[Ruby]
They'd been highschool sweethearts.
Their relationship started off rocky after Ruby had literally trampled Weiss in the hallway on her way to class, she'd barreled the girl over and had sent everything in her arms flying. Apparently she was the student council president, too, and the papers she'd been carrying had taken hours to organize.
Ruby remembered offering her assistance with the reorganization, but had been sent off to class by a teacher a moment after. She'd never seen somebody hold a grudge like Weiss did, the older girl refused to have anything to do with her unless she was forced. Weiss had held it against her for half the first semester, but she eventually lightened up around Ruby. The reason still remained unknown. . .
During their second semester, they had been paired up for a big project and were forced to spend more time together. They'd still bickered quite a bit, often over how they should do the project, but came to an agreement. Sometimes during the two weeks it took to create their masterpiece, the two of them had become friends.
The next year, Ruby had confessed she'd fallen for her best friend in front of their clique and very awkwardly asked her out. To her surprise, Weiss accepted. Their first date? Ruby had discovered a little secret about the white-haired girl: She absolutely adored dogs. Ruby had been informed about a dog cafe on the other side of town, and to say that she was nervous about it would be an exaggeration. She would never forget the pure joy on her friend's face when she laid eyes on all of the dogs.
A three-year old black and white corgi named Zwei had won her and Weiss' hearts, and the whole idea of a dog cafe was to find homes for shelter animals, right? Weiss was not allowed to own an animal, unfortunately, and Ruby had immediately offered to adopt the dog for her. She hadn't even thought twice about what her own father would think, she just wanted to see her friend smiling. Needless to say, Ruby had returned home with Zwei and thankfully her father had also fallen in love with him.
The next few years flew by and they had graduated high school, Weiss was accepted into a college on the other side of Vale and had asked Ruby to come with her. After receiving her family's approval, Ruby accepted Weiss' offer and the hunt for a new home began.
Weiss discovered a fancy apartment complex near the school, it hadn't been too big with far too much space they wouldn't know what to do with, nor was it so small that they would feel cramped. It was perfect. Weiss put an application for it in and offered to move in right away. Before they knew it, they were cuddled on the couch of their new apartment.
They'd brought Zwei with them, of course.
Zwei had become more of Weiss' dog than he was Ruby's. That was alright, though, she did adopt him for Weiss. The white-haired girl spoiled him belief and it often had Ruby wondering which one she loved more; her or the dog. There were more pictures of Zwei on Weiss' phone than there was anything, and Ruby was reluctant to admit she'd occasionally grown a little jealous of the corgi. Zwei was practically Weiss' child.
The corgi had made it to exactly eleven years old before his health started to deteriorate. They'd eventually took him to the vet and had him put down peacefully; they'd remained in the room with him during the process, whispering lovingly to him as he slipped away into a deep slumber. Their hearts had broken that day, but they knew it was for the best. It'd been even more painful for them to watch Zwei suffer and force himself to move about. They had his ashes sitting atop a shelf in the dining room, Weiss having insisted to give him a proper memorial by placing a few pictures to stand with his ashes.
Six months had passed since they had lay Zwei to rest and Weiss would never admit it, but Zwei's passing had taken a huge toll on her. Which was why Ruby had set out early that morning to find them another pet, perhaps another corgi that looked like Zwei? No, Ruby wouldn't be able to handle that. She would accidentally call the dog by the wrong name and confuse it. Besides, having a dog that looked just like their previous one could possibly hurt Weiss more knowing it wasn't Zwei.
Their little town was full of pet shops, animal shelters/rescues, and a few well known breeders. She was actually considering stopping by the animal shelter and seeing which one needed their help the most. Actually, yeah, she was going to do that. Ruby shut the music off on her phone and removed her headphones from her ears, turning down the street to head towards the closest animal shelter. Maybe she should get a cat? No, Weiss was more of a dog person. . .
Ruby found herself standing in front of a rather small animal shelter, the doors were an old rusty red and the building was brick. The windows were cleaned, but obviously stained over the years. Other than that, it looked very well taken care of. The sign had obviously been replaced recently; the puppy featured on the board was what drew Ruby to the shelter. She couldn't help it, it'd been so cute! Who didn't love puppies?
She slid the door opened and stepped onto the pristine, tiled, white floor. She was greeted by an old grey cat at the entrance, "Hello!" She smiled at the feline as it rubbed between her legs, "Aren't you sweet?"
