Chapter 4: A Beautiful Disaster

Weiss had spent almost her entire childhood living in the Schnee mansion, but she'd never really thought of it as her home. Her bedroom was the only place in it that she could truly call her own. It'd been her sanctuary whenever the life of an heiress who was never allowed to be anything less than perfect was too much to bear. Right now, however, there was no peace to be found in Weiss's room. It, or more precisely its occupant, was the epicenter of a raging storm.

From the moment Weiss had gotten up this morning, she'd been a whirlwind of activity. She couldn't believe how foolish she'd been last night! One day wasn't enough time to properly plan a date with Ruby! What had she been thinking? It was too late to back out now, however. Weiss didn't want Ruby to think that she was having second thoughts. Their date would be tonight or it would be never.

Weiss had barely stopped to so much as breathe in order to get ready in time. Venues had been called. Reviews had been consulted. Plans had been made, adjusted, rejected, and made again. Weiss's first date with Ruby was something that would only happen once, and she was determined to get it right.

Weiss checked the clock on the wall. There were only a few minutes left until five o'clock. Ruby would be expecting her soon. Weiss stepped in front of the large mirror sitting on top of her dresser. At the very least, she could be confident that she looked good. Her hair was pulled back into a proper ponytail instead of her usual side tail. She had on a dress that Ruby hadn't seen before. It was one she'd purchased very recently. It was long sleeved with a full-length skirt and lavender in color, fading to an ice blue toward the bottom. The fabric was of the highest quality and almost seemed to sparkle. A white sash and a pair of matching high heels completed the outfit. Weiss had liked the dress so much when she'd first seen it that she'd ordered a second one with a combat skirt.

In order to avoid a repeat of the incident with Yang yesterday, Weiss had sent Sven, armed with her card, to chauffeur Ruby around on a tour of Atlas's finest clothing boutiques. Sven had strict orders to make sure Ruby found something nice to wear that she liked.

Weiss smoothed out the last of the imagined wrinkles in her dress. She looked down at a framed photograph sitting on her dresser. It was a group shot of Team RWBY that Yang had taken with her scroll about halfway through the last semester. Weiss picked it up. Everyone was smiling in it, even her. She'd looked at it often since her return to Atlas. It'd been her reminder that there was a better life out there beyond the walls of the Schnee mansion waiting for her someday.

Weiss set the photograph down resolutely. As far as she was concerned that better life started today. It was time to go get Ruby.

Weiss left her room and headed to the mansion's guest wing. Fear and excitement were waging war within her, and she wasn't sure which one was winning. Yesterday, she'd thought going on a date with Ruby was nothing more than a foolish fantasy, but here she was about to do just that. However, when the date had just been a fantasy there was nothing that could've gone wrong. Now there were all manner of catastrophes just waiting to happen.

All too quickly, Weiss found herself standing in front of Ruby's door. She raised her hand to knock, only to find that it was trembling. Weiss took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Last night Ruby had said that she admired Weiss's confidence, therefore she would be confident. If only it were as easily said as done.

Weiss screwed up her courage and knocked on Ruby's door.

"I'll be ready in just a minute!" Ruby's voice called out.

Weiss scowled. Sven had sent her a message over three hours ago that he and Ruby had arrived back at the mansion. There was no way Ruby wasn't ready yet. Weiss recalled Yang's comment yesterday about making her dates wait in order to build up the anticipation. Surely Ruby wouldn't do that, would she?

Weiss heard a faint snickering coming from just on the other side of the door. She sighed. Of course Ruby would. Weiss tapped her foot impatiently. The emotional turmoil inside her grew more intense with each passing moment. It was probably not the effect Ruby had intended.

Just when Weiss was about to knock again, the door opened. Ruby was standing there. "Hi Weiss! Oh wow! That dress is so pretty!" she said.

"Thank you," Weiss said. "You look…why are you still wearing your hood?"

Along with her omnipresent hood, Ruby was wearing the fruits of her shopping trip with Sven. She had on a new corset and combat skirt, both were black with red trim, and a white blouse with billowy sleeves that were kept in check by leather bracers. She still had her old boots on, but she'd exchanged her full-length stockings for ones that ended just below her skirt.

"Why would you even want to go on a date with me if I wasn't wearing my hood?" Ruby asked.

Unbelievably, Weiss found herself unable to argue against Ruby's logic, inane as it was.

"But thanks for the new clothes!" Ruby said. She grabbed the ends of her cloak and did a twirl. "Do you like them?"

"They're very you," Weiss said.

"In a good way?" Ruby asked.

