Chapter 2

Leaving Weiss' office, Pyrrha began Ruby's tour of SDC HQ. High on the list of important locations were the copy room, a floor beneath Weiss' office, and the storeroom, a floor below that. Most company correspondence was digital, but if any major printing or copying projects fell to Ruby, she would need to know where to go. Pyrrha also indicated the locations of the departments with which Weiss was most involved. Ruby would probably be spending her days rushing around between those locations.

Once on the ground floor, Pyrrha took Ruby to the cafeteria and explained how it worked. Employees paid using ID cards, each with a weekly allotment roughly equating to one meal a day. Anything beyond that would be deducted from Ruby's pay. Weiss frequently had lunch from the cafeteria, which Ruby would have to retrieve for her. Pyrrha praised the food's quality, which was universally excellent, and the prices which were unbeatable.

After the mailroom was a stop at HR, where Ruby picked up the paperwork needed to get her ID and keycard. Heading to the Security office, Ruby had her picture taken and the ID printed, ending the official tour. Pyrrha still had more to show however. First was the Schnee Faunus Outreach office where Pyrrha was working for the time being. Ruby was vaguely aware of the past conflict between the SDC and Faunus. She was heartened to see it seemed to be a thing of the past.

The Cybernetic Robotics department, where the two would be working once their project began, was the next stop. Unfortunately a full tour would have to wait, as it was currently off limits to all but authorized personnel. Ruby was already impressed, and a little intimidated, by the sheer scale of the facility, but there was even more to it than she thought. Pyrrha led her across a glass and steel pedestrian bridge, connecting SDC HQ to the research hospital across the street.

"What are we doing over here?" Ruby asked.

"We'll be working with one of the departments here." Pyrrha replied. "...And I need to leave a message." She stopped in front of a door labeled Biomedical Control Systems. "We'll be making the prosthetics, they make the interfaces that allow the users to control them."

"Cool." Ruby said.

Pyrrha swiped her card on the reader and stepped into the room. A bored-looking man sat at a reception desk much like the one Ruby would be occupying, though it was not as clean or well kept. "Hello Roy." She greeted with a smile and a wave.

Roy looked up and returned a half-hearted wave. "Hey Pyr, what's up?"

"Is Ren in?" Pyrrha asked.

"'Fraid not." Roy replied. "He's in a meeting, along with half the department."

"Oh…" Pyrrha seemed to deflate a bit. "Well, can you give him a message?" Roy nodded. "Tell him I'm taking the car." She gestured to Ruby. "Taking a new hire to dinner."

"I'll let him know." Roy agreed. "Have fun."

"Thanks Roy." Pyrrha smiled. She and Ruby left the office, heading back to the main building.

"So, who's Ren?" Ruby asked after the pair had walked for a bit.

Pyrrha's face lit up. "He's the head of the BCS department...and my fiance."

"Oh cool, you'll have to tell me about him." Ruby suggested.

"Over dinner." Pyrrha agreed. "It's a little early, but I think we've done enough work for today."

After descending into the underground parking garage below the building, Pyrrha and Ruby climbed into the former's car. It was a dark green, newish sedan, economical and unspectacular. Ruby did find it quite comfortable, though after being on her feet for so long, she likely would have thought that of any seat. From there it was a short drive to another parking garage, this one situated across the street from a row of small businesses, their destination among them, a somewhat cramped Mistrali restaurant. The pair was quickly seated at a booth against the wall, and a waiter arrived almost immediately to take their order. Pyrrha chose her meal without even looking at the menu. Ruby was unsure of what to order for herself, and decided to have the same thing.

"This place is really busy." Ruby observed. "It's not like the Mistrali restaurants back on Patch."

"How so?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well, most of them are buffets." Ruby replied. "And they're usually bigger...well...more spacious."

"The restaurants back in Mistral are usually like this one, but there are a few buffets." Pyrrha noted. "So your father is Mistrali?"

"Sort of." Ruby shrugged. "He was born there, but he moved to Patch as a kid, so he doesn't have to much to say about it. When did you leave Mistral?"

