Vale's nightlife was truly something to behold. All around, people walked and pointed to stores and shops they wanted to enter, food stalls handed out free samples to possible customers, and young, blooming couples swarmed the streets to do the things that all couples enjoy doing: Finding some restaurants to eat at, shopping at one of the many boutiques or shops available, and simply spending time with one another.
On this particular night in Vale, two certain couples found themselves in each other's company as they walked the bustling streets to find someplace to eat together. Making up one of the sets of couples present was the Remnant-wide renowned fighter, Pyrrha Nikos, and her prodigious, scythe wielding girlfriend, Ruby Rose.
While the two were certainly an unexpected couple, their chemistry and natural attraction to one another was simply undeniable whenever they first met all those months ago post-Beacon initiation.
However, if one thought that Pyrrha and Ruby made for an odd couple, then they would be absolutely awestruck at the mere sight of the other pair that was making their way down the sidewalk alongside the gladiator and the young rose. After all, who wouldn't be surprised to see the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company practically joined at the hip with a beautiful, blacked bowed young woman?
As the quartet made their way further and further down the street, it was Ruby that finally broke the peaceful silence that had fallen over the group ever since they had departed from the airship that brought them all the way from Beacon to Vale. Quietly, she nudged Pyrrha's shoulder with her cheek to gain her attention, then spoke loud enough for everyone in their party to hear.
"How far away is the restaurant? Are we getting close?" Ruby looked to her right, eyeing Weiss and Blake as the white haired heiress reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out her scroll. Since the map to the restaurant had already been downloaded onto her device, Weiss simply had to open up her navigation application and follow the small blue dot that was her scroll.
"It's not too far. The restaurant shouldn't be any father away than just two or three-" Weiss was cut off from her explanation as Blake tapped her shoulder, then pointed forward.
"It's up here, up on the right." She said, her faunus eyesight allowing her to see better in the night and clearly read the restaurant's large, metallic sign. "A Taste Of Vale? Is that seriously what this place is called?" Blake raised an eyebrow at the less than impressive name.
Once again, before Weiss could fully reply, Pyrrha answered for her. "Indeed! Weiss and I have already researched their meals and decided that this would be the best restaurantfor us to eat at. It had a wide variety of dishes that should suit all our needs." She motioned over towards Weiss with a nod of her head. "Chicken alfredo for Weiss, specialty grilled tuna for you, a fresh fruit plate for me, and even chicken tenders and fries for Ruby."
As she finished up, the gladiatrix put her arm around Ruby's side and rested her hand on the younger girl's hip. Ruby smiled up at her girlfriend and blushed slightly. "Aww, thanks, Pyrrha. It was really cool of you and Weiss to pick out a place where we could all find something to eat that we'd enjoy."
Pyrrha nodded in silent agreement as Weiss smiled at the appreciation, even if most of it had been directed at the red haired amazon. "Well, it wouldn't really be a fun double-date if one of us wasn't having any fun."
Blake smiled as Weiss spoke, then leaned over to place a chaste kiss on the top of the heiress' head. "So thoughtful." She purred into Weiss' ear for a moment, before pulling away and returning to her normal stature.
Weiss felt her cheeks begin to glow a faint red as Blake whispered to her, but attempted to contain her composure despite her girlfriend's sudden romantic action. "O-oh, look!" She pointed upwards. "We're already here. I guess we weren't that far away after all."
Ruby stifled a chuckle as she saw Weiss' face grow brighter with each passing moment, silently shooting Blake a thumbs up as the cat faunus swiftly walked ahead of the group and pulled the restaurant's door open for them.
She bowed her head playfully and even took a small step back with her left foot. "Ladies first." Weiss was the first to pass through the restaurant's threshold, but not before giving her girlfriend a quick smile, showcasing her straight, pearly white teeth.
Blake sighed lovingly as Weiss walked in, then offered a smile to Pyrrha and Ruby as they walked by. Having done her duty as the door holder, she released the handle from her grip and entered A Taste Of Vale.