"In a good way," Weiss said. Much like Ruby herself, the outfit was just a little bit more grown up. Weiss's eyes were drawn to the neckline on Ruby's blouse. It was cut much lower than her old one. It wasn't low enough to be especially daring, but it did expose just a hint of the swell of Ruby's chest.

Weiss realized too late that she was staring at Ruby's breasts. Her eyes slammed up. "D-did Yang help you pick them out?" she blurted out before she could think better of it.

"No. I haven't even had a chance to tell her we're going on a date," Ruby said. "I haven't seen her all day."

"You have, uh, good taste then," Weiss said.

"Thanks!" Ruby said. "So…I guess it's time to go do our date thing."

"Ah, yes," Weiss said. She held out her arm.

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked.

"I'm offering you my arm," Weiss said.

"Oh, right!" Ruby said. "I wasn't supposed to do that, was I?"

"I…don't know," Weiss said. She was surprised. It wasn't like her to be lacking in her knowledge of social protocol. But then again, she'd never been instructed on the modes and mores of a date between two women.

"In that case, I humbly accept your arm," Ruby said in what Weiss had come to recognize as her "serious" voice.

Ruby latched on to Weiss's arm like an excited puppy. It wasn't exactly proper form. Weiss knew Father wouldn't approve. Then again, Father wouldn't approve of anything that was happening tonight. Weiss felt a little guilty at how much joy that thought brought her. She didn't want to believe that she was using Ruby to get some sort of petty revenge. Weiss decided that she would worry about Father later. He wasn't here, and he didn't know. So long as both those things were true, everything would work out.

Weiss said, "There's a limousine waiting out front for us."

"Alright! Let's go!" Ruby cheered.

Weiss escorted Ruby to the mansion's front door. The limo was waiting for them as promised. Once Weiss and Ruby were seated inside, Weiss signaled to the driver. He'd been briefed on the evening's itinerary, so he already knew where to go. Soft music was playing over the limo's sound system. Weiss had spent a good hour fretting over just what kind to use. It had to be romantic but not overtly sensual. She didn't want to give Ruby the wrong message.

"I still can believe you have limousines. As in limousines, plural," Ruby said. "Back on Patch we didn't even have a car."

"Not any kind of car at all?" Weiss asked.

"Nope," Ruby said. "But it's a small island. We never had any trouble getting anywhere."

Weiss knew that Ruby wasn't rich, but to not own a car was almost unimaginable to her. It really served to highlight just how vast the gulf between her and Ruby's worlds really was.

"It doesn't bother you, does it?" Weiss asked.

"Why would it? It's fun to get driven around everywhere," Ruby said.

"Not the limo. I meant my family's wealth," Weiss said.

"Oh," Ruby said. "Not really. I've never really thought about it."

Weiss wouldn't have believed that coming from anyone else but Ruby. It'd probably never even occurred to her that an unwedded heiress like Weiss was a gateway to the vast fortunes of the Schnee Family. Maybe that was another reason why Weiss was so taken with Ruby.

Several minutes passed, and the streets of Atlas rolled by outside the limo's windows. Neither Ruby nor Weiss said anything, and the silence started growing awkward. Weiss wasn't sure what to do. She'd never been good at small talk. Ordinarily, she could rely on Ruby to fill in the gaps in a conversation, but Ruby was being decidedly quiet. Maybe the music made it okay to not talk, Weiss hoped, but Ruby didn't seem to be listening.

Fortunately, Ruby finally spoke again. "So are we supposed to hold hands or kiss or something?"

Weiss's face flushed. "Kiss?" she stammered.

"I've never been on a date before like you have," Ruby said. "I don't know what to do."

"Kissing isn't usually appropriate on a first date," Weiss said.

"Oh," Ruby said. "Too bad, I was looking forward to trying it."

Weiss immediately regretted shooting down the idea. "I supposed we could," she said.

"Nope!" Ruby's said. "We're going to do this date thing the right way."

"That's…probably for the best," Weiss said, trying not to sound too disappointed.

"How about holding hands? Is that okay on a first date?" Ruby asked.

"Of course," Weiss said.

Without any further prompting, Ruby took Weiss's hand in her own. "You're so soft!" she said. She brought Weiss's hand up and rubbed it against her cheek.

"Th-thank you," Weiss said, a bit befuddled. It was utterly humiliating how powerful an effect the simple act of Ruby nuzzling her hand was having on her. Physical affection was not something to be found in great abundance within the Schnee Family, and so Weiss had no defense against it. She felt like she'd been given food for the first time only to realize just how hungry she was.

