"Regina..."
The waitress steps back apologetically as the Mayor jerks- startled- beneath her outstretched hand. Giving her a small smile of reassurance, she slips quickly into the small alleyway in which the brunette had been perched, pulling her companion along with her.
"What is she doing here?!"
The older woman snarls, regarding the schoolteacher venomously. Glancing from the Mayor to Mary Margaret, Ruby rolls her eyes and whispers agitatedly.
"Her best friend and housemate is missing, Regina, I had to let her know!"
"You... You're... You and Emma?"
Hatefully familiar green eyes regard her warily from the shadows and the brunette growls quietly as she pulls herself to her full height; challenging the younger woman with her stance alone.
"Is there a problem, Miss Blanchard? Because if so, perhaps you should run on home."
The raven headed woman scowls at her uncertainly, but shakes her head; her mouth drawn into an unhappy line.
"The only problem I have at the moment is that my friend is missing and that I'm standing outside some madman's shop in the hopes of springing her free... All I want, Madame Mayor, is for Emma to be okay..."
"... Alright then."
Giving the paler woman one last, lingering warning glance, the brunette dips slim fingers into the pocket of her coat and retrieves a small silver key. Holding it tightly as she lets out a low breath, she reluctantly proceeds to hand it over to the waitress, dark eyes intense beneath the cloak of her lashes.
"Remember; you search everywhere. Bookcases, floorboards, behind goddamned paintings... No matter how absurd it may seem... It could lead to something..."
Ruby takes the key timidly, her eyes wide as she looks from one woman to the other.
"This is crazy, right? I mean... It's crazy! We're... We're really breaking into Gold's to find Emma. How the hell did this even happen?!"
Her muttering forms misted breath in the narrow space of the alley, but despite the uncertainty of her words, she pulls herself together fiercely, resting gloved fingers on Mary Margaret's shoulder. Receiving a curt nod from the Mayor, she pulls at the schoolteacher's hand nervously and leads her out from the safety of their hiding place and round to the locked door of the pawnbroker's store.
"Cross your fingers."
Mary Margaret laughs nervously, her eyes wide and teeth chattering, watching anxiously as the skinny waitress slides the small key deftly into the lock and turns it cautiously with an audible click.
"We're really doing this?"
"We're doing this."
Holding the door open so that the raven headed woman can slip past her into the darkness of the shop, Ruby surveys the empty street warily before pulling the door gently shut; shrouding them in a blackness that blinds them completely.
"Did you bring a torch?"
"No... Just this..."
Mary Margaret waits fretfully as a low rustling sounds to her left, biting her lip as silence descends upon her once more, before the soft click of a Zippo lighter brings Ruby's bright eyes into view before her.
"I... I didn't think it through... I'm not... I'm not really a pro at this kind of thing..."
"You and me both..."
"Hang on... Wait... I think..."
The schoolteacher's brow furrows as the brunette fails to complete her sentence, but then a brighter light spills about the room as the waitress dips a slim white candle down towards the lighter.
"Better?"
"Yeah... Why don't we just close the curtains and use the lights? It'd be easier?"
"I don't want to risk it. Regina says Gold's dangerous... I'm inclined to agree..."
"You don't... You don't think it's weird she's not in here with us?"
"Oh, I do."
"Then... I mean... What if she's-"
"-But I also know she's on our side."
"How can you be so sure?"
"She's on Emma's side. Emma's on our side."
"... I can't believe you knew about this!"
"I only found out this morning."
"Not about Emma being missing! About Regina!"
"Oh... Well... Yeah, I guess it's a little odd."
"A 'little odd'?! It's crazy!"
"Yeah, well, I guess love's never easy... If it was, we'd all have it, right?"
"Love?! You think that's what it is?! It's Regina! It's much more likely this is part of some bigger, nastier plan! It's-"
"-Do you trust Emma?"
The schoolteacher pauses as the brunette's face swims illuminated before hers, meeting bright eyes warily.
"Yes..."
"Then right now, that's all that matters. It doesn't matter if this is Gold's wrongdoing or Regina's. Emma wasn't around for Henry's birthday, and there is no way she'd miss it without something seriously messed up coming into play."
"I know... That's why I'm here."
"Okay then."
Moving away from the raven headed woman to inspect a misleadingly loose floorboard, the waitress sighs, her tone weary when she continues.
"It's not Regina though."
"What isn't?"
"Regina didn't do this... She says she cares for Emma... And I believe her."
"Cares for her?! After everything she's done!? You buy that!?"
"I do... You didn't see what I saw..."
"Did I see the Mayor feel up my housemate? No! And I'm pretty darn fine about that! What I did see is that woman work her butt off to ruin Emma's chance at a fresh start and a relationship with Henry!"
"She-"
"She doesn't love her!"
"Shhh! What do-"
"Emma! Emma does not love Regina! It's... It's crazy!"
"Quiet!"
"This is messed up..."
Mary Margaret's voice drops to a low whisper, unsure, and Ruby moves to stand beside her companionably.
"You don't know that. I doubt Emma herself even knows whether she loves her or not... Right now, that doesn't matter though, okay? You can ask her about it when we find her... Just... Don't overlook the fact that there's a good chance we wouldn't even know there was anything wrong if Regina hadn't come to me this morning..."
"I know... I just... I want Emma to be happy..."
"... I think... I think she is, you know..."
Sighing, the schoolteacher follows the brunette through into the back room; ducking nervously beneath various tapestries and out of place awnings.
"God, does this mean we're going to start having Regina over for dinner and stuff?"
"From what I hear, that's already happened."
"Seriously?"
"Yep, I believe your housemate cooked for her..."
"Emma cooked!?"
"That's what I heard..."
"God... Regina really must like her... If they're still on speaking terms after that..."
Ruby chuckles lightly, glad to cling to this benign line of conversation so as to thwart the nerves threatening to swoop in regarding their predicament. Spying a thin sliver of light at the far wall, the waitress freezes in her tracks; holding out an arm to make Mary Margaret do the same.
"See that?"
Her whisper is high as she tries to keep the panic from her voice. Glancing to her side, she sees the raven headed woman nod nervously in the flickering light of the candle.
"That's what we're looking for, I guess... You think she's in there?"
"She must be... But... What if Gold is too?"
"That's what this is for..."
Mary Margaret gasps as the brunette pulls an unmistakable gleam of silver from her pocket with shaking hands.
"You took Emma's gun!?"
"It's not Emma's, it's Regina's."
"You can't! You can't actually use it! We'll-"
"Shh! Stop whispering so loud! I'm not gonna use it... It's just... It's just for protection, okay?"
Smiling at the schoolteacher with a reassurance she doesn't truly feel, Ruby motions silently with the barrel of the gun that the paler woman should move to stand to the side of the narrow swatch of light emanating from behind the hidden door. Blowing out the candle and bracing herself in the darkness, she grits her teeth as she makes out a low moaning sound from behind concealed hollow wood before stalking forwards; eyes glittering like silver through the ink black shadows.