It was the sounds that hit her first, people eating and cutting up their food, waiters and waitresses speed-walking in between furniture and the odd patron as they dished out peoples' meals, and then returned to the kitchen only to reappear moments later, their hands just as full as before. After Blake was fully able to process the sudden influx of sound that greeted her, she was able to fully appreciate the decor of the restaurant.
Each table was made out of fine wood, most likely mahogany or oak, and each had four perfect little chairs pushed under them. There was even a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the large open room, not to mention the many lamps that were mounted on the walls next to each table and that were covered with orange shades to cast a gentle, peach colored light across the entirety of the restaurant.
It didn't take long for a bright, bubbly hostess to approach the group, four bright red menus already in her grip as she greeted the quartet. "Hi there! My name is Johanna and I'll be your hostess and server tonight! Do you have any seating preferences?"
Weiss took a small step ahead of all the other members of the group and smiled at the hostess. "Yes ma'am, a table near a window would be wonderful, if that's possible."
Johanna nodded her head and checked a small, watch-like device on her wrist, then smiled once again. "We have one right this way in the back. It should give you all a wonderful view of all the people walking in the street and of the many stores nearby. Maybe you'll even find someplace you'd like to shop after you're through eating." The hostess motioned for them all to follow as she spoke, expertly guiding both herself and the four girls behind her through the large building towards their seat.
"So, I assume this is a girls' night out?" She looked over her shoulder as she walked, quickly eyeing each member of the group before turning her gaze forward again.
Blake merely shrugged her shoulders. "Something like." She stated, only half listening as she continued to examine the people eating and the general decor of the restaurant.
However, Ruby was far more open to conversation as she vigorously shook her head side to side. "Nope. We're all out on a double date tonight." The young rose smiled at their server/hostess, seemingly incredibly proud to have got to tell someone she was out on a date with her girlfriend and another couple.
Johanna's eyes widened in understanding. With her free hand, she placed a few of her fingertips against her chest and smiled back at them for a moment. "Aw, that's so sweet! Well, I'll be sure to try and help your evening go as smoothly as possible, alright?"
Pyrrha gave the server a grateful smile as she nodded her head in agreement. "That sounds lovely. Thank you." A few more moments of quick steps and fancy footwork passed until Johanna stopped and pointed to a table that looked just like the others. True to her word, the table was seated right next to one of the restaurant's large glass windows and gave the girls a perfect view of the glittering, lively streets on the other side.
The four quickly seated themselves and ordered their drinks, which the server swiftly took down and rushed off to the kitchen to fill. While they waited, Weiss attempted to make some small talk between herself and Pyrrha.
"So Pyrrha, how do you think you did on Professor Port's test on Monday? I trust that you've still been studying whenever you get the chance." The heiress leaned back in her chair, nonchalantly moving her hand underneath the table as she did so to take Blake's hand in her's.
"I think I did exceptionally well. Grimm anatomy is a bit of a difficult section, but I've been doing a lot of studying with Ruby lately and she's really good at memorizing where certain portions of their anatomy are." Pyrrha looked to her side and smiled at her crimson hooded girlfriend.
"Oh, that must be why I haven't seen Ruby in the dorm room as much lately. Come to think of it, I haven't seen much of Yang either." Weiss felt Blake run her thumb across the back of her palm, making small circles and figure-eight patterns.
Now it was Ruby's turn to speak. "Oh, that's because she's been spending a ton of time training in the weight room to increase her upper body strength. Yang really wants to impress everyone when the Vytal Festival comes around, so she's been working a lot harder lately."
Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "That's right. The Vytal Festival is only a couple more months away." She pursed her lips for a moment in thought. "Say, Ruby, I think you and I should exchange our team's training schedules. That way, I can try and arrange a couple of one-on-one sessions with just you and I."