Ruby sniffed curiously. "Is that your perfume?" she asked.

"Yes," Weiss said, trying to bring herself back under control. "It's from Christoph Roz's newest line."

"It smells nice," Ruby said. "I didn't even think about wearing perfume."

"I can get you some, if you'd like," Weiss said.

"That'd be great!" Ruby said. She finally let Weiss's hand drop from her cheek, although she didn't let go.

There was once again a lull in the conversation, although it didn't feel so awkward this time. Weiss was grateful. She needed a moment to collect her thoughts.

Ruby definitely seemed excited, and Weiss was glad for that. But more than anything Ruby seemed to be curious. Weiss had a good idea why. Last night Ruby had admitted that she'd never been attracted to anyone before. This was an experiment for her, done mostly to see what would happen. For Weiss, however, this was very serious. The kind of social circles she kept precluded her from meeting women her own age for anything resembling courtship. Ruby was her best, and maybe her only chance to find a love she could return. She had to show Ruby that they could work as a couple, and she had to do it tonight.

"So where are we going?" Ruby asked.

"Dinner first. And then to the theater," Weiss said.

"That sounds like good date stuff," Ruby said.

"Of course," Weiss said.

"Ah Weiss, this is going to be great!" Ruby said.

"Yes it will," Weiss said. It had to be.

Ruby didn't let go of Weiss's hand all the way to the restaurant. She didn't let go when they got out of the car and went inside. She didn't even let go when they were being shown to their table. Weiss was a bit embarrassed by the whole thing. She and Ruby looked like adolescents, awkwardly fumbling their way through their first tentative steps into the world of romance. It didn't matter how dangerously close that was to the absolute truth; appearances were still important.

Weiss knew that Ruby would've let go if she'd asked her too, but the happy smile on Ruby's face was enough to convince her not to. Despite the awkward display they were putting on, Weiss was confident that everything would go smoothly from here on out.

The restaurant Weiss had brought Ruby to was known as Der Palast. It was the most premier five-star restaurant in all of Atlas. Through a combination of her family's influence, bribery, threats, and sheer determination, Weiss had managed to secure a last-minute reservation. It'd been difficult, but anything that might make this date go well was worth it.

"This place sure is fancy," Ruby whispered to Weiss as the hostess guided them to their table.

Ruby's assessment didn't do the restaurant justice. The large dining area was decorated in plush, hand-woven carpets and detailed with intricate wood paneling on the walls. Round marble columns rose up at regular intervals, drawing the eye to the masterfully crafted fresco of a cloudscape that covered the whole ceiling. As if the décor wasn't enough, there was also a live string quartet playing soft, serenading music.

The hostess plucked a sign that read "Reserved" from a table by the windows and motioned for Weiss and Ruby to sit. As soon as they'd been seated, napkins were placed in their laps and the hostess vanished.

A well-dressed man appeared at the table. "Good evening madams," he said. "I will be your garçon tonight. May I start you with something to drink?"

"Just water for the both of us," Weiss said before Ruby could order milk. Der Palast prided itself on catering to a refined clientele with refined palates. One did not order something like milk here.

"Very good," the garçon said. "Please peruse our menu and let me know if there is anything you require."

The garçon bowed and left.

"Wow! What a view," Ruby said, looking out the window.

"I thought you might like it," Weiss said. She had selected this table on purpose. Just outside the window was the Albrecht River that ran through the heart of Atlas. Even in winter its water still flowed and the evergreen trees that lined its banks were still picturesque.

Weiss turned her attention to the leather-bound menu on the table in front of her. Most of the old favorites were still there, although the chef had added a few new items since she'd been here last. Maybe she would try something new tonight.

"This food is, uh, pretty fancy too," Ruby said.

"Yes. The blinis caviar and the sea urchin are especially good," Weiss said.

"The what?" Ruby asked, sounding lost.

Weiss looked up. Ruby was studying the menu with a consternated look on her face. Weiss suddenly realized that she may have made a huge mistake. The food served here was not the kind Ruby was accustom to.

A pang of panic shot through Weiss, but she forced herself to remain calm. She folded her hands in her lap and said, "If you don't see anything you like, we could go somewhere else."

"No, it's okay," Ruby said. "I'll just have what you're having."

"Right," Weiss said. She began to frantically search the menu for something Ruby would like.

The garçon returned and set two glasses of water on the table. "Have madams decided what they would like this evening?"

"I'll have the…veal," Weiss said.

"Uh, me too," Ruby said. "Whatever that is."