"Her name is Mittens," Ruby glanced up as a woman entered the room, the barking of dogs echoing behind her as the door shut, "she was the first animal our shelter took in and we couldn't get rid of her, so she became what we call our mascot! Anyway, what can I help you with today?"
Ruby smiled, "Well, my partner and I are looking for a new dog. Our corgi passed away six months ago. . ."
"Aw," the woman's expression grew remorseful, "I'm sorry for your loss. . . There are plenty of dogs here who would be more than willing to fill that hole!" She gestured for Ruby to follow her to the back room, "My brother is cutting the grass in their field, so all of our dogs are in their kennels until we can let them out to play. Please excuse the racket."
Why was there always that one dog whose bark roared over the others'? That was pretty much all Ruby could hear. The noise slowly grew quieter when Ruby's silver eyes landed on a white bundle of fur hiding in one of the kennels, "So what kind of dog are you looking for?" The woman called to her, bringing her attention back to her. "I'm sorry, I'm the only employee here right now and it's feeding time!"
That was fine.
"What kind of dog would be best suited for an apartment?" Ruby answered back as the lady opened one of the pen doors and slid a bowl of food in to what appeared to be a Blood Hound mix.
"Follow me!" Ruby followed the worker to the back of the kennels, but her eyes glanced towards the bundle of white fur again and she frowned. She could have sworn she seen blue eyes staring back at her. . . Intriguing.
[Weiss]
Usually when Weiss returned home, she would be met by a blur of black and red tackling her into a hug and onto the couch. It'd be a good fifteen minutes before her hyperactive girlfriend would allow her up so that she could change out of her work clothes, but she never really did mind. It was the highlight of her day, actually, other than the fact that Ruby insisted on making her late for work by pulling her in for another cuddle session when she's trying to get up. Thankfully, her boss understood as his wife was the same way after they'd moved in together.
She'd expected to be tackled the second she'd closed the door and removed her jacket, but the impact never came. All the lights were off inside of their apartment, which was strange considering Ruby had a bad habit of leaving all the lights on. . .
"Ruby must not be-"
Just at that moment, she felt a pair of arms slide around her waist. "Welcome back," the familiar voice whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine, "I got you something." Why was Ruby speaking so softly? What did she have planned? Part of her didn't want to find out, she hated surprises with a passion. "Don't worry, you'll love it!" Yeah, that's what they always say; she rarely ever loved the surprise.
"Alright, what did you do this time?" Weiss asked, wondering what kind of trouble her girlfriend had caused. She'd come home to complete silence, the lights were off, and there was a surprise. This ought to be good. . Ruby grumbled something under her breath and quietly lead Weiss away from the living room and to the bathroom, "Oh did you replace the faucet? Good, I've been meaning to call the-"
"No no no," Ruby cut her off, waving her hands as she moved in front of the door, "I didn't replace anything- well, sort of? I guess it depends on how you look at it, but I wouldn't call it replacing. That'd be sad."
What?
Ruby grinned, "Weiss," she whispered, placing her hand on the door knob and sliding the bathroom door open, "meet the newest member of our family!" The moment the door open, a tiny black nose pushed its way through the crevice, followed by the tiny, white body of a puppy. Ruby knelt down and grabbed the ball of fluff before it could take off and presented it to her girlfriend, "Isn't she cute?!"
"Yes." Weiss remained silent as the look of bewilderment crossed her face, she eyed the puppy up and down and raised a brow. Yeah, she was cute, but they didn't need another dog. Well. . . "What breed of dog is she?" She asked, ignoring Ruby's question.
The puppy had massive paws, long, silky white fur that looked like it'd just been groomed and blow-dried, pointy white ears and the most beautiful pair of blue eyes she'd ever seen. "Siberian Husky, according to the shelter." Ruby replied, shifting the little one in her arms so that she could hold it properly. After a moment of struggling, the puppy gave in to defeat and allowed herself to be held and snuggled.
"Ruby," the confusion never left Weiss' face, "do you even know anything about the breed?" She was trying her best not to snatch the adorable puppy out of Ruby's hands and cuddle her to death. It was just too cute! The energetic wag of the puppy's tail and the sparkle in her eyes reminded her Ruby, hell even the smile the puppy was giving her matched Ruby's. It was full of adoration, hopefulness, and happiness. "Give her to me, she's so cute! Oh I bet she's soft!"