Blake's eyebrows rose up and her mouth made a small 'O'. "Private training sessions? Whooo, sounds interesting~"
Ruby's cheeks went slightly flush at Blake's rendition of Pyrrha's offer, but she merely tried to laugh it off. "O-of course you would think that. But nope, Pyrrha and I actually just love training together. Come to think of it, aside from when we saw each other in the Emerald Forest during the entrance exam, that was first time we actually, formally meet."
Pyrrha nodded her agreement. "I remember that day. I gone to do some cardio to help clear my head, saw Ruby training with her scythe, and I found I simply could not take my eyes off her." She smiled at the memory. "Then I offered Ruby a bit of advice on using her momentum to help power her attacks and move around the battlefield."
Ruby attempted to cover her blushing cheeks, but found the action almost completely useless. "Aww, Pyrrha. You remember it so well. All I remember is freaking out about how THE Pyrrha Nikos was actually talking to me...and how pretty she was."
Blake hummed at the couple's recollection of their first meeting, then turned to Weiss. "Weiss, the first time we met was when Ruby had knocked over your luggage cart, correct? Then I corrected her when she called you a princess and returned an errant vial of Burn Dust."
Weiss nodded in agreement. "That's it. It's...almost funny to think back to then, isn't it? When we first met, I never would have imagined this is where we'd end up." She tightened her grip on her faunus girlfriend's hand and smiled up at her.
Before Blake could respond, the waitress approached their table, her hands full of drinks. "Alright: Sweet tea for the red head, cherry Coke for the girl with the cape, grape soda for the one with the bow, and ice water for..." She took her lower lip in between her front teeth as she thought for a moment. "Well, I guess I'm all out of cool identifiers."
Johanna set down the ice water in front of Weiss and swiftly reached into one of the many pockets on her apron. "So, have you four decided what you'd all like to eat tonight?"
Weiss looked around the table and, spurred on by the other three girls' nods of agreement, she smiled at the waitress and gave her own nod. "Yes, ma'am. To start off I think..."
True to their server/hostess' word, the dinner had gone well, incredibly well in fact: the food was cooked to perfection, the service was speedy and exact, and there was never a single dull moment between the four girls.
After they had finished their individual meals, each girl forked over a bit of their own lien to help cover the ticket, despite Weiss' protests of wanting to pay for the entire thing with her family credit card. However, Pyrrha, Blake, and Ruby would have none of it, so they simply allowed her to cover the tip. This resulted in Ms. Johanna receiving a rather...hefty tip, courtesy of the Schnee Dust Company.
Even after the dinner, things had gone well. The four girls window shopped together for just a couple of hours, before catching the final airship from Vale to Beacon for the night. As the four stepped off the airship's gangplank, Pyrrha spoke up;
"Well, that certainly was a lovely evening!" A smile broke out across her face as she spoke. "Weiss, Blake, did you two have fun as well?"
Blake hummed quietly, her arms wrapped around her slightly shorter girlfriend as the four took a left towards the dormitories. "Most definitely." She replied. "However, I do believe our venture has tired my little snowflake out."
Weiss groaned as she lifted her head up off Blake's shoulder slightly. "Blaaake, not in front of Ruby and Pyrrha." Her face flushed red as her dark haired girlfriend brought out one of her many pet-names for Weiss.
Ruby giggled as she too leaned over to rest her head on Pyrrha's shoulder. "Heh, 'Snowflake'." She whispered. "Don't worry though, Weiss. Pyrrha has plenty of embarrassing nicknames for me too."
To prove Ruby's point, Pyrrha craned her head downwards and placed a quick smooch on her forehead. "That's exactly right, rosebud~" She affirmed.
Weiss limply nodded her acceptance of Ruby' words. "Right, right. Well, in any case, Blake is correct. I feel like I'm about to...to fall asleep right now." In the middle of her sentence, Weiss had to stop to yawn into her fist.
