Ruby gave a one-shoulder shrug. "I'd hit it. I bet he's a freak." She clicked her tongue and tried to sneak a peak at the brunette's book, which she cradled with all the enthusiasm of a sixth grade girl holding a doodled notebook between classes. "What kind of work requires a... detailed knowledge of the occult?"

The shadow, which Beth had noticed, went by quickly in the periphery, like a bird's wings temporarily blocking the sun. Ruby carried on smiling, her eye contact direct.

Often such dark smudges, which really might resemble wings, could be observed in Ruby's presence. If anything was out of order with this particular event, the girl did not appear to notice it. Otherworldly chatter had become the ambient noise of Ruby DuFour's life, whether she called upon it or not.