[Thread] Ruby and Speed

[notsomuchakitty]

Who: Ruby, Speed
What: Random outdoor encounter?
When: Nowish
Where: Outside
Rating:PG-13 (ruby's got a mouth on her)

Comments

[go_speedle_go]

Speed watched Ruby hop from his shoulder before he bent down and picked up a small stone. He rubbed it roughly in his hand, turning it over and over between his fingers. It was worn smooth from the running water.

He tossed it up once and caught it. He repeated the action as he watched Ruby "fish." He tried not to react to her sudden change of appearance, merely blinking to adjust his eyes. It was hard not to smile though.

It was also hard not to laugh at human-Ruby catching a fish with her bare hands. It just would have been so much cuter to see the small kitty with a fish in her mouth, but this was almost just as good.

Idly, he tossed the rock once more then cranked his arm backwards. He aimed upstream, then threw his arm forward and let go of the rock. It skipped a few times on top of the water before settling at the bottom. Score.

[notsomuchakitty]

Ruby watched Speed cock back his arm and release the rock, sending it sailing and dancing across the water with little splashes. She looked fascinated. Nall could do that. He wouldn't teach her how. Of course she probably could have taught herself with enough practice but she'd never really felt the motivation.
Same with changing to human form with clothing. Before she'd very rarely used this form but after being stuck in it for so long recently she realized that it was a lot easier to not get dirty in this form. She was still in her smallest form the majority of the time but when she was doing something that might get her a faceful of dirt or something.

She looked down at the rocks beneath her for another flat one. She reached down and picked one up then handed it up to Speed without a word. She couldn't do it but it was fun to watch.

[go_speedle_go]

He chuckled lightly and smiled at her. Taking the rock from her, Speed also rubbed this one in his hand for some time. After a while he tossed the rock up in the air to get a feel for it. Then he cocked his arm back and repeated the throwing action.

He watched the smooth pebble skip over the water four times this time, and grinned down at Ruby. "My rock picker. Pick another one, lucky charm."

[notsomuchakitty]

Ruby watched his actions very carefully. Four bounces off of the water. Not bad. So it had been more of a wrist movement than an arm movement. Maybe if she watched agai--

His cheerful order jerked her out of her thoughts about the process he was going through to skip the rock. She frowned at him irritably. "Get your own damn rock!" she snapped at him.

But as she spoke she bent down and picked up a rock. Not flat enough. She tossed it. There! There was another one. She picked it and handed it up to him.

[go_speedle_go]

He gave her a funny look at being "yelled" at, sort of a "phst, what's with you?" look. But he smiled ever-so-slightly again as she got him a good rock anyway.

Again he tossed it straight up and caught it in the palm of his hand. He did this several times, in fact, this time, trying to think of something to do or say. He stared out in space as he moved on auto-pilot only.

Eventually he snapped out of it and stopped bothering to try. He threw the rock with a simple flick--it skipped five times.

[notsomuchakitty]

Ruby snorted and grinned at him, "I'm not your bitch, boy," she said with a good natured laugh and began searching for another rock

[go_speedle_go]

"Aww, and here I was beginning to think we had something going on," Speed replied sweetly--too sweetly. If the sarcasm wasn't literally dripping off his words, then Tim "Speed" Speedle was not this boy's name.

He remained soured faced for a grand total of three seconds before he broke out into a good natured smirk and chuckled a bit. Shaking his head, he watched Ruby pick out another rock but this time set herself up for a nice throw.

Dripping water from his hair, nose, and fingertips now, Speed refused to do anything but stand there and look vaguely agitated while blinking the liquid off his eyelashes. He glanced sideways at Ruby. "Thanks, I knew I needed a bath."

[notsomuchakitty]

Ruby probably would have said something along the lines of 'that's what you get for thinking' or something equally snarky if she wasn't so pissed off. She didn't have anyone to be angry at but herself but she wasn't a fan of being angry at herself. So it was clearly the rock's fault.

She swept her glare over the stream bank. All of them. Conniving bastards. She looked for another rock, not even bothering to clear the water dripping from her hair out of her face. Water droplets clung to her skin and eyelashes uncomfortably but she paid no attention to them. They weren't the enemy. The rocks were.

There one was. She darted down and grabbed it. Distractedly saying, "Well I didn't know how to tell you so...."

She trailed off and, concentrating, tried another throw. The rock hit the water with a 'thock'ing sound then shot off into the woods. Whatever. It had skipped. It counted. She threw her arms in the air and out came a 'Woo!' of glee. She'd done it! She'd never really tried it before but damnit she'd done it!

[go_speedle_go]

"You thought you'd just give me one?" he finished for her. "Thanks," he repeated, "thanks plenty." He shook his head violently and it was no surprise that soon afterward his entire body followed suit. He looked like a big puppy-dog shaking all that water off.

Speed raised a lone eyebrow at the sight of the second throw. At her exclamation of joy he actually gave her a look. Internally he whispered "riiight" to himself.

Shaking his head, Speed suggested, "Try throwing with a little less force. It might help."

[notsomuchakitty]

She grinned at him sweetly and ducked the spray of water that came from his hair before going back to looking for another rock. She was squatted down crab walking along, holding her still dripping hair back with one hand while she rooted around for more rocks with the other

[go_speedle_go]

Speed shook his head, then thought better of it and stopped mid-shake. He hid a grin by facing away Ruby as he looked at the ground. There. He bent down and picked up another smooth rock.

"Here," he offered, holding out the worn pebble for her to take.

[notsomuchakitty]

Ruby continued to look frustrated and sort of pout for a moment until she realized that Speed was holding out a stone for her to take. She looked at it critically for a moment before making any moves toward it. Imitating human strength was HARD! She wasn't sure if she wanted to try anymore.

The rock just stared back at her. She could tell it was laughing at her. What a dick. She wouldn't be defeated by an inanimate piece of earth! She reached out and took the rock from Speed. She wanted to thank him, She really did...but she was concentrating.

She did manage to give him a little smile before she turned and took the throwing position again. She concentrated on just putting a LITTLE more force behind it than before and let it fly. Plop, plop, plunk. TWO SKIPS! She actually squealed quietly. She grabbed Speed's arm and pointed vigorously to the stream. She couldn't "TWICE!" she proclaimed triumphantly.

Take THAT, rock.

[go_speedle_go]

Speed grinned and stood still as she hopped up and down while hanging onto him. "Congratulations," he said sincerely.

Two skips was pretty good, actually. At least for a beginner. He looked at her with pride, then gently pried her off and bent down for another rock.

He grabbed two, actually, handing one to Ruby before tossing the other in the air and catching it. It was ritual or something to him. Pick it up, rubb it roughly with his fingers, toss it a few times, then chunk it. He did the last step and watched the stone skip four times again.

[notsomuchakitty]

Ruby grinned brightly at him at his congratulations. Usually she'd have glared suspiciously, expecting something sarcastic to come from his mouth but she was too pleased to think about it. It never came anyway so it didn't matter.

She grinned and took the rock from Speed, finally clearing some of the wet hair from her face. She'd won now. She didn't have to concentrate so hard.

She took the same exact position as before and tried to apply the same amount of force but this time her rock only skipped once. "Damn," she cursed half heartedly then shrugged at Speed and sat down abruptly in the grass to squeeze out her hair. She was done trying to skip rocks. Maybe she'd practice later so she could be better next time they came out here.

When she was younger Nall had taken her out to the lake and skipped rocks all the way across it. That had been so cool. He was so stingy with his secrets though, he'd never taught her.