"Well, um. . ." Ruby trailed off, "No. . ."
"Don't care. Cute. Mine. Give me." Weiss scoffed and turned away, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "Put her down and make sure she doesn't destroy anything, she's your responsibility. I'll do some research on the breed."
Ruby squealed and set the puppy down, "You'll love her! I promise!"
"I already do."
After almost half an hour of research, Weiss finally had all the information written down. She'd visited several websites explaining the Siberian Husky breed, and it seemed most of them would vary in personalities: some would be laid-back and tame, while some would be restless and wild; or they could be a combination of the two.
Cons: (oh boy. . .)
Destructive - If left un-crated inside of a house, they could destroy everything in sight. Of course, this depends on the Husky.
Weiss had found a site informing her of the art of crate training, which was something she figured would be best to do with their new puppy. She was not about to replace all of her expensive furniture.
Heavy Shedding - This was the one Weiss feared the most. . . Huskies shed twice a year and the fur they lose can make up to two dogs, especially for woolly Huskies.
Of course, Weiss could simply take the puppy to the groomers and have her fur blown; it was highly recommended by one of the sites she'd visited.
Strong Predatory Drive - From what she'd read, most huskies have instincts that cause them to kill smaller animals, as much as it hurt her to think about.
Thankfully, she'd found out that it was a lot less likely to happen if the Husky grew up around small animals.
Talking - Huskies are a talkative breed, and will often argue with their owners and complain. Some consider this a pro.
No, her heart didn't just melt. You're imagining things. . .
Pros: (here we go. . .)
Adorableness.
Friendly - If taken care of properly, Huskies can be a very friendly breed and loves everybody they meet.
Perfect, something else Ruby could help with.
Playful - Huskies mostly enjoy being outside where they can run and play, and their antics never fail to bring a smile to your face.
Oh. So, Ruby.
Clean - Although they shed a lot, they rarely ever have an odor.
Good. As much as she loved dogs, she despised the smell of a wet dog.
Energetic - They have a lot of stamina and stay active, and they don't require a very large house, but their daily walks and runs are a necessity.
Ruby could help with that, she almost never stayed still. The two should get along perfectly. . .
Fortunately, the pros overruled the cons enough for Weiss to accept the new puppy. She couldn't just kick out an adorable ball of fur like Mystic! Besides, Ruby had informed her that she'd adopted the white puppy from a shelter. She couldn't send little Mystic back there, she seemed so happy here. . . Plus, she and Ruby had already fallen in love with her.
Weiss' eyes glanced towards her girlfriend, who was playing tug-of-war with Mystic in the kitchen. A small smile came to her lips and she shut the computer, rising from her seat to approach the hyperactive duo. "It seems you've found the dog version of yourself, Ruby." Weiss forced the smile away, trying to remain stoic and cold. She didn't love that puppy. . . Okay, maybe she did, but Ruby couldn't know that. "I suppose you'll have the responsibility of keeping her entertained and active."
Ruby smiled at her, lifting Mystic up into her lap to where she was facing Weiss. Ruby waved one of the puppy's paws at Weiss, "Oh, but she's beautiful! Just like you!" Mystic yapped in what she could only assume was some form of agreement, "She even loves snuggles! Like you do!"
"I do not!" Weiss' face turned red and she whirled away, "You're the cuddly one! Not me!"
When she looked up, Ruby was standing in front of her with a grin on her face. The younger girl draped her arms across her girlfriend's shoulders, resting her head comfortably against her neck. "I know, but you love it." She whispered as Weiss instinctively slid her own arms around Ruby, "Also, you said Huskies are like me, no?" Ruby asked, leaning up to meet Weiss' gaze. A simple nod was her response as Weiss had immediately gotten lost in Ruby's silver eyes, "Well, Mystic has your pretty blue eyes and she's white, and she's going to be energetic like me. . ."
"What are you getting at?" Weiss asked, making no move to leave the embrace.
"I was thinking. . .Maybe we could raise her as though she were our child?" Weiss raised a brow as a nervous blush came to Ruby's cheeks, "I-I mean, we've talked about a family, right? Adopting a little girl. . . Mystic would be good practice."
A nose nudged Weiss' leg and she glanced down to see Mystic staring up at them, her tongue lolling out and her tail wagging happily. Weiss smiled, "Okay, I suppose I can handle one more ball of energy."
Mystic's blue eyes stared up at her and her heart melted. "I can definitely handle another. . ."