Blake nodded understandingly. "Well then, I'll have to make sure you don't fall asleep before we make it back to the dorm." With that, Blake leaned down and swept Weiss up in her arms, bridal style. "Thank you for accompanying us tonight, you two. We'll have to be sure and do this again sometime soon."
Weiss gave a quiet yelp of surprise as she was picked up, but silently gave into her love's embrace. "My thoughts exactly." She murmured, her eyelids already drooping.
Blake smiled at her sleepy teammate. "I'll get her back to dorm as quick as possible. Ruby, you can spend as much time with Pyrrha as you'd like. Just be sure not to make a lot of noise when you come in, as I'm sure we'll all be asleep." With a final smile in Pyrrha and Ruby's direction, Blake sped off along the concrete path that led to their dormitories.
Pyrrha sighed happily as she watched them leave, then look downwards at Ruby. "I certainly think another double date like this can be arranged soon. Don't you, Ruby?" She reached down and moved a stray red-tinged bang out of her eyes.
"Yep." She simply replied, smiling upwards towards Pyrrha. "Oh! But next time, do you wanna make it a triple date? Or a quadruple date? I think I could convince Ren and Nora to come, maybe Sun and Neptune too!" Ruby bounced up and down on her heels as she thought of all the couples they could invite the next time around.
Pyrrha chuckled lightly. "If we do that, we may have to find an all-you-can-eat place to have dinner at. I doubt many restaurants like the one we ate at tonight could seat so many people."
Ruby nodded affirmatively. "That's fine. I don't care where we eat, as long as you're there." Slowly, very slowly, Ruby slowed down to a crawl, and then stopped walking entirely. She looked upwards at Pyrrha and took a large step forwards, placing herself directly in front of the gladiator.
"Ruby? Is something the matter?" Pyrrha leaned down, concern written on her face and woven into her voice as she tried to think of something she may have said or done to upset her.
Ruby shifted uncomfortably on her feet for a moment, trying to think of how exactly to phrase her question. However, instead of asking anything at all, the young rose swallowed her uncertainty and stood up on the tips of her toes. Without a single moment's hesitation, she gently pressed her lips against Pyrrha's, then swiftly drew back.
"I love you, Pyrrha." Ruby whispered. She then drew in another breath and said it again. "I love you...like a lot." Ruby smiled as she said it a second time, all her worry and uncertainty about saying it only moments ago already shrinking away.
Pyrrha stood as still as a stone, her eyes wide and her lips still pursed from where she had unconsciously slipped into the momentary kiss. With a small giggle herself, Pyrrha wrapped her arms around Ruby and lifted her up off the ground to twirl her around. "I love you too, Ruby!" She yelled, not caring that it was almost eleven at night and they were in the middle of the dormitory sidewalks.
"Pyrrha! It's super late, what if someone-"'Ruby found herself yelling and giggling with glee as well as she was lifted up and twirled around as easily as a rag-doll by her girlfriend.
"I don't care! I just wanna pick you up and twirl you around forever!" Pyrrha spun and spun around on her heel, showing no complications despite holding Ruby up high the air as she did so. However, even she had her limits, and after a couple more spins and twirls, placed Ruby gently back onto the ground.
After allowing herself a few moments to catch her breath from all the laughing and giggling, Ruby spoke again. "Y-you mean it, right? You really do?"
Pyrrha leaned down and pressed her lips against Ruby's, just as the young rose had done moments ago. The kiss lasted only moments, but both Pyrrha and Ruby could feel true love and happiness welling up inside them as it took place. The red haired gladiator broke the kiss and pressed her forehead against Ruby's immediately afterwards.
"Of course I mean it, Ruby. I'll always mean it." The pair stayed like that for a long time, merely holding each other in their arms and occasionally giggling with glee at the mere thought of having so boldly professed their true love for each other. Eventually though, Ruby moved back to Pyrrha's side and the two locked hands as they finished the short walk to the dormitories, their heads held high and their hearts full of absolute, beautiful love for one another...