@dearbewildered, continued from ⚜ :
pierre, simply by chance, didn’t look into ruby’s eyes, choosing instead to continue staring at the ground as she approached him and pressed her lips to his cheek. he wasn’t really ever one to look people in the eyes when approached, unless they were one of his two closest friends, and even then, he always allowed them to dominate their interactions.
he did, however, blush rather BRILLIANTLY at the contact. he’d heard about ruby, of course, and he knew he ought to stay away, and he figured she probably had no genuine interest in him, but he couldn’t help feeling like perhaps it would be nice to feel worthy of somebody’s attention for once. his wife barely even noticed him anymore, and ladies were hardly tripping over themselves to fall for the awkward and bewildered count bezukhov.
“I, um. flattered,“ he stuttered, blinking down at his embarrassingly scuffed dress shoes. “MARRIED, I mean. I’m married. I have a, ah,“ an awkward gesture toward his wife, who was flirting rather obviously with some handsome young officer, “WIFE.“
“Flattered?” she echoed, smiling sweetly. Indeed, she had no true interest, but a generous man recently come into a great fortune was an easy target in the eyes of her master. But rather than simply going up and speaking to him, Massu would rather have Ruby do the work for him. So she giggled like an ingenue, and shook her head. “This is how we greet our friends in France, don’t you know?”
It was not, at least among the aristocracy, but it was meant to tell him exactly the sort of person she was -- affectionate, physical, and sweet. Certainly not the seductress he might have heard of up until now. A few people did speak about how she would approach under the guise of a friend, but the tales were so conflicting that it seemed impossible to figure out which one was the truth.
She glanced over to the countess all the same, and hid all judgements she might have had behind that soft, carefully crafted grin. Ruby turned back to Pierre, clasping her hands. “Oh, no. I don’t mean to come between you and her, Count. I only...” She made a face, and rolled her eyes at herself. “Well. I’ve grown to miss the French in a way. I heard you have rather western views of things, and was hoping you might indulge me in a bit of irrational homesickness.”
