Life Lessons

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Ruby Winters was a young woman of around twenty two, not that her parents would remember this fact. She was their youngest child. A mistake. Surplus to the achievement of creating their eldest. It hadn’t taken long for Ruby to stop ‘bothering’ her mother with her drawings as a toddler, knowing the response would always be the same; ‘Lovely’, without so much as a glance. She had taken up the piano, to which her father had told her was a waste of time and energy, after all... they didn’t need two pianists in the family. As she grew older, Ruby tried to ask her father to school her in the family business, to which he had told her it was not her place to know the family business. The business would belong to her elder sister one day, it was a useless endeavour to show Ruby how it worked. Eventually Ruby simply ceased interacting with her parents. She spent her days living in the farthest part of their sprawling mansion from them, not that they noticed. The young woman tried finding a job as anything at all, but as soon as they saw the name ‘Winters’, she was laughed away, most companies telling her to just go ask daddy to make her a pony, or whatever it was little girls wanted these days. Such statements barely made sense, as she had only the faintest understanding of what her family did. She knew they were part of a partnership that owned an extremely popular theme park that only the very wealthy could afford, such was her reason for staying away from it; She wanted nothing at all to do with anything Winters.
While she had grown up wanting for nothing in the material sense, the youngest Winter’s daughter was extremely poor when it came to personal relationships.

“No.” Ruby replied bluntly. “I said I’m fine.” She added, though had turned her face away to wipe at her eyes. “Didn’t you have to get back to your office, or something?”

A moment later the door tore open, and a half dressed female host came running out, clutching her clothing and declaring that Kraven was a dog and he made her sick.

"Want to go with me? I'm willing to bet your dad never let you see the inner workings of the place." Milo said, holding out a hand to her. 

Joe stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips. "And there I thought I was going to have to get the hose, Jack." She purred.

The offer shocked Ruby, causing her head to snap around as she looked at Milo with red rimmed eyes. “He doesn’t even acknowledge me.” She confessed softly.

Kraven simply lay on the bed, a sheet pulled over his hips as he reach for a pack of cigarettes in the nightstand. “Jealous?” He asked simply.

"He doesn't acknowledge anyone." Milo nodded. "I'm sorry you've had to live like that." He still held out his hand, his expression never changing.

"Hardly." Joe snorted, shaking her head. "I'm going home tomorrow. Just thought you should know."

It took a moment, but Ruby finally placed her slender hand in the one offered to her. “He acknowledges Joe plenty.” She replied.

Kraven started at Joe as he took a long drag of his cigarette. “Why? I thought you were here to show the midget a good time?”

"Probably not in the way a good father should." Milo said, his icy eyes searching her face. "Don't be sad. You're free here, honey. You're free in a way Joe will never be."

Joe walked into the the room and sat on the edge of the bed, helping herself to a cigarette. "I brought her here. I'm done. I'm going home to see what damage my father has caused now." She snorted, crossing one long leg over the other.

Ruby stared up into those ice blue eyes for perhaps a moment too long, then offered him an all too forced smile. “If this is freedom, can I at least choose my own clothes?” She asked, in a poor attempt to lighten her own mood.

Kraven was quick to lean across and light the cigarette for her. “So that’s it? She lives in the park now?” He asked with an amused smirk.

"As long as you're not in this world. If you're here you stick to the theme." Milo said with a laugh, taking off his hat and putting it on her head. When he did she would be able to see that he had silver hair. 

Joe laughed as she inhaled. "Not hardly. I'll pick her up on Monday morning. The same time the driver was scheduled to pick us both up. For once in my life I'm going to see what it's like to live as a free woman. Two days without the chains of being a Winters."

Ruby couldn’t see much of anything as the hat slid down over her eyes, making her seem all too innocent and childlike. “In the real world my sister makes fun of my clothes...”

Kraven arched an amused brow. “You really think a face like yours could ever get lost in the crowd?” He breathed.

"And you let her bother you?" Milo asked, taking her hand again and pulling her with him away from the ravine. 

Joe's smile was rather wicked. She had a plan. And it was one that she had no intention of letting Kraven in on.

Ruby seemed to say little else as they walked to where Milo had left his horse. Of course what Joe said bothered her... despite everything, Ruby loved her big sister.

That smile very nearly undone Kraven. He plucked the cigarette from Joe’s full lips and stubbed it out on the nightstand. A moment later he had pinned her down into the rumpled sheets, his lips claiming her own.

Milo was quiet for a long while. He knew he'd said the wrong thing. "I'm sorry. I know you care about her but...it just seems wrong. The way she abandoned you in the park. You're kinder to her than she is you."

Once again Joe was returning his kiss. Her fingers tightened on his shoulders and she gave a soft moan. Her body betrayed her even though her mind screamed at her to avoid this like a plauge.

“She didn’t abandon me... I ran off.” Ruby confessed, finally pushing the hat up out of her eyes. “We got here, and she dragged me away from a host I was talking to, said I wasn’t allowed near him. I didn’t like being told what to do in a place where you’re supposed to be able to do anything you want.”

“There it is...” Kraven purred, pulling away when he heard Joe moan against his lips. He was grinning like a well fed cat as he left her lying there and reached for his pants. “And you say you don’t want me.” He added as he pulled the pants over his lean hips.

"What host was that?" Milo asked, thinking it odd that Josephine would tell her sister not to talk to a host. He couldn't imagine any of them on the train being too much of a problem. 

Joe's stormy eyes were dark with warning. She sat up against the head board, silent as the grave. With her hair mussed she looked like an angry vengeful goddess.

“I think she said his name was Ben.” Ruby replied, now carrying Milo’s hat between her fingers as her free hand gently patted the nose of his own horse. 

Kraven very nearly caved in when he saw Joe looking the way she did. He knew she was always beautiful, but this far less polished and perfect version of Joe was all the more irresistible to him. “Oh babe, don’t get your panties in a bunch... that’s my job.” He mused.

Milo's frown deepened. Aside from the rancher Been was the most gentle host at the park. There was a reason she was keeping her sister away from him. He intended to dig deeper into it. "Did she say what you should do while you were here? Suggest anything?" 

"You consider playing with dolls a job. Wow. You're spoiled. Daddy isn't going to cater to your whims forever goldenboy." Joe snapped, sliding off the bed and heading for the door. "Are we done here?"

Ruby signed heavily, had fingers pausing against the stallion’s nose. “Lighten up.” She replied with a despondent tone. “She thinks I’m too depressing, or something.”

Kraven spun Joe around and pressed her to the door frame. “For now, duchess. But I find it amusing we were talking about your panties, and you compared yourself to the hosts.” He mused, threading his fingers through her hair once more, before stepping back and allowing her to continue her retreat.

"You don't think she's using you to cover up for something? Maybe keep eyes off her?" Milo asked. "Your sister scares me. She hardly ever speaks even to the hosts and she always looks miserable."

"Isn't that all that I am to any of you?" Joe asked him as she paused in the hallway. "A doll to be moved and done with as you please?"

Ruby shrugged her slender shoulders and held Milo’s hat back out to him. “Like you say, she doesn’t really speak to anyone... including me.”

“You actually expect me to believe you care?” Kraven asked as he replaced his shirt. “You stomp on people to get what you want, don’t act like you’re some innocent little puppet.”

"Ever wonder if that might be an indicator of a problem?" Milo asked. "All that training we do and that's what they tell us is a sign to look for. I always looked to see if it was a thing for you but you never showed up."

"Try looking in the mirror before you start accusing me of stepping on people, Jack." Joe said darkly, slamming his door.

Ruby’s doe eyes were looking up at Milo, trying to process what he just told her. “No one ever looks for me. Why would I show up in any search?” 

Kraven smiled and pulled out another cigarette. He couldn’t wait to see her face when her father broke the engagement to her.

Milo laughed softly and shrugged. "There's talk about you, but you're never seen. I was curious. You're was beautiful as your sister. At least I was right about that." 

Joe went back to her room and dug through the bag she'd stolen from her sister. it wasn't out of meanness, other was simply so she could slip back home without being noticed. When she was done getting dressed she was the frumpier younger version that no one would look twice at. The height would be an issue but one would have to care enough to notice. It wasn't the first time she'd pulled this over on her parents. No one ever paid attention to Ruby. Not even Kraven.

Ruby felt herself blush right to the tips of her ears when Milo told her she was beautiful. The only time anyone had ever sad that was Kraven when he was being cruel by telling her she could be beautiful, if she was more like her sister. “No one is as beautiful as Joe.” She breathed, about to toy with the edge of her sleeves, until she realised she wasn’t wearing her hoodie.

Joe knew Kraven all too well. If he did happen to see her dressed like this, he would only speak to her to make fun of her.

"Joe's beauty is lost in her darkness and selfishness." Milo said, now searching the darkness ahead for something he obviously needed. "Your's is pure and untainted. It hasn't been broken yet. That's a good thing." 

Joe managed to slip onto the train with no one the wiser and that made her sad. She hated that her sister was so hidden from the world and she was also jealous. For these fleeting moments it was nice not to be noticed. For what it was worth she felt that she was finally able to breathe without people telling her how to do it properly and with style. She just wanted to be herself and for years that had become harder and harder.

“You’re the first to see it then.” Ruby replied sadly. “But I like it that way. I don’t want to be beautiful, if beautiful means being as miserable as Joe always is.”

Kraven was finding himself growing ever more jaded by the park. Sex with the hosts didn’t satisfy him, killing any host who even glanced his way left him unfulfilled. In fact, the only time he had had fun were his few interactions with Joe. This bothered him.

"So there's a time when you're not miserable?" Milo asked. He paused and looked down at her, his icy eyes searching her face. 

It wasn't long until kraven was notified that Joe had gone missing from the park. Already her father was calling, furious when she couldn't be detected in her usual place in the hotel.

Ruby wasn’t looking up at Milo, and dit know he was watching her. “When I’m reading a good book.” She replied with a dreamy smile. “Or in the natural history museum... I like to watch the robotic dinosaurs.”

Kraven was on the phone to Joe’s father, assuring him she couldn’t have gotten far. He made the promise he would take the next train out of the park and find her himself.

"I should take you to the other side of the park. You'd love what they're working on there. Ever seen Jurassic Park? Like that but almost real." Milo said with a smile.

Joe stepped into the family mansion, fuming when she saw just how many of the rich families she recognized. They were all here. Even Kraven's parents. Her mother was standing off to herself, drinking heavily. No surprise there. But what did look strange was that she looked guilty. Like she was drinking to take away the sting. And their father...where was he?

This finally had Ruby looking up at Milo like a starry eyed teenager. “Really?” She breathed, grabbing his arm in excitement.

“Ruby! What the hell are you doing here?!” Joseph Winters demanded, grabbing Joe by her arm and physically dragging her into the kitchen and out of view of anyone else. “Stupid girl, if someone had seen you, you would have shamed us all!”

Milo nodded, surprised by her excitement. "I'll show it to you when we get underground, if youd like." 

"I'm sorry, father." Joe said, keeping her voice low. "I'll go to my room."