Chapter Seven: I Get Carried Way
Throughout the rest of their pleasant drive to Weiss' home, Ruby spent her time imagining what sort of place could possibly house the amazing Weiss Schnee. She imagined a number of lavish modern condo complexes built to the nines, but those places were best suited for the sleepless downtown Vale whereas an out of city residency called for quiet suburban living. Her thoughts then shifted to an old episode of Spongerob Cargopants involving the titular character's neighbour Squidley moving to a gated community. She brushed it aside laughing to herself quietly for even thinking it since she'd never heard of one actually built in Vale. But that opinion quickly disintegrated when Weiss explained that Everfall Grove was in fact a gated community on the outskirts of Forever Fall Forest. And now that they were pulling up to Weiss' actual homestead, Ruby had to eat her words for desert and get a healthy second helping.
When Weiss called her home an "estate", Ruby played it off as Weiss just being Weiss and that she was only saying it to sound fancy. In hindsight Ruby knew that her staunch disbelief was just a warped, last ditch effort to make herself believe she hadn't just taken one of the wealthiest women in the world out on a date.
"Holy… shit," Ruby gasped, her eyes practically bulging out of their sockets as she gazed up at the tallest gates in Everfall Grove.
Weiss' home looked like a scene straight out of a scary movie minus the shambling horrors, and rogue lightning bringing ominous shadows to life. It was hard to see, what with the vines tightly webbing across the gates. The mansion up ahead looked old and abandoned with its boarded up windows and missing shingles. But that was part three of the haunted house anthology, and Ruby still had to get through books one and two before she could even begin to think about cracking that nasty tome open.
Gulping, Ruby inched her car forward to get a better look at the dead, overgrown vines latching onto the iron bars. Now that she could see it clearly, Ruby changed her opinion of the decaying plant from a disorganized web to a horde of skeletons scaling the gate. It was a rather fitting metaphor due to it being partially true. The plant it stemmed from had died many years prior, but the dry, hollowed out mass stretching all around the gated estate was a marvel of floral vitality. Ruby wondered what could have grown large enough to cover a gate this big, but the prominent thorns dotting the gangly vines and the few leaves still clinging on made her think of roses.
In the center of the menacing entryway, supported by the twisted spiral obsidian bars and shielded from the elements by hardy tendrils, was the signature six-pointed snowflake of the Schnee Dust Company. Its sheen had worn off a long time ago, but the metal emblem still looked on imposingly.
Weiss smiled sheepishly at Ruby as she retrieved her keys from somewhere deep within her briefcase. After she found it and pushed the corresponding button, the motorized gates creaked against the vines, snapping and tugging until it inwardly swung open, splitting the snowflake straight down the middle and giving berth to the stone tiled driveway.
"Sorry for the mess, it's been ages since anyone last lived here." Weiss laughed and pushed Ruby's gaping mouth shut. She felt the redhead shiver to her touch making her inwardly smile. "But if you think Rosewood Mansion is impressive, you should see the castle I grew up in."
"You," Ruby blinked, "you lived in a castle?!"
"They call me the 'Ice Queen' for a reason," Weiss murmured, looking away with a hint of sadness buried deep within her eyes.
Weiss might have been smiling on the outside but Ruby could see right through it. She knew that dejected look well since it was the same one she wore each time she tried to convince herself in front of the mirror that she'd never see Weiss again. It broke her heart to see that look on her, yet at the same time she greatly appreciated the trust Weiss had in her.
That regal loneliness painted a quiet, sombre background wherein Weiss stood alone in her resplendent palace made of ice, looking out to the horizon. There was a wavering glimmer of hope in her sad blue eyes that struggled to uphold her dreams, but the weight of reality was bearing down on her, bringing Weiss to her knees.
"Ruby?" Weiss frowned at the airheaded redhead. "You aren't having second thoughts about me are you?"
"What? No! Oh God, no! Weiss, why would you think that?" Ruby was genuinely shocked by Weiss' question. "You're literally all I've thought about since the day we met last year."
"Then why do you keep spacing out on me during our conversations?" Weiss pleaded. "Be honest with me, please?"
Ruby chose not answer immediately, because even she was confused as to why her brain decided to stop working whenever Weiss was involved. There was just something about the way she spoke that made Ruby think in ways she never dreamed possible. Just one word or smile was all took to revive the artistic impulse Ruby left behind for practicality's sake.
"Weiss, I don't know what else to say other than 'I'm sorry'. Maybe I'm just star struck, but I really can't help it…" Ruby frowned, not at Weiss but at herself for making the older woman worry. "When you talk it's like I'm reading a textbook for the first time—not that you're boring or anything like that! I just really like books and with how smart you are, it feels like I'm always learning something knew."
