Chapter Two: Razzle Dazzle

Life was strange, incomprehensible, and most of the time, utterly unfair. It gave opportunities for the wicked to gain power and stole what little the poor had left. Ruby knew she wasn't destined to be one of the greats or to be someone written into the pages of history as some revolutionary saint. But she was still a person who had not seen all that life had to offer. Yet here she was, knocked to the ground, clutching her sides in absolute agony.

'The irony is too much,' she thought cynically, a small wry smile cracking through her pained expression. 'I finally got to see her after all this time, but now I'm going to die without ever getting to know her.'

"Are you alright? Can you hear me?" a sultry voice filled with worry called out.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I-I only looked way for a split second!" a distinctively masculine voice stuttered.

"Calm down, sir."

"H-How can I?! I just hit the poor girl!"

"We don't need you going into hysterics, so just take a step back and breathe for a second."

Ruby forced an eye open, but the glare from the mid-summer's sun was blinding. The incessant ringing in her ears made focusing impossible as well as muddling the voice calling out to her. She tried to respond many times, but the pain was too much.

The person calling out leaned in closer, gently caressing Ruby's cheek to brush the hair out of her eyes. "Are you alright?" they repeated, their voice much clearer than before.

Ruby's slowly adjusted to the shade the stranger's shadow provided and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Am I dead?" she asked, her voice weak and raspy. "Because there's an angel in front of me."

Weiss raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Fortunately for you, no. Now get up."

"What? I can't! I'm injured!" Ruby exclaimed pitifully at her angel's lack of tact. "I could be bleeding to death—oh god, am I bleeding to death?"

"Whoa, slow down."

"I'm too pretty to die..." Ruby sobbed dramatically.

"Ruby—ugh, get up you dolt!" Weiss angrily sighed. "You're fine, but we're holding up traffic."

"Screw traffic..."

"You're over reacting," Weiss barked, trying her best to pull the redhead up. "Come on, get up!"

"Miss, let me help!" begged the guilt-ridden driver.

"Thanks. She's heavier than she looks."

"The angel is mistaken!" Ruby shouted in her delirious state. "I am in fact lighter than I appear! Weiss, hold onto me tight or I'll float away."

"I think I might actually prefer that over hauling you back to the curb," Weiss muttered coldly.

The driver scurried to Ruby's left and asked for further instruction. The white-haired woman braced the base of Ruby's head with her hand as they moved her to an upright sitting position. Weiss quickly inspected Ruby for any head injuries she may have missed earlier. Ruby, on the other hand, was lost in the depths of Weiss' eyes.

She had dreamt about those beautiful blue orbs for so long that seeing them now was enough to halt her breathing. The lobby's lights did not do Weiss justice. They weren't like the faint blue glow on snow during the night or even the vibrant blue painted across the sky. They were gems, and it only took natural light to make them shine. Ruby had only seen these precious stones in ritzy jewelry shop once before, but their name had been ingrained into her memory: blue topaz. They were rare and far from perfect, but they were beautiful nevertheless.

While Ruby was busy with her musings, Weiss took the chance to grab the redhead's right arm and sling it across her shoulders. Once she had a firm grip on her forearm, Weiss looped her other arm around Ruby's waist.

"On three?" the driver asked.

Weiss nodded. "On three."

With the driver's help, Weiss was able to get Ruby off the road and back onto the sidewalk. Once Ruby was safe, the driver took their leave, but not before giving Weiss their contact information to pass on to Ruby. She was still fairly disoriented, but that was a good thing. It meant she wasn't dead. Though if Weiss kept looking at her the way she was, being dead might not be so bad.

"This isn't exactly how I imagined seeing you again," Weiss admitted rather coldly as she carefully propped Ruby up against the café wall. "What on Remnant were you thinking walking into the street like that?"

"You," Ruby sheepishly grinned. "I finally got to see you again and everything kind of just… y'know, poofed. I've wanted to see you again so badly."

"Well, I can't say I quite understand your fascination with me, but I am glad you are alright nevertheless." Weiss brushed Ruby's fringe to the side to get a better look at her now that the redhead was regaining coherency. "Do you think you can stand?"

Ruby blushed at their close proximity, her pounding ecstatically. She numbly nodded her head and followed Weiss back up. "Whoa!" Ruby yelped when a wave of vertigo hit. She lost her balance and expected to fall back in the wall, but was surprised when she found herself in the waiting arms of the woman she yearned for. "S-Sorry, stood up too quickly."

"What am I going to do with you?" Weiss sighed shaking her head ruefully. The slender arms loosely around Ruby's waist tightened ever so slightly, drawing her in closer. "Come inside, it'll be more comfortable resting in there than out here on concrete."

"Do they have soda?"

"What?"

"Soda. Carbonated drinks. The fizzy stuff packed with enough sugar to fill a sandwich bag."

Weiss raised a perfectly shaped brow at Ruby, her face showing mild disgust. "You are having water or tea and nothing else."

"But—" Ruby tried to protest, however, the nasty glint in Weiss' pretty blue eyes made her change her mind. "Water sounds good."