"I moved to Atlas about two years ago." Pyrrha answered. "I was hired by the SDC right out of college, like you. Ren got here about a year ago. He worked at the SDC's Sanctum location for a while before that."

"So you guys met at work?" Ruby inquired.

"We did." Pyrrha confirmed, a fond smile spreading across her face. "Before he got here I didn't have many friends. Being a Mistrali in Atlas made me feel like an outsider, even if Weiss never treated me as such. When Ren got here we really connected. I could talk to him about things only a Mistrali would understand."

"What's he like?" Ruby asked.

"He's...kind, and quiet." Pyrrha replied, her smile growing. "And handsome, intelligent, passionate. It's uh...a little embarrassing to gush like this." She giggled. "He's my best friend, soulmate, confidant, everything I could hope for."

"How come you're not wearing a ring?" Ruby gestured to Pyrrha's hand.

"Oh, right." Pyrrha reached up to her collar, undoing the top button and fumbling around beneath it. She eventually pulled out a gold chain, on it a ring. It held a modest diamond and featured small jade inlays. "I've never really been comfortable with rings." She explained. "I played several sports in high school and college, and I was never allowed to wear rings while competing. Then when I started working on robotics, all the intricate work prevented me from wearing them. It just doesn't feel natural to wear a ring, even when I can, but I didn't want to just leave it at home, so…"

"Ah." Ruby nodded. "I've never really been big on jewelry either. I was an athlete too."

"Yes, your track and field resume is quite impressive." Pyrrha praised. "It's actually one of the reasons I chose you for my team. Your path matches mine in a way. Would you mind my asking why you chose to pursue robotics over athletics?"

"I don't mind." Ruby answered. "It wasn't really my choice." She grimaced and patted her leg. "I had an...accident while pole vaulting."

"Oh, you don't have to talk about it if-" Pyrrha started.

"No, it's fine." Ruby insisted. "I competed in a lot of events, and I was really good at most of them, but I was only a team alternate for pole vaulting. Then one of the other athletes sprained her ankle, and I took her place. I screwed up, fell, totally missed the pads. When I hit the ground my leg basically shattered. My knee tore itself apart, and my femur snapped and punched through the skin. I don't really remember much, between the pain and the blood loss I was unconscious pretty much immediately. The doctors weren't sure if they'd have to amputate, they still weren't for a few months.

"When I was in the hospital, I started drawing cool robotic legs to help make myself feel better about the possibility of losing my own. I was really down, but my big sis Yang was always there encouraging me. I never would have made it through without her. When she saw my drawings, she said that if they had to amputate, I could always build myself a new leg. It was just a joke, but it inspired me to look into real prosthetics. I found it fascinating, and even when they told me they wouldn't have to amputate, that my leg would recover, I stayed interested, and decided to turn it into a career."

"That's...inspiring." Pyrrha declared.

"Why did you give up athletics?" Ruby asked. "Did you get hurt too?"

"No, I chose to step away." Pyrrha shook her head. "I was a great athlete, my coaches even told me I could be an Olympic champion, and my parents pushed me hard. I won competition after competition, even at the Junior World Championships...but it just didn't feel right. My heart wasn't in it. So what if I could run faster, jump higher, throw farther? What did that contribute to society? I took some time off to volunteer at the Junior Paralympics, to at least give something back. The athletes there...they were such an inspiration. The things they did in spite of their disabilities, it was incredible. But once they were done competing, it was really hard for them. There are all kinds of specialized prosthetics for athletes, but for their daily lives, the options were very limited. Blade legs are great for running, but not for walking around town, and they certainly don't look the part. I wanted to do something to help these amazing people, so I gave up my own athletic aspirations, and dedicated myself to working on prosthetic robotics instead."

"That's so selfless and awesome!" Ruby gushed. "It...uh...kinda' makes me feel bad about myself. You showed such character and, I mean, I chose this for me really…"

"There's no reason to feel bad." Pyrrha encouraged, offering a smile. "Overcoming your injury took great strength of character. It couldn't have been easy to go through all that."

"I suppose you're right." Ruby allowed, with a smile of her own.

