[this would be stranger had Ruby not been used to weird goings-on. floating dog girls are the least of her worries in terms of "out of the ordinary." her shyness does make things a little awkward, though. trying to psyche herself up and calmly reply to the newcomer, she tries to keep her tone level, but can't help but lapse back into her rambling ways.]

They're not my plants—well, I mean, I guess they technically are my plants because they're the base's plants and I'm part of the crew, but I didn't plant them, if that's what you meant...

[she trails off as she realizes she's doing it again! sheepishly, she tries to divert the topic, leading to:]

I, uh, like your ears! [she pauses for a second before wincing slightly.] That wasn't offensive or anything, was it?