"And here I thought you would say something between the lines of a sexual innuendo," Weiss said with a steadily growing smile.
Ruby blushed and shyly tucked her hair behind her left ear, an obvious flirty tell her sister informed her of whenever she brought Weiss up in conversation. But this was the first time she had done it around Weiss, Ruby wasn't exactly sure it meant the same now.
"N-No, that would be my sister's job," Ruby said with a dark blush on her cheeks. "I'd like to introduce you two one of these days."
Weiss devilishly grinned making Ruby regret whatever it was she said.
"Oh ho, introducing me to the family so soon? My, how bold of you."
"Weiisss!" Ruby groaned. She was quickly learning that her white-haired angel was really a devil dressed in white.
As the couple bickered, the vehicle continued to plod forward driving carefully over the cracked pavement. Unlike the spired iron gates, the lawn around them was teeming with life. Nature had been slowly reclaiming its land with an army weeds, knee-high grass, and what looked to be the onset of a new forest grove judging by the budding saplings spotting the area. Wild flowers were visible through the tall grass giving the lawn a healthy splash of colour between the monotonous greens and browns.
Lost in their conversation, Weiss felt the vehicle slow down to a rolling stop before noticing they were already at her front door. The strong mahogany wood painted black loomed over them like a tragically chic guillotine ready to end their date. Weiss carefully got out of the vehicle before Ruby could say anything more. She then climbed the steps leading to the main entrance and waited. But when Ruby remained rooted next to her car door, Weiss sadly accepted her date had no intention of following.
"I had a lovely evening," Weiss said, hiding behind a false polite expression.
"Yeah, me too."
Ruby gripped the top of her door and willed herself to leave it's protective barrier behind. Her feet weighed more than cinderblocks and her heart was pounding painfully against her chest, but Weiss was waiting for her.
"Ruby?" Weiss asked, wondering why the redhead looked so scared. "That's far enough, I can let myself in."
"N-Nope!" Ruby feigned a smile. "We have to follow your plan, remember?"
"What plan?" Weiss tilted her head in question before remembering what she said in front of Fleur-de-lis. "Oh! That plan. Ruby, it's just coffee."
"Wait, just coffee?" Ruby balked, her whole body blushing.
"Yes, what were you—oh, you thought I was inviting you in for something a little more risqué." Weiss nearly doubled over from laughter making Ruby's embarrassment reach entirely new levels. "Sorry to burst your bubble but all joking aside, I'm not that kind of girl. I have class."
"Well yeah, you're a bigshot professor…" Ruby grumbled, marching up the steps to get on with their night.
"That isn't what I meant and you know it. Plus the first term doesn't start until next month, so I'm still plain old Weiss Schnee." Weiss opened the door and let Ruby inside first. "No need to take your shoes off, this place has more dust in it than the company vault."
"Wow, you weren't kidding," Ruby whistled, her eyes drawn to the thick layer of dust coating the widow sill.
Ignoring the dust, Ruby noticed that almost all the immediate furnishings were hidden beneath white tarp. It made the spacious foyer look more like the meeting grounds of a ghostly furniture gathering than a front doorway.
Letting her curiosity take control, Ruby asked, "When did you move in exactly?"
"About a week ago to the date," Weiss said putting her keys and jacket away on an antique coat rack. "Follow me," Weiss instructed Ruby with a smile, "I've got something to show you!"
'You without clothes, please. God damn it, Ruby!' Ruby mentally slapped herself upside the head for thinking like Yang again. "L-Lead on, Ms. Tour Guide!" Ruby told Weiss with a shaky smile.
"I've been dying to show you this since our reunion!" Weiss explained, taking Ruby's hand. "It's this way!"
Ruby followed Weiss like a puppy on a leash, never straying far in fear of getting lost. But Weiss said the mansion only looked big on the outside because of the indoor pool and gym took up whole the west wing, and the makeshift green house took all of the left. The actual living area was restricted to the central building and had: one large kitchen, five bedrooms with bathrooms, a master bedroom, two studies, a library, a spacious living room, two bathrooms in the ground level and a master bathroom in the upstairs, and an attic filled with more antiques and the remnants of whatever managed to crawl up there.
Ruby knew she was asking her date a lot of useless questions, but instead of getting irritated by it like most people Weiss seemed to actually enjoy it. Each question was promptly answered with a solid sense of understanding. It was rather impressive if Ruby were being honest, but she figured it had more to do with Weiss being a trivia nerd than actual interest.
"How old is this place anyway?" Ruby asked, holding Weiss' hand a little tighter.