After a filling and delicious dinner, plus a bit more chatting, Pyrrha paid the bill - Ruby tried to pay her share, but Pyrrha insisted - and drove Ruby back to her hotel. Mantle Suites was not a particularly fancy hotel, but it was clean, fairly comfortable, catered to extended stays, and most importantly it was inexpensive. Ruby entered her room and flopped down on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a while. Her day had been a long one, not to mention stressful, and she was exhausted. She was glad to only have one more day before the weekend, then she would have some time to adjust, maybe even look for an apartment.

Ruby slipped her Scroll out of her bag, sliding it open and holding it in front of her. She went through her contacts, selected Home, set the device to speaker and placed it on her chest. "Ruby!" Her mother Summer's ever cheerful voice chirped after a few rings. "How was your first day?"

"Long." Ruby replied with a huff. "And things didn't quite go as planned."

"No?" Summer asked. "What happened?"

"Well, the project I was supposed to be working on got delayed, so I'll be working a different job for the time being." Ruby explained.

"What will you be doing until then?" Summer inquired.

"It sounds crazy, but I'll be Weiss Schnee's personal assistant." Ruby answered.

"She owns the company!" Summer gasped. "That's so exciting!"

"It is...and a little worrying." Ruby admitted. "Apparently it's a really hard job. Her last two assistants didn't last long."

"Oh, I'm sure you can handle whatever she throws at you." Summer encouraged. "You're strong and smart, I know you'll do great!"

"Yeah, I will." Ruby cheered. "I'll get a good night's rest, then go in tomorrow and kick some ass! I'll be the best assistant Ms. Schnee has ever had!"

"That's the spirit." Summer chuckled.

"Hey, is Yang around?" Ruby asked.

"I'm afraid not." Summer replied. "She's working late again."

"Oh, well, tell her I love her." Ruby requested. "Dad too. Goodnight mom."

Ruby left her hotel, heading to her first real day of work. It was earlier, probably earlier than necessary, but she was taking public transportation and wanted the extra time in case she got lost. It was a good decision, as her first exploration of the Atlas subway system was not without confusion. Unsure about station layout, she managed to miss her train while going from platform to platform, searching for the right one. That was not a problem as she still made it to SDC HQ with time to spare. Ruby decided the subway was probably the best route. There was a station just across the street from the building. It was cleaner than Vale's system, and not nearly as crowded as she had expected.

Ruby walked past the fountain and almost to the guest entrance before realizing her mistake. She detoured to the employee door, swiping her card and walking past a smiling but tired-looking security guard as she entered the building. Ruby was a full half hour early and the building was mostly empty, far quieter than it had been the day before. She made her way to the elevators, boarded one, swiped her card and selected the top floor. After a short ride the door opened with a bing and she stepped into what was effectively her new office.

"Good morning Ms. Rose!" Penny's screen lit up, accompanied by the cheerful voice. "How are you this morning?"

"Good morning Penny." Ruby responded, circling her desk and taking a seat. The office chair was modern-looking and comfortable, but a little too low. "I'm doing alright." She adjusted the height of the seat. "Just a little nervous." She looked at the computer on the desk, touching the mouse to wake it. A login screen appeared. "Um, Penny, how do I log in?"

"Swipe your card on the reader below the monitor." Penny instructed. "Since this is your first login, you'll need to set a password. It must be at least eight characters. Please use at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number, and one symbol."

Ruby did as instructed, and her desktop appeared, displaying a number of applications - normal office software, links to company email, the phone directory and Weiss' schedule, among a few others. She opened the schedule to find the day packed with meetings, with only short spaces between and a gap for lunch at midday. "Wow, Ms. Schnee is busy."

"Fridays are her busiest days." Penny noted.

"Is there anything extra I'll need to know?" Ruby asked.

"Today Ms. Schnee will have lunch from the cafeteria." Penny replied. "It will be ready, so there is no need to order it. You should pick it up at quarter to noon. That will also be your best opportunity for a lunch break."