"An excellent choice," the garçon said. "I will have it to you shortly."

Weiss wasn't so sure it was an excellent choice, but it was the best she could find. Ruby liked hamburgers. Veal was almost the same thing as a hamburger, right? Although the marinade had sounded a bit exotic. And it would be best if Ruby never discovered what veal was exactly.

The food arrived shortly. Weiss was on the edge of her seat, but she feigned disinterest. She took her knife and fork and cut into her food, all the while keeping an eye on Ruby.

Ruby cut off a big hunk of her veal and popped it into her mouth. She paused and her face twisted into a grimace.

Weiss felt her stomach twist into knots. "You don't like it?"

"No, it's…" Ruby swallowed very deliberately. "It's good. I, uh, yeah."

Ruby cut off a second, much smaller piece and unenthusiastically chewed on it.

Weiss set her utensils down. She hadn't taken a bite, but she wasn't hungry anymore. Dinner was officially a disaster, but she knew a way to salvage at least a little bit of it. She flagged down the garçon. Before he could even ask what was needed, she said, "Bring us a strawberry cheesecake. Don't bother with slices, just bring us the whole thing."

About an hour later, Weiss and Ruby were taking their seats in the Schnee Family's private box at the Atlas Theater of Fine Arts. The theater was the jewel of Atlas's culture center. Many plays now considered timeless classics had first been performed there. It was every bit Der Palast's equal in terms of renowned, and Weiss was desperately hoping it would succeed where Der Palast had failed.

Ruby was bouncing up and down on her plush seat. Weiss suspected she still had a sugar high from having eaten more than her fair share of the cheesecake.

"I'm sorry about dinner," Weiss said. If she'd been thinking clearly when she'd been caught up in all her planning maybe she could have avoided such a stupid mistake.

"Ah it's alright, Weiss," Ruby said, finally settling down in her seat. "The cake was nice! And the rest of it wasn't that bad."

Weiss gave Ruby a look that made it clear she didn't believe her.

"Alright, it was that bad," Ruby admitted. "Do you really eat food like that all the time?"

"Not all the time," Weiss said. "Although my family does dine there regularly."

"I guess that explains why you complained so much about the cafeteria food at Beacon," Ruby said.

"I didn't complain!" Weiss insisted.

"Uh-huh," Ruby said.

"I mean, I didn't complain often," Weiss said. "Was it really too much to ask that they serve us a decent meal?"

Ruby snickered. "That's the Weiss I know."

"Hmph," Weiss said, although she was happy to see that Ruby was still in good spirits.

"So it's just the two of us in this box, huh," Ruby said.

"That's right," Weiss said.

"Does that mean I'm supposed to, uh, try something?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby Rose!" Weiss said. "Where did you get an idea like that?"

"I don't know?" Ruby said sheepishly. "I don't really know what that means. It seemed like something Yang would say."

"I'm not sure if Yang is the best role model for dating," Weiss said.

"But she's got a lot of experience," Ruby said.

Weiss had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. She was certain Ruby didn't mean that like it'd sounded. She said, "Ruby, I don't like you because you're like Yang. I like you because you're you. So just be you."

"Ah, thanks Weiss," Ruby said. Weiss was amazed to actually see Ruby blush.

"Just be me. Right. I can do that," Ruby said. "Can I hold your hand again? That was kind of nice."

"You don't have to ask permission," Weiss said.

Ruby scooped up Weiss's hand in her own. Weiss was grateful to have something to hold on to, both figuratively and literally. Maybe Ruby was still nothing more than curious, but Weiss would take whatever she could get. Ruby was right about one thing though; holding hands was nice.

The lights began to dim. Weiss had high hopes for the play. The reviews for it had been extremely positive. The playwright, Alben Schwarzwald, was famous worldwide, and many were already saying that he'd outdone himself with this latest work.

The play turned out to be in the style of the ancient Vytalian dramas, with minimalistic sets and long soliloquies. Weiss could see why the play had garnered such glowing reviews. It used its Vytalian style to accentuate its themes of isolation and loneliness, and Weiss found the story very engaging. She was relieved that something was going right tonight.

About halfway through the play, Ruby's hand slipped out of Weiss's. Weiss looked over and saw that Ruby was fast asleep. Her head was resting on her own shoulder and she was lightly snoring. Weiss would have found it adorable in any other circumstance, but here and now Ruby might as well have kicked her in the gut. Ruby had found the play so boring, she'd fallen asleep.