The silver-haired devil looked over her shoulder grinning from ear to ear. "Why? Are you afraid its haunted?"
"What?! No! I-I'm just worried about old infrastructure—yeah, infrastructure!" Ruby clamoured. "But, um, do you think it is? Haunted, I mean."
"Believe me Ruby, the scariest thing in this house is the hydro and electricity bill," Weiss told her sarcastically. "But to answer your questions: the mansion is well over two-hundred-years-old. And no, it isn't haunted.
"Fun fact, Everfall Grove was actually built around Rosewood Mansion. Back then this was all prime real estate. But ever since the last owners passed, away no one else in my family bothered to claim it. So it's fallen to complete ruin, thus dropping the area's market value far below what they should be."
"When was that?"
"About forty years ago," Weiss answered dutifully. "You can kind of tell from the overgrown lawn that this place needs some serious, and I mean serious TLC."
"You're going to hire someone right?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, I fully intend to once we settle in." Weiss stopped walking and told Ruby to close her eyes before they rounded the next corner. "You need to keep them shut until I say so, alright?" she said in a firm tone that left no room for arguments.
"Promise you won't let me walk into anything if I agree?"
"I promise," Weiss said.
Ruby carefully examined Weiss' excited face, gauging how truthful her beautiful date was being before closing her eyes and nodding for Weiss to continue. "This better be good!" Ruby said with a wide grin.
"Oh it will be," Weiss chuckled back.
In the darkness Ruby felt Weiss' right arm snake around her waist while her left hand held onto Ruby's, their fingers intertwined and sealed with a kiss. Ruby could feel herself tensing in Weiss' embrace. It was a strange yet pleasant feeling for Ruby since she was the sort of person who tended to avoid physical contact. It took her half a year to get used to Jaune's touch, yet here's Weiss just casually breaking through those barriers like paper.
"Almost there… and…" Weiss turned Ruby about face and scurried back to her side for the big reveal. "Open!"
Ruby quickly realized they were in the kitchen. It was barren of any personal effects but was fully modernized with only the latest in kitchen technology. Ruby's curiosity got the better of her until Weiss guided her back to the surprise. There, hanging proudly in the center of the plain white wall between a stretch of wooden cabinets was Ruby's painting "Love Forever Falls". Surprise was relatively high on the list of emotions Ruby was feeling with embarrassment and awe taking precedence over everything else.
"Well?" Weiss asked, eagerly waiting for Ruby's reaction.
"I… but how? Don bought it after the contest," Ruby said in a hushed whisper.
"Well, after I gave you the prize money I hunted him down and demanded he sell your painting to me," Weiss explained. "He initially refused but caved in when I told him of the connection I felt to you. I also begged him to give me your address or at least your scroll number so I could contact you directly, but the oaf said I'd find you again if it was truly destiny.
"I scoffed and said he was crazy for even mentioning such a thing, but I thanked him anyways; he is a friend after all."
"But you did find me, so does this mean it's destiny?" Ruby tore her gaze away from the painting long enough to see Weiss contemplate her answer. She smiled at the sight and nudged the older woman with her elbow. "You're cute when you're thinking."
"Huh?" Weiss was visibly flustered by the random comment. "What?"
"I said you're cute," Ruby chuckled. "Why? Don't believe me?"
"'Cute' isn't something I'm called often," Weiss said with a small, adorable scowl. "Ice Queen, bitch, battle-axe, slave driver, take your pick; I've heard it all."
"Those aren't really nice things to say to anyone." Ruby searched for Weiss' hand but the woman had crossed her arms in anger, so Ruby opted to do what Weiss had previously done and held her around her waist. "If it makes you feel better none of those words ever crossed my mind when I think of you."
Weiss leaned into Ruby's embrace, her eyes drifting away from Ruby's as she scoffed at the sentiment. "Flattery will only get you so far, Ruby Rose."
"Is it far enough to get that cup of coffee before midnight? Because I'm getting kind of sleepy here," Ruby said sheepishly.
Weiss nodded her head and got to work on that coffee. "How do you take your coffee?" she asked turning the café quality coffee machine on.
"Uh, cream and five sugars." Ruby expected Weiss to comment on her preference but was pleased when she didn't. "Wow, nothing? No scathing comment or snide remark?"
"Those mean the same thing, you know that right?" Weiss shot back.
"Ah, there she is!" Ruby chuckled at her bristly date.
"I simply chose not to say anything," Weiss informed Ruby with a cold undertone. "But if we are to continue this, there will have to be some changes or at least have you bring over a cheap brand during the off-chance you spend the night."
"By 'this', you mean 'us'?" Ruby waved a finger between herself and Weiss indicating their unclarified relationship. "Right?"