"Good plan Penny." Ruby praised. She paused for a moment, then turned Penny's screen towards herself. "It feels more natural to talk to you while I'm looking at you."

"Technically you are just looking at an artistic representation." Penny corrected. "I am physically located in a bank of servers in the Advanced Computing Department."

"Oh, well...it's better this way regardless." Ruby managed. "Anyway, I don't have to order Ms. Schnee's lunch, is that because she always has the same thing?"

"Ms. Schnee has a rather rigid routine." Penny explained. "She has a set meal for each day of the week. The cafeteria staff knows her preferences, so you will only need to order her food on Tuesdays and Thursdays when she has her lunch delivered. I can tell you her orders if you wish."

"That would probably be a good idea." Ruby agreed. "Ooh, can you set reminders for when and what to order and stuff? That would be really helpful."

"Of course Ms. Rose." Penny replied.

"Oh, and call me Ruby." She requested. "It feels weird calling you by your first name while you use my surname."

"Very well, though Penny is technically a nickname." She indicated. "My actual name is classified."

"That's...weird." Ruby quirked her brow. Before Penny could respond, the elevator chimed, the door opening to reveal Weiss. She wore a neat blue and white dress, her hair done up in its usual side ponytail, white briefcase hanging from her fingers. "Good morning Ms. Schnee!" Ruby chirped.

"Good morning." Weiss greeted. "You're here early." It was still only quarter to eight.

"I didn't want to be late on my first day." Ruby said. "You only get one first impression."

"And you gave a good one yesterday." Weiss smirked. "Please, come into my office." She stepped up to the door and looked up at the surveillance camera just above it. After a few moments the door clicked open and Weiss stepped in, setting her briefcase on her desk before taking a seat behind it. Ruby stood in front of the desk, hands clasped before her. "I'm sorry to throw you in at the deep end, but Fridays are my busiest days."

"It's no problem." Ruby unclasped her hands, waving away the apology.

"Since you're here early, you can get a headstart." Weiss continued. She reached down, opening a drawer, fumbling around for a moment before pulling out a small box. She placed the box on the desk and slid it toward Ruby. "You'll need this."

Ruby picked up the box and removed its contents. It appeared to be a sleek but otherwise normal earpiece, the sort many business people used. She pressed what was very clearly the on button before slipping the device into her ear. "Do I have to connect this to my scroll or anything?"

"No, this is effectively a scroll in itself." Weiss replied. "It will allow me to communicate with you when you're not at your desk. It will also connect you to Penny, just ask her if you need to make an outgoing call. And be careful with it, it's a prototype."

"I'll take good care of it." Ruby promised.

"Just a moment." Weiss swiped her ID card to login to her computer, then began tapping away.

Ruby took the opportunity to take in the office. It was rather spacious, with a huge curtained window behind Weiss' desk. One side was lined with bookshelves and the other a number of cabinets. Ruby stood on a large rug depicting the SDC snowflake logo. Weiss' desk was sizeable, made of hardwood - probably mahogany - and uncluttered. Aside from her briefcase, computer, a pen and a few papers, the only object on it was an anime-style figurine. Strange.

Ruby examined the figurine, which depicted an armor-clad woman with a cat tail. She recognized the character. "That's Modoku isn't it?"

"Hmm?" Weiss looked up from the computer screen, turning her attention to the figurine. "Oh, yes."

"Huh, I didn't expect you to have something like that." Ruby thought aloud.

"It's a gift from a very dear friend." Weiss explained. She turned back to her computer for a moment before getting up and walking to one of the cabinets. She opened it to reveal a printer, which was already in operation. Opening another cabinet, Weiss grabbed a large envelope, into which she slipped the document when it finished printing. She sealed the envelope before handing it to Ruby. "Please deliver this to Chemical Engineering."

Ruby looked at the envelope. "Classified?"

"Yes." Weiss confirmed with a suddenly serious tone and expression. "You are not to open the envelope. If you do, I will have you prosecuted. That goes for all sealed correspondence with which you are entrusted. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Ms. Schnee." Ruby nodded.

"Good." Weiss' expression softened. "Now go, we've got a busy day ahead of us."