Ex-Factor || Freddie and Ruby
When Ephram had told him that he intended to offer Ruby the receptionist’s job at the Sheriff’s Department, Freddie had honestly been a bit surprised at first - because on the face of it, to his way of thinking, any road, it just seemed like a bit of an awkward idea.
But then, the more he’d thought about it, the more he’d reconsidered that perception. After all, he’d thought, his relationship with Ruby had ended on quite different terms than her relationship with Ephram had - and that likely made all the difference. Ephram and Ruby were still close in their way; still mates - so arguably, the foundation for a tremendous working relationship was already there to be built on, and the fairy was glad to think, that in spite of everything that had happened between the three of them, there could still be something fruitful and positive between Ephram and Ruby on the other side.
Or he had thought that... right up until Ephram had come home (after what Freddie supposed had amounted to Ruby’s job interview) and told him how it had gone and why - and now Freddie was second-guessing his ringing endorsement just a little bit.
Not entirely, of course; just enough that he wanted the chance to talk to Ruby himself. Which, if he was honest, he expected to go about as well as the last flight of the Hindenburg.
Mostly because he knew that his concerns were likely going to put his ex-wife almost immediately on the defensive - and while that wasn’t his intention, or an outcome he particularly looked forward to, Freddie really couldn’t see any way around it. Not if he wanted to be honest, and to treat Ruby like the capable accountable woman that she was, rather than as a little girl in need of handling with kid gloves.
But even so, he’d still brought with him one of her favourite chocolate raspberry horrors from Bean Me Up as a preemptive gesture of good will.
Because he didn’t want to be at odds with Ruby - they’d done enough of that - and now that they were probably going to be seeing a lot more of one another again, at least in passing, it would be nice if they could be on genuinely friendly terms. Freddie still thought the world of his ex-wife, after all, even if she no longer figured largely in his life.
So when he arrived at the station slightly ahead of what he knew to be Ephram’s usual lunch hour - the events of the day permitting - Ollie at his side, clutching a carry-out tray with Ruby’s coffee concoction and his own tea wedged into it, a glossy brochure for the Bentley Bentayga under his arm (the fairy was still of the opinion that they needed a vehicle apart from Ephram’s department-issued truck, and thought he might be able to pitch this one as a compromise of tastes), he greeted the usual collection of familiar faces bustling around, working, with waves and smiles and murmured greetings, before heading directly for what was now Ruby’s desk.
“Hello, love,” he said with a small smile. “Fancy a coffee? It’s horrible - just the way you like it.”
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