"Of course, what else could I have been referring to? Because we certainly can't be 'just friends'." Weiss huffed as she turned to face Ruby, her nose scrunching in disdain. "I do not kiss 'friends', especially not on the first date."
"So… girlfriends then?" Ruby suggested hopefully.
Weiss glowered at her for a brief moment before relaxing and pressing a few more buttons on the coffee maker. "Now you're just being presumptuous."
"Ugh, then what?" Now it was Ruby's turn to frown at Weiss. "Because I totally want to be your girlfriend and your friend and everything else."
"You're that sure about me even though we've just met?" Weiss paused and handed Ruby a mug of the most fragrant coffee she had ever smelled in her life. "Be careful, it's still hot."
Ruby blinked at the rich brown liquid in front of her and wondered if Weiss remembered her cream and sugars. But Weiss beat her to the punch and said she take a sip of it black just to get an idea of its quality before ruining it with sweeteners.
One sip, just one sip was all Weiss was asking of her. So one teeny-tiny sip was all Ruby took, but that sip was followed by another and another and another until the cup was empty. Weiss looked so smug sipping on her coffee, Ruby didn't need to see her devilish smirk to know it.
"You win," Ruby conceded. "I totally hate bitter things but that… that wasn't half bad."
"There's hope for you yet," Weiss smiled. "It's a special custom blend we serve at Fleur-de-lis, so it's nothing at all like the generic brands you can buy elsewhere."
"That explains it," Ruby said taking the fact to heart. "What about tea? My sister's girlfriend is crazy about that stuff."
"Oh, we actually have quite a few on our tea menu," Weiss affirmed. "All custom blends as well."
Ruby set her empty mug down on the counter behind them, thinking carefully about her next set of words. Weiss seemed to catch on and did the same, remaining quiet to let Ruby speak first.
"Thanks for the coffee, Weiss," Ruby said drawing out the conversation.
"It's no problem at all," Weiss replied still intent on letting Ruby set the pace.
Ruby nodded her head and checked her watch. "Wow it's getting late, I-I should head back home…"
"Or you could stay the night," Weiss offered smoothly.
"I wouldn't want to impose," Ruby declined, swallowing the hard lump forming in her throat.
Weiss smiled and rested a hand on Ruby's forearm as a calming gesture. "I wouldn't have offered if I thought you'd trouble me."
"Alright," Ruby nodded. "Do you have a couch I can crash on? You said you just moved in so I doubt you have any of the guest rooms set up."
"They're fully furnished, but I intend to replace everything in the coming months," Weiss said drawing closer to Ruby. "And that couch in the living room is dreadfully old."
"Just like all the pickup lines my sister taught me," Ruby chuckled nervously. "Um, Weiss?"
"Yes, Ruby?"
"I've never done this before…"
Weiss took a step back wearing a questioning look. "You mean with another woman or…?"
"Or." Ruby folded her hands behind her back trying to hide how scared she was from Weiss. "I never… with my ex, it just never felt right."
"And what about now? Ruby, I won't do anything you aren't ready for," Weiss gave Ruby a small understanding smile. "We can take things slow, I don't mind."
"That's the thing," Ruby cut in with a frustrated sigh. "I don't want to take it slow. I want this—I want you. Only you… but I'm scared." Ruby brought out her trembling hands, showing them to Weiss. "What if I'm no good at it or I somehow manage to hurt you?"
Weiss clasped her hands around Ruby's and brought them up to her lips. She placed a delicate kiss on their joined hands before holding them against her chest. She looked up at Ruby's misty silver eyes and smiled.
"I don't think you could ever hurt me, Ruby."
"But what if I—"
"No. Ruby, if you really do want for us to take this step then you need to do it without fear." Weiss let go for their hands and wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck, pressing her body flush against Ruby's. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise you that. However, if you do decide to stay the night but choose to abstain, I will respect your boundaries. The master bed is large enough to fit three people without touching."
"I… I really want to sleep with you…" Weiss pulled back and looked at Ruby with a look of uncertainty. "I want to do both."
"Are you sure? There's no going back after this," Weiss said. "I don't want you to wake up the next morning feeling any regret, so I need you to be absolutely sure."
Ruby couldn't help the smile on her face. "Yes. I'm absolutely sure about this."
"I'll stop whenever you want me to, no questions asked."
"Only if you promise to tell me if I'm doing something wrong."
"Deal," Weiss said before claiming Ruby's eager lips for a quick kiss. "I'll need you to follow me one more time."
"Wherever you go, I'll follow."
Weiss flashed Ruby a breathtaking smile and took her hand. The older woman was calm and collected. Ruby was extