“I like you, Ruby” the Queen says - purrs, really. She somehow manages to sound both childlike and smooth like velvet. Dangerous. “Not like the one that came before you. Real killjoy, that one. Now, I have a proposition for you. I could let you go,” she makes a grand gesture towards the labyrinth, and Ruby barely resists the urge to roll her eyes. Barely. “Or…” a blood red nail traces the contours of Ruby’s lip. Despite herself, she shivers. It’s not out of fear. The Queen’s grin tells her that her excitement doesn’t go unnoticed. She can’t bring herself to care about it. “Or you could stay with me. Here. You could be my apprentice.” Her lips curl up in a smirk and she leans over to whisper in Ruby’s ear. “You could be my Dark Queen.”