THE MOMENT
"You should've told me we were bringing dates now," Minerva commented. She sat down across from Ruby and a strange man she'd never met. He was well dressed; but, didn't seem used to it. He smiled nervously at Minerva. "Ruin loves brunch." Ruby shook her head.
"This is Darren; he's my new assistant," she said. "Darren, meet Mineva. She's a Calavera. And, she mentioned Ruin. He's her fiancé and another Calavera; you'll want to remember them," she added.
"Hello," Darren offered Minerva a handshake and she accepted it with a smile. Then, she turned back to Ruby.
"I didn't know you needed assistance," she said.
"I didn't either," Ruby nodded. "But, when the opportunity appeared, I gave it some thought. And, it made sense. The first six weeks were busier than my mother expected, and it stands to reason that things will only get more hectic as the school year progresses."
"The opportunity appeared?" Minerva asked. The two women were as close as sisters and talked daily. Minerva talked to Ruby the night before, but this was the first time she heard about Darren. Ruby nodded but, before she could respond, blue text appeared on her wrist. Minerva didn't try to read the Whisper, but Ruby clued her in anyway. Ruby turned to Darren and handed him a black card.
"Mundo's ready for you. Take this, think about Mundo and go through the hole; she'll tell me when you're done."
"Okay!" Darren nodded and accepted the card. He stood from the table then dropped the card on the floor. It created a black hole that looked impossibly deep. He waved at Minerva, then hopped in the hole.
"He's enthusiastic, I'll give him that," Ruby turned her attention back to Minerva, and she gave a slight nod. "He just appeared this morning," she said with amusement. "He walked right into my cave with a cracked wooden shield and a rusted sword. He didn't threaten me, he didn't even try to grab anything and run. He just asked if I felt like sharing since I had so much," Ruby giggled and Minerva couldn't help but join in. She'd only met him briefly; but, she was able to imagine their interaction.
"No, he didn't," Minerva said between laughs. Ruby nodded vigorously. The movement caused the ruby-like scales around the top of her head to twinkle as they caught the sunlight in brief moments.
"He did!" Ruby insisted. "It was actually kind of refreshing. I asked him his favorite number, #34, and told him, 'Sure, go ahead'," Ruby said. "I told him he could take anything he could carry out in his pockets; or, he could become my assistant and always have access to whatever he needs. After he agreed we made him an AlterNet character and got him booked with a Mundo."
"Whoa, you're not wasting any time," Minerva said. "He'll start Monday?" she asked. Ruby nodded.
"The sooner we get another set of eyes on our team, the better," Ruby said. "Everyone's enjoying the Halloween event so much, I'm worried."
"About?" Minerva asked. Ruby shrugged.
"We're assuming Ms. Sharp is alive. If she is,.. there's no way she's not planning something to steal the spotlight on Halloween night. Even if she's not targeting the school, we need to be as vigilant as possible."