of Damien and focused on it. Feeling her palm heating up, she remained focused, until suddenly a flame emerged from her palm igniting her entire hand giving him the chance to light his cigarette.

[rubydxvis]

willronson:

“Free? Eh, can’t really knock you for that, now can I?” She was right though, he had never really cared about carbs before but now his whole view on taking care of himself was changing for the better. He shrugs at the girl, holding up the book with a sheepish smile. “Guess I’m just practicing for when my kid gets older.”

“Nope. I think I would let you though, if it wasn’t. Of course, I wouldn’t have bought it, if it wasn’t.” She laughed. She hadn’t been one to watch what she ate. It was more of watching what she spent. Money was hard to come by, and she had cherished the idea of a hot meal over some crappy coffee drink. “Wow, being proactive. Smart guy.” 

[rubydxvis]

damien--ford:

“I’m going to go with the latter. My lungs probably look like a seventy year old smoker’s lungs but I figured I’ve committed for this long, why quit now?” He shrugs, tossing each lighter into the trash bin next to him one by one. Raising an eyebrow at her question, he doesn’t really look up from what he’s doing as he answers, not entirely enthused to be shown some kind of trick when he was debating such an important subject in his mind. “I guess? Not sure how this pertains to the dilemma at hand but whatever floats your boat.”

“Well, I’ll give it to you. You sure are dedicated.” She raised her eyebrows watching him toss lighters in to the trashcan. “Okay, so I’m not inhaling the smoke to get the thing lit, so I’m gonna need you to actually look at me while I do this.” Ruby had never smoked a day in her life and didn’t plan on starting now. Instead, she waited for him to raise his head and get his cigarette ready.

[rubydxvis]

damien--ford:

“I’m being completely serious.” He slowly reached for his back pocket to pull out the wallet of the week, his eyes staying glued to her while he held it up in the air. “I’ll give you fifty dollars and whatever the damn thing costs if you walk over there and get me one. I don’t think my legs will allow me to move at the moment. No particular reason why, just don’t want to move, man.”

This guy...Ruby had only been here for a few weeks, and this guy had just made what was turning out to be a shit day, even better. “Yeah. I mean if you’re that determined not to move, and you want to pay that much, then sure, I’ll go buy you a cup of sugar infested bean juice.” She stuck out her hand. Her mother had taught her manners, but manners had went out the door when Ruby had to learn how to survive on her own.

[rubydxvis]

damien--ford:

“It sounds so ridiculous but so…appetizing at the same time. I hear it was sour though…how do you make coffee sour?” He looks in the direction that she was pointing and sighs, not wanting to move all the way over there. “I’ll pay you to get me one.”

“Sour coffee? Your guess is as good as mine.” Ruby wasn’t quite sure how the drink had been made. She was curious, but not that curious. The fact that this guy had just offered her money to walk less than ten feet to buy him a Starbucks drink had intrigued her more than the ingredients of some sugar filled drink. “Wait...are you being serious right now?”

[rubydxvis]

damien--ford:

“The point is, I have twenty of these fuckers and one of them should work.” He obviously didn’t care about the money, the boy’s family was fucking loaded, it was the fact that he had to get off his ass to walk down the street to get one. “It’s a conspiracy man. The next question is am I lazy enough to say fuck it to a cigarette just because I don’t want to get up and get a lighter?”

“If you have twenty lighters, and not one of them works, you’re either buying some really cheap shit or you smoke way too much.” She couldn’t help, but laugh. However, an idea had struck her. “Wanna see a really cool party trick?” That’s essentially what her powers and true form had started out as...a party trick, and if he really was that desperate, Ruby wasn’t one to not help somebody. She had seen him in Barnes & Nobel a few days prior stoned out of his mind. It’s not like he’d ever believe she was anything than a girl with a cool magic trick.

[rubydxvis]

damien--ford:

“Are you talking about one of those purple and pink things that’s not even coffee? The one with all the like glitter shit on top? Dammit, now I want one.” He was high, and he didn’t even know how he’d ended up at Barnes and Noble, but the munchies had just hit him hard. “Do you guys have a Starbucks in here?”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I didn’t want it at first, but some little kid ordered it without his mom’s permission, and my friend offered it to me...I think it’s the sugar talking, but it’s soooo good.” Had she not been desperate for a pick-me-up, Ruby would have never ordered a $6 cup of sugar, but she had needed something. “Right over there...” Raising her hand up, she pointed to the front corner of the store.

[rubydxvis]

willronson:

“Okay, but do you know how much crap is in one of those things?” Will looked up from the book he had been looking at to gain a better understand of this fatherhood thing, a small smile pulling at his lips despite how serious he was. “There’s like 70 carbs alone in one of them.”

“So I’ve heard, but I was desperate, Man. I needed energy. And it was free.” She had knew tomorrow she would regret her decision, but the high she was on right now had put her in a good mood. “What are you? The Diet Police?”

[rubydxvis]

damien--ford:

“I’ve got twenty fucking lighters and not one of them is working. How the fuck does shit like this happen? Anyone want to share the wealth of fire?”

“If you only knew...” Ruby mumbled under her breath. Hopefully this guy hadn’t seen her viral video, where anyone with internet access had the opportunity to see her true form. “I’m pretty sure the gas station down the street has some cheap ones for like less than a dollar.”