After making sure the grip she had on Ruby was secure, Weiss began leading her into the café. Ruby, wisely putting her injuries to good use, kept her arm slung over Weiss' petite shoulders, their heads pressed close together. Ruby faked a limp to deliberately slow them down so she could extend the time she spent enveloped in the small woman's intoxicating scent.

Ruby had never paid much attention to perfumes or body mists or any of the things normal girls busied themselves with. The smell of fresh paint or motor oil suited her just fine, but Yang wholeheartedly disagreed. She argued that since Ruby wasn't going to give up on her love, she might as well start preparing for the day they were reunited, because Destiny was a thing—or at least, it was according to Yang.

And being the incredibly reliable older sister she was, Yang told Ruby that the key to getting a refined woman like Weiss to notice her was through charm, confidence, and smell. It was quickly decided that Ruby had enough charm to make up for her lack of confidence, leaving only one thing left on the list. So Yang eagerly dragged Ruby to her favourite fragrance shop, which turned out to be a famous lingerie store, in the hopes of finding something that really matched her.

It took them sometime, but Ruby eventually found two she liked. The first had a fruity floral fragrance, something Ruby thought too sweet for her, with notes of passion fruit, peonies, and orchids. The second had a fresher, simpler scent reminiscent of cherry blossoms and peaches. Both smelled nice which made it even harder to choose. Yang told her that a perfume on one person can smell entirely different on another. To prove her point, she spritzed some on her wrist and told her to take a sniff; Ruby was surprised to find that it was true.

With a smile peppered with confidence, Ruby complimented Weiss' choice of fragrance.

"I'm not wearing anything," Weiss grunted out as she unceremoniously dropped Ruby into a chair then took the one adjacent to her. "I had a meeting shortly after my session at the gym. I could only manage a quick shower, however, thank you for the compliment."

"I-Is that so?" Ruby blushed at the playful smirk on Weiss' face.

"Waiter!" the brusque woman called out to a tall man setting a table, her hand raised to catch his attention.

He heard her call and finished his work before hurrying over to them. "Ms. Schnee, I wondered where you ran off to." He looked at Ruby quizzically and offered her a polite smile. "This is the first time I've seen you with someone other than Ms. Adel or Ms. Scarlatina." He bowed humbly at Ruby, "My name is Hamilton; it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms…?"

Ruby blinked in confusion, not knowing how to properly respond to such formalities. A swift kick to her right shin had Ruby jumping in her seat blurting out the first thing that came to her mind. "Horse apples!"

"M-Ms. Apples?" the Waiter stuttered, visibly flustered at the strange name.

Ruby slammed her face down onto the table clutching her shin underneath. She seethed out a long string of incoherent profanities focused mainly on Weiss' poor treatment of her injured body.

"Your friend seems interesting, Ms. Schnee." Hamilton let out a hearty laugh that was betrayed by his forced smile.

"I would hardly call this imbecile an acquaintance," Weiss calmly responded, not hiding her icy demeanour. "The idiot stood out in the middle of the street staring at me like a fish out of water."

"Ughh…" Ruby groaned, unable lift her head up out of pure embarrassment. Weiss' words had stung, but they were true. She couldn't blame the woman for being honest.

"Anyway, could you get me my usual and a," Weiss paused hesitantly, "'soda' for the dolt."

The word sounded so foreign coming out of Weiss' mouth; it was actually rather cute. Ruby finally looked up, smiling sheepishly at the woman in white who seemed rather perturbed at the situation. Of course Weiss' last-second change of heart had a hand in raising Ruby's spirits, but that was water under the bridge.

"What soda would you like, Ms. Apples? We have Nuka Cola, Spritzed, and 11-Up, just to name a few."

"Huh?"

The corner of Weiss' upper lip hitched upwards as her eyes narrowed at Ruby in a look of absolute exasperation. "He means you."

"O-Oh! Right, um, s-sorry about the whole horse apples thing," Ruby apologized, laughing nervously. "My name's Ruby Rose, you can just call me 'Ruby' though. And I'd love a Nuka."

"One chamomile milk tea and a Nuka Cola coming right up," Hamilton beamed.

The two women watched him disappear into the back, neither daring to say a word. It was only when Hamilton returned with their beverages did one of them speak.

"Well," Weiss began, "that was an ordeal and a half."

Ruby giggled at her. "You can say that again."

"No. I hate repeating myself," Weiss shot back mercilessly.

"Chill, it's an expression."

"The temperature is rather bracing in here, but compared to the blaring heat outside, it's quite welcomed."

"You're doing this on purpose now, aren't you?" Ruby took an eager sip of her soda, happily enjoying the fizzy sensations welling in her mouth, much to Weiss' chagrin. "Oh man, that hit spot!"

"The only thing that got hit here is you," Weiss sneered with a bit of concern lacing her sharp words. "Are you sure you're really alright? I'm not going to open tomorrow's newspaper and see your dopey face in the obituaries am I?"

"Relax," Ruby chuckled. "That was barely a love tap."

