Writing: Ruusan and Cameron Prompts (1-25)

   For quite some time, I have enjoyed writing to prompts. You get one word to write a small blip for. Mine are generally 40 to 60 words long.

  However, to date, the only series of prompts I have completed have been two, fifty-word-prompt lists for Ruusan and Cameron. Hopefully, I captured at least some of the specialness of their relationship in them.

   Walking
   Ruusan took to walking with Vivian, everywhere. If no one was available to go with her out-and-about, she wandered in circles around the house, murmuring to her daughter about Cameron, her family, anything that crossed her mind, or if nothing struck her, she would hum a soft tune that comforted them both.

   Waltz
   She’d had no clue what a waltz was until Cameron deemed it important enough to teach her, despite the width of her abdomen from six months of pregnancy. It made for an interesting dance, but a fun one that ended in laughter.

   Wishes
   It was only a couple of weeks after they’d discovered Ruusan was pregnant that Cameron confided in her that one of his greatest wishes was to be able to hold their baby before he died. She’d whispered back that you will, you will, I won’t forgive you if you don’t.

   Wonder   Cameron took pride in the wonder that showed in Ruu’s eyes when he proposed to her in front of the night-shift in the ER, and felt his own joy when she said yes with tears in her eyes.

    Worry
   More often than not, Ruusan couldn’t reconcile how worry-free Cameron was, but she did understand it. He had to live each day as it came, otherwise his remaining time would be full of fretting and fearing. So she helped, fitting as much into the next twenty-four hours facing them as possible.

   Whimsy
   If questioned, Cameron would definitely say that, between himself and Ruusan, the whimsy one was he, but he would follow up with a comment about training his wife to live life in spontaneity and she was taking his lessons to heart.

   Waste/Wasteland
   When Cameron died, not twenty-four hours after their daughter was born, it took every iota of her strength to keep from seeing her world as a wasteland. It helped that she had her mother, her father, her daughter... her family to cling to.

   Whiskey and Rum
   It was late one night that they talked. Sarris had a glass of something brown, which could’ve been anything from whiskey, to rum, to a cellar burner. Ruusan was rocking Vivian back to sleep, and the Warrior whispered of how strong Ruu was. If she had been the one to lose Novarr, she wouldn’t have had the willpower to stand up and keep moving.

   War
   Of all their random games, goof-offs, and outings, Ruusan particularly enjoyed when they got into wars with pillows... water guns... anything usable, right down to the small skirmish over the remaining noodles in the paper take-out boxes.

   Wedding
   Cameron and Ruusan’s wedding was small, rather unremarkable, but special in every way. Her parents and Jaydn, then Tara, Nuridarr, and their brood all showed up for the event, witnessed the serene and heartfelt exchange of vows between the two. All Ruu could do was grin as they went to the reception afterwards, her fingers intertwined with his.

   Birthday
   It was five days after they were married that Ruusan dragged Cameron to her parent’s apartment to celebrate her sister’s birthday. Her family was so busy that he hadn’t gotten much time to just sit and talk with all of them. Ruu loved how comfortable he was after only a few minutes.

   Blessing
   Novarr was the first of her family to give his blessing to Ruusan and Cameron, which she was, frankly, unsurprised about. He’d developed a tendency to randomly join them for lunch and just talk; which she glad for. The more convinced he was, the more convinced her mother was.

   Bias
   When Jaydn declared Vivian to be the most beautiful baby she’d ever seen, Ruusan replied that it was all bias because Vivi was Jade’s first niece, and because she had none of her own. Yet.

   Burning
   The first time Cameron had said that he had a “burning, ardent love” her, Ruusan ended up gasping for breath from laughter. The last time brought tears to her eyes, even though she hadn’t realized it was the end at the time.

   Breathing
   After time, Ruusan realized that Vivian listened to her breathing for reassurances and comfort, especially late at night. If the child picked up on irregularities, like the ones that occurred from crying, she would awaken, and while she didn’t cry, she didn’t sleep again until her mother had calmed.

   Breaking
   Ruusan had expected, but not fully grasped, the way her heart would feel like it had shattered when a doctor came in to tell her that her husband had passed away during the night.

   Belief
   From the moment Cameron had mentioned it, it became her belief that he would live as long as it took to see their daughter, hold her in his arms, and tell her what every little girl needed to hear from her father; I love you.   

   Balloon
   Ruusan commented that she felt like she’d swallowed a balloon when her abdomen had distended to about that size. When Cameron laughed, she threatened to make him eat a balloon, and see how he liked it.

   Balcony
   They watched an ancient tragedy one night, and afterwards, Cameron commented that it was a shame they had no balcony, because he would quite gladly serenade his lovely lady, no matter how bad his singing voice was.

   Bane
   Whereas the paramedic saw the illness inflicted upon him as the bane of their lives, Cameron would quietly inform her that it was because of this sickness that he had been able to meet her, and she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Beauty rises from pain, he’d mused, then pondered if that was the correct analogy.

   Quiet
   Vivian was a quiet child, even from when she was very young, and was more often than not content to remain close to her mother, except when there were guests over. Then she gurgled, cooed, and schmoozed to her heart’s content.

   Quirks
   Once, Ruusan asked Cameron if any of her quirks bugged him. He’d studied her pensively for a few moments, then replied that her habit of stealing the covers was quite troublesome, but only because it meant he had to roll across the bed so he could cuddle close and share the comforter once more.

   Question
   When she finally faced her mother, and voiced her wish for Sarris’ blessing, the woman had answered with the question of if Ruusan would be able to live on after Cameron died. Ruu had answered quietly that it would be hard, but she had a family to stand by her and help hold her up. Sarris’ approval of their marriage came in the form of a wordless kiss to her daughter’s brow. 

   Quarrel
   Their quarrels never lasted long, and usually occurred because of a lack of sleep, frayed nerves, or a combination of both. During one of their first fights, Ruusan had been the first to repent, saying later how they couldn’t afford to let those precious hours slip away in anger.

   Quitting
   Jaydn had wanted to know at one point if Ruu ever felt like quitting; giving up before he died so that she wouldn’t have to deal with the pain that would come after. Her response had been a staunch no. She’d been in for the long haul from the beginning, and had never thought twice about it.

  And that is the first twenty-five of the fifty Ruu/Cam prompts that I plan to post.

  Please note that these prompts were not created by me. I found them online at some point, but I can't recall where.

  Once more, feedback is welcome and I truly hope that you found this peek into Ruu's life at least vaguely interesting.

  Ad astra per aspera.
  To the stars, through difficulties.