THE MOMENT
"Thank you for helping us yesterday, yet again," Ruby smiled at Eury as they walked down a mirror-polished chrome hall. It was a main hallway broad enough to allow the two of them to walk and talk freely while other employees moved around them. It was the third time Chroma Corp. was thanking Eury for helping; but, this time the gratitude came with a dose of discouragement. Had she done something wrong already? She might've gotten ahead of herself and misjudged the situation, she had that problem sometimes. She hadn't spent much time with Ruby; but, she did know that the woman valued direct discussion. And, she was rather reasonable, all things considered. It took a few steps for Eury to muster her courage; but, she did.
"Help? I thought the Time Trap was intern work...," Eury answered. It was as direct as she could manage at the moment. She didn't want to accidentally suggest that Ruby promised her something that she didn't.
"Oh, no, I'm sorry," Ruby shook her head and Eury kept walking while crushed. "That's my fault, I could've explained it better. There's just so much going on with the wedding that my mind is on a few different tasks," she smiled and Eury returned her attempt at a warm smile too.
"I offered you the internship with Chroma Corp.; but, it doesn't technically start until after orientation," Ruby said. She gestured at the endless, busy hallway in front of them to hint in the same direction they were walking. "Yesterday wasn't a job; but, it was very helpful you volunteered," she added. "You'll probably be assigned there anyway, so it gives you a solid leg up."
"Oh, thank you!" Eury was happier than she was several dozen steps ago.
"You've had the talk with Mundo already, so this visit will be shorter to catch you up on how we do things at Chroma Corp. You're a smart girl, but, please pay attention," Ruby smirked. "The Fae are our main demographic, and we lose a lot of interns," she shrugged. "It works out, if they get tricked they're not a right fit for our company. I'm hoping you are," she said.
"Oh, I know!" Eury nodded. "I've been studying them all I can!" she said. She didn't want to give her eagerness away by putting a timeline on it. Ever since Meredith asked her for a small favor, Eury realized the opportunity she wanted was there and began learning everything she could about Fae Folk.
"Well, that might slow you down a bit, but that's okay," Ruby said. "As long as you're not too attached to what you already learned; you'll have to forget some, if not most of it." She turned into a new, narrower hall and Eury kept up. The corridor wasn't as bright as the main hall and there were notably fewer people.
"Forget it? Why?" Eury asked.
"In the worst case, some of what you learned is wrong. In the best case, it'll color your assumptions and lead to mistakes," Ruby answered.
"How?" Eury was always eager to learn, especially now.
"Give me a fact that you learned," Ruby said.
"Uhh, oh! Fae Folk cannot tell a bald-face lie; however, they're known for being able to use half-truths, and the ability to withhold information, to their advantage." Ruby giggled and shook her head.
"Yeah, we lose a lot of interns to that idea specifically," she grinned. "Let me ask you, how is it you know that fact?" Ruby asked.
"I read it in the Star Academy's library, and I've seen it mentioned in other places too," Eury answered. "Everyone knows it."
"Do YOU?" Ruby asked. "Do you KNOW it?"
"I've never dealt with a Fae outside of a quest yet...," Eury shook her head.
"Working with Fae lie we do, it helps to keep this thought in mind...," Ruby said. She came to a stop outside a chrome door with the number '37' on it. ".. there are only two flavors of knowledge. It's either something you know, or something other people want you to know."
"Ohhh..," Eury's eyes grew a little wider as she considered Ruby's advice. The woman opened the door and encouraged Eury through it with a pat on the shoulder and a final thought to send her on her way.
"If you don't know when a Fae is lying, how do you know when it's not?"