As Ruby started to pass them by, it was snatched from her hand. She blinked, looked over, tilted her head … then saw.

“Oh! Brr!” she decided. “Butter!”

Well, that saved her some measuring and mixing. That made things a lot simpler, in fact. She put a hand on her hip, smiled, and shook her head. Fair enough.

Ruby picked up the remaining slice and bit into hers, unbuttered. Some jam would have been nice, but one of the girls got real finicky if she mixed crumbs from the knife into said jam. Much as she liked Chéri – Chéri was a potential witness to the dastardly deed she did when no one was looking.

So she ate in silence, quietly pondering about every man she’d never seen herself who’d gone through the Diamond Pony doors. Were those the sodomites? What if Chéri truly was there just to keep the women safe?

She kind of felt protective over Chéri.