Weiss was absolutely devastated. She slumped back into her seat. It was over. She'd utterly failed. After feeding Ruby food she didn't like and then boring her to sleep, there was no way Ruby would agree to go on a second date, much less anything beyond that.

Weiss sat there and let the actor's words wash over her unheard. The play no longer interested her. She supposed there was no reason not to wake Ruby up and take her home, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was on a date with Ruby, and she didn't want it to end.

The limo ride back to the Schnee mansion was excruciating for Weiss. Barely a word was exchanged between her and Ruby. When they got to the mansion, Weiss silently led Ruby inside. She was ready to retreat into some dark corner and disappear forever, but she couldn't run away just yet. She had to see this date through to its bitter, bitter end, and it wasn't over until she'd taken Ruby back to her room.

Weiss didn't even know why she'd thought the date could've ever ended in anything other than complete disaster. What did she and Ruby have in common? They'd been made partners at Beacon, yes, but that had been nothing more than a whim of fate. It had been foolish of her to let Ruby know how she felt and selfish of her to agree to a date.

Weiss and Ruby finally got to Ruby's door. Weiss was trying to think of something to say. If she was very lucky maybe she'd be able to salvage her friendship with Ruby. That's when Ruby said, "I'm sorry for messing everything up tonight."

Weiss was taken aback. "How were you the one who messed everything up?"

Ruby said, "I really wanted to ask Yang what to do on a date but I didn't get a chance and I know you said to be myself but how can I be myself on a date when I've never been on a date and you tried so hard and, and…."

"Is that really what you think?" Weiss asked.

"Yes? I mean, you're the one who knows what she's doing, so it had to've been me, right?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby…" Weiss hung her head. "I don't know anything about dating either."

"You don't?" Ruby looked shocked.

"I've never been on one," Weiss said.

"Never ever?" Ruby asked.

"There were a few formal social events with 'acceptable' suitors that Father arranged, and that dance with Neptune I suppose, but they hardly count," Weiss said. "I planned all the activities tonight. It's all my fault it didn't work."

"But if neither one of us knew anything, how were we supposed to figure out how to date?" Ruby asked.

"I don't think there really is a proper way," Weiss said. "I think it's best to just do what feels right."

"So I could have kissed you in the car," Ruby said.

"I supposed you could have," Weiss said. She wanted desperately to kiss Ruby right now, no matter how bitterly sweet it would be. "It's…still not too late. If you want to," she said softly.

"Hmmm…nope!" Ruby said. "I think we're going to have to go on a better date then that if we want to kiss. Maybe next time?"

"Wait. You want there to be a next time?" Weiss asked, amazed.

"Well yeah, of course. If I gave up every time I wasn't good at something right away, I would've never gotten into Beacon." Ruby said. She opened the door to her room. "We'll talk about it more tomorrow?"

"That would be wonderful," Weiss said.

"Night, Weiss," Ruby said. She stepped into her room and closed the door behind her.

"Goodnight, Ruby," Weiss whispered to the empty hallway.

Weiss walked back to her room feeling lightheaded with relief. This could still work. Ruby was willing to give her another try. She'd have to figure out where it'd all gone wrong tonight. She'd planned everything to as minute a detail as she'd been able. Maybe with more time she could make it work.

Suddenly, a strange thought entered Weiss's head. Ruby had always been a spanner in the works where her plans were concerned, and surprisingly, it had mostly been for the better. Maybe the solution was to plan less. Could it really be as simple as that? Could she really just let things happen without trying to control them? Weiss wasn't sure, but maybe it was worth trying.

Weiss made it to her room. She immediately slipped out of her shoes. It had been a long day and she was very tired. Before she could start getting ready for bed, however, her scroll buzzed with a new message. Thinking it might be from Ruby, Weiss slipped her scroll out of her dress's carefully concealed pocket. She opened the screen. To Weiss's surprise, the messaged turned out to be from Winter, not Ruby.

Winter: Father is returning to Atlas tomorrow morning. Be ready.

Weiss read the message twice, hoping she'd read it wrong. Unfortunately, she hadn't. The Lord and Master of the Schnee mansion was returning to his domain.

"Oh no," Weiss said.

Author's Note: Poor Ruby and Weiss. They always have to do everything in their relationship the hard way. Oh well. I'm sure it'll all work out in the end. Probably.

Yes, Ruby and Weiss are in their Volume 4 outfits now, or at least the concept art versions. I suppose their actual outfits in Volume 4 could turn out to be a little bit different.

Constructive criticism is always welcome so please feel free to review or comment. If you want to be notified of updates or send me a message, you can find me on tumblr under the name electronicyarn.