"I disagree; I saw you get tossed aside like a ragdoll."

"Eh, it caught me by surprise," the redhead shrugged. "I'm actually more surprised to see you… if that wasn't obvious enough…"

The admission left Weiss feeling rather pleased, but it didn't stop her from shooting down Ruby's excitement—not that it had any real effect on her.

"Getting hit by a car is a terrible way to get someone's attention."

Ruby grinned at the opening for a rebuttal. "I disagree!" she said mimicking Weiss rather poorly. "No matter what you say, I still got your attention and made you come get me."

"Noted. The next time you attempt something so foolish, I shall pay you no mind and continue on with my day."

"What?! No! Not cool, Ice Queen!" Ruby was about to complain but stopped when she realized the implication of Weiss' aloof reaction. "There's going to be a next time? Meaning you'd be cool to hangout with me?"

"I wouldn't exactly phrase it… like that… but yes, I would be open to another meeting with you."

The overly stiff response was so typically Weiss it made Ruby fall in love all over again. The way she tried so hard to sound cold and disinterested made dissecting Weiss' every word for a deeper meaning more fun than any game Ruby had ever played.

It was reassuring to know that the Weiss in Ruby's head was close to the real deal. All the time she had spent replaying the few words they shared last year had warped the memory into some gross amalgamation of Ruby's fantasies. It was actually starting to resemble a comic panel with flowers blooming behind Weiss as she handed Ruby the prize money… the prize money… Jaune…

"A year has passed, hasn't it?" Weiss' quiet voice broke Ruby out of her thoughts just in time to avoid going into territory she'd like to forget. "How are things with your boyfriend, or should I say husband? You sounded quite eager to get married the last time we spoke." Or so she thought. Weiss caught onto the sour look on Ruby's face and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, should I not have brought that up?"

"I-It's alright, you had no way of knowing…" Ruby gave the worried woman a small, lopsided smile. "We broke up the day I got back actually."

"I'm terribly sorry…"

"Like I said, it's fine." Ruby was genuinely happy to find that she wasn't hung up on the matter. It still left a bitter taste in her mouth, but that was only because it meant she lost too good friends that day. "I was actually kind of relieved."

"Oh?"

"Yeah… I kind of met someone else," Ruby blushed. "They're everything I could ever dream off."

"Must be nice," Weiss responded with a knowing look in her eyes.

Ruby watched her "acquaintance" drink their tea with a, as Weiss so aptly put it, dopey smile. She sighed longingly at the regal woman, taking in everything about her visage before the fleeting moment of peace ended.

"Ruby," Weiss said as she put her empty teacup back onto its saucer, "may I cut to the chase?"

Ruby nodded her head. "Sure, what's up, Weiss?"

"One does not simply lose sight of their surroundings when a… friend… is involved."

"Oh, um…"

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Weiss looked Ruby in the eyes with unflinching resolve, "but you are attracted to me, yes?"

Ruby returned the gaze and said, "Yes."

"Then it wouldn't be presumptuous of me to ask for your contact information?"

"Just give me a pen and something to write it on, or we can just exchange scroll numbers because that's a thing."

Weiss shook her head. "I left my purse at the university."

"Then when we see Hamilton again I'll ask to borrow a pen."

"Excellent," Weiss said curtly.

"Can I ask you a question, then?" Ruby asked tilting her head to the left. A simple nod was all she received from her stoic companion. "You're not stringing me along, right?"

The ice surrounding Weiss' expression melted as a beautiful smile blossomed. "The attraction is most definitely mutual, Ruby."

"Oh," Ruby grinned, "awesome."

"You are an interesting individual, but as much as I would love to continue our conversation… it appears you have a prior commitment to attend to." Weiss looked to the window, guiding Ruby's love struck gaze to a furious young lady in green with bright orange hair.

"Oh shit, Penny! I totally forgot!" Ruby yelped in panic, shooting up from her chair and consequently forgetting about her minor injuries. She fell back into her chair sniffling at the throbbing sting emanating from her shin.

"Is everything alright?" Hamilton's familiar voice cut in.

Ruby looked up at the man, tears pricking her eyes. "Perfect timing! I need a pen and something to write on." Hamilton ripped a page out of his pocket notebook and offered her his pen. "Thanks man, you're a lifesaver."

"Thank you, Ms. Rose."

"Oh yeah, how much for the soda?" she asked whilst furiously jotting down her number.

"Put it on my tab and get out, your friend looks about ready to explode." Weiss said, laughing lightheartedly.

"I can't do that!"

"Too late, now go, you dunce."

Looking between Hamilton and Weiss, Ruby knew her odds of coming out alive was shrinking the longer she kept Penny waiting. "Fine," Ruby conceded. "You win this round, but I'm paying you back by taking you somewhere nice! You better call me tonight or else."

"'Or else, what?" Weiss smirked.

"I don't know yet, but it won't be pleasant!"

"Alright, I will. It was good seeing you again, Ruby."

"Yeah, same here."

Well this update took a friggen century and a half, sorry about that. Drop a review and let me know your thoughts.