She was the last person Ruby expected to see on this side of the hall. It surprised her just how
beautiful she was, and at that moment, Ruby found herself unable to say anything. The woman wasn't
presenting herself to be particularly glamorous, which should have been common for someone of her
status. Her long, golden hair was hastily brushed, and she was stuffing her face with canapés and
crudités, occasionally brushing a crumb off her purple dress.
The woman reached across the table for the tourtieres, and noticed Ruby staring at her. “Oh
sorry, did you want some?”
Ruby just looked at her. “You’re… the princess of the South, Scarlett”
“Yeah that's me,” she said, pushing aside a tiered serving stand and peering across the
table, “so you don't want any of these thingies?”
“Tourtieres,” Ruby said.
The princess nodded, and grabbed a few for herself.
“What are you doing here?” Ruby asked, “On this side of the hall at least. Aren't you
supposed to be kissing babies or something?”
Scarlett laughed, “Nah, been there, done that.” She held up a skewer of beef, “These are what
I'm after, they've got a fancy name for this right? I can never remember.”
“A brochette,” Ruby corrected.
“I see.” Scarlett popped the end of it into her mouth, and pointed to another food item,
“What's this?”
“That's a quiche.”
The princess said something in acknowledgement, though it was muffled by the food in her
mouth. She swallowed. “Why do you know all this stuff? Like, what's the point?” Scarlett asked.
“It's my mother,” Ruby said, “she wants me to be certain I know the correct etiquette. She
says it will make me look ‘more noble when presenting to others’.”
The princess leaned closer, “Why does she think that's important? Does it really matter what
fancy foods you can name?”
Ruby scoffed, “You don't get it. You're the princess for Moon's sake”
Scarlett looked at her, confused.
Ruby motioned out to the crowded gala. “Look around you, it's all: ‘See? my daughter runs
her own section of the company’ or ‘well, our business grew 26% last quarter’ or
‘oh, our company values our workers more’. For them, this isn't about the Moon, it's all just
a competition, and me and my mum… We’re at the very bottom.”
Scarlett said nothing for a moment, processing, observing the ballroom as Ruby had said. Then
she asked, “Why?”
Ruby looked at the ground. “I'm just… A coal exporter. I’m nothing, nobody. We were only
invited here on principle, nothing else. People don't want to talk to me, they don't even want to be
seen near me.” She let out a breath. “So, if knowing the names of a bunch of stupid foods is enough
to make someone treat me like a person, then yes, I’d say it matters.”
“Hey,-” Scarlett took a step closer, placing her hand on Ruby's arm. “You're not nobody-
you're… you’re somebody-,” Ruby could tell she wanted to say more, but the princess was at a loss
for words. “I want to talk to you,”
Ruby gave her a dirty look, “You haven't even asked for my name.”
Scarlett let go of Ruby’s arm. “I...”
“It's Ruby.”
“Pretty name,” Scarlett said, thinking out loud. She realised what she said, and they were
left in a moment of embarrassing silence. Scarlett found herself looking out the lancet window
framing the long side of the hall. Through the stained glass she could see the shrinking silhouette
of the Moon. It occurred to her, that once the Moon went over the horizon, she wouldn't see it again
for another sixteen months.
In that moment, she was aware of the woman standing next to her. “How about we leave all this
competition behind?” Scarlett said, turning to her, “Ruby? Do you want to see the Moon with me?”
Ruby smiled, “That sounds an awful lot like you're asking me out on a date.”
Scarlett choked on the food she was chewing,
“It does?”