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.

“Why, when I play with you?” Kraven purred as he grabbed Joe’s slender wrist and pulled her back against him. “Let midget go, isn’t it time she learned how this place works?” He breathed against her ear.

"I plan to." Joe said, her hands sliding along his chest. "And you and I will never be playing together." She purred, her lips brushing his.

“That’s what you think, sweet cheeks.” Kraven breathed, stealing a kiss before she could pull away.
Somehow Ruby had found her way into the train that would now take them all the way into the park.

"Stick to your dolls, Kraven. Im too much for you." Joe flipped her curls over her shoulder and stepped onto the train, once again ignoring a hand from the hosts. 

"Hello there, ma'am." The dish water haired man in the cowboy hat sat down next to Ruby with a warm smile. "My name's Ben."

Kraven was smiling as he watched Joe walk away from him. “I much prefer puppets...” he breathed before following her to the train.

Ruby took a moment to realise the man was speaking to her. No one ever spoke to her. “Uh...um... hi...” she breathed, awkwardly offering her hand to him. “Ruby.”

Joe stared out the window as she chose her seat on the train. Her thoughts were on her father's new narrative. She was guessing it had something to do with indians. She hadn't seen them around in a while and knew how much men loved to play cowboys and and indians. Custer's last stand would also make a nice addition she supposed. 
She had no idea what was really going on was the announcement of her engagement to the young man seated gracefully across from her. 

The golden eyed man nodded with a smile. "The name suits you." He said. "So what brings you out here? Looking for something? Or someone?"

Of course Kraven was all too aware of this fact, which made it all the more delicious of a game to him. He was watching Joe, wondering if she would fight the decision, or toe the line like she always did for the sake of the family business. “Why are you even here?” He finally asked. “It’s not like you have done everything...” the smirk he wore making it clear he meant more than simply followed the narratives.

“What do people usually come out here for?” Ruby asked, genuinely not sure how to answer that question. “How do you find something you aren’t searching for?”

"I have no interest in doing everything." Joe said, taking her stormy eyes off the windows. "Dad asked me to preview the new narrative." She wasn't comfortable with the smirk he wore. She'd known him long enough to know it meant he was up to no good.

"More often than not, what you're not searching for finds you." Ben said. "It's hard to say what people come here for. It's different for everyone. What is your heart telling you?"

“And he told you to bring the baggage along?” Kraven asked with a frown. “Doesn’t seem like dead old daddy.” He added, stretching his long legs out in front of him.

“That it wants to be far from here.” Ruby confessed honestly.

"seemed to me like ruby needed to get out more." Joe said, pulling her legs up under her to keep from touching Kraven. "What do you care, Jack?"

"There's alot more like you than you think." Ben nodded. "People head West to run away from things. Is that what you're doing?"

“Why do you care?” Kraven countered. “You never did before, why the sudden interest in the family reject?”

“Running would imply I came here of my own free will.” Ruby replied with a sigh.

"Why do you care?" Joe turned the question back on him. "You never cared what I did before. Why the sudden interest in what I'm doing now?" She asked, smoothing out her skirt. 

"So you're here with someone?" Ben asked crossing one lean, leg over the other. "That's good to travel with others. Probably safer that way."

Kraken shrugged, using that same infuriating smile. “Just making conversation, sweet cheeks.” He replied, turning his head slightly as the starting town came into view. 

Ruby resented the insinuation. “I don’t need someone to keep me safe, thank you.” She informed Ben curtly.

"Madame Laramie for you is it?" Joe asked as she got up, spotting Ben's hat hovering too close to her sister. "See you around, Kraven." She uttered, not intending to whatsoever.

Before the cowboy could respond, Joe was pulling her sister out of the seat. "I told you not to talk to him." She hissed at Ruby. "He's fodder."

Kraven watched the exchange with amusement. It was almost too easy. He wanted fun, and this weekend it was about making life as difficult as he could for Joe. 
Ruby was scowling at her sister as she was dragged away. “I thought you wanted me to experience this dumb place?” She snapped.

"Not with Ben. He's unlucky and useless. I'll show you where to go." Joe said pushing past the other guests as she tried to get them lost in the crowd.

“How is it me experiencing anything, if you’re choosing the experience for me?” Ruby huffed.

"I'm not! Jesus Christ, Ruby. I'm just keeping you safe until I can explain what's going on." Joe snapped glancing over her shoulder to find Kravens eyes on them.

“God Joe! I don’t need a babysitter!” Ruby hissed, shoving away from her sister and disappearing into the throng of people entering the town they had arrived at. 
Kraven waved his fingers at Joe, which had ultimately been enough of a distraction to allow the younger girl her escape.

"Damn it." Joe hissed when she realized her sister had slipped out of her grasp. There went her chance to make sure Ruby made it safely to the rancher's place and stayed there. She turned her head to curse at Kraven only to find him gone as well. It was going to be a long weekend.

Ruby had no intention of doing anything her sister wanted that weekend. She had been dragged her against her wishes, and she’d be damned if she was going to make this easy on Joe. As it happened, the younger sister had made it to the saloon, figuring a strong drink would give her the courage to actually go along with whatever came her way.

Kraven had his own orders. He was to ensure that Joe actually relaxed this weekend. It was a ploy to soften the blow of her getting home and finding she was engaged without even being asked.

The saloon was already full of guests. They were rowdy and loud, most of them loading their guns and talking about shooting one host or the other. The hosts moved among them, acting as they were supposed to, knowing nothing of their coming fate. 

Joe headed to the hotel she always stayed at. She asked the owner to find her a horse. She'd task the rancher with finding her sister. After she changed, of course.

Ruby hesitated in the doorway somewhat. So many people, and so loud. It had her rooted to the spot, silently asking how she had gotten into this situation.

“I didn’t think we would be seeing you again so soon.” The host behind the desk told Joe with a pleasant smile. “The usual?”

Another rowdy guest bumped into her, giving her little choice but to go inside the choas. What was worse was that the giggling woman didn't even attempt to apologise.

Joe shook her head. "I want a horse." She said and tell everyone not to bother me. "I don't want friends this weekend."

Ruby scowled at the woman, though suddenly smirked when the thought to shoot her crossed her mind. Maybe she was wrong, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. The small woman edged inside, her pale grey eyes seeking out the bar.

This stopped the host in his actions. “No companion? Is that wise, miss?”

The bar was lined with people arguing over drinks. The bar tender behind it was having a bit of trouble keeping up. On the far end a man dressed all in black was staring at the wall, seeming to be ignoring everything that was happening.

Joe sighed deeply. She forgot that her father had programed these things to warn security if she said something strange. "Oh no. I meant I'm meeting someone. So no new friends." She said, using the typical hand gesture. "I'll be fine with...him..."

Ruby squeezed her lithe frame into a spot beside the man ignoring everyone else. It was the questest soace, and she needed a moment to calm herself. Her hands were shaking, and she was certain a panic attack was threatening as yet another person bumped into her back.

This seemed to instantly appease the host, and he smiled. “Well now, then you need your horse!” He declared, still smiling. “Can I pack you want thing? Water, food... whiskey?”

"Liquid courage." The man in black said. His voice was low and silken but somehow still loud enough to be heard over the dull roar of the crowd. He slid a full glass her way, his long fingers resting on the the glass for a moment before letting go and tipping his hat. 

"Oh definitely the whiskey." Joe said, offering the host a genuine smile. It was rare for her to do so, especially for hosts. "I'm going to change first. I'll meet you in the barn in an hour for my horse."

Ruby stared at the glass for moment, then lifted it to her deep red lips, nodding her thanks to the man beside her. She drained the glass in a single gulp and slammed it down on the worn wood of the bar. She was watching the man curiously, clearly trying to figure out of he was a guest, or one of the hosts. Having not been a part of this world, she was ill equipped to spot the hosts in the way her sister could.

The hosts laughed and nodded his head. “You ain’t exactly dressed for riding.” He agreed cordially.

The next thing the man in black put down on the bar was a gun. "Only one way to find out." He purred, looking at her with eyes that were ice blue. "Go ahead, honey. Start shooting."

An hour later Joe was dressed in similar to her sister. She had a bag over her shoulder and her hair pinned back. She was ready for a trip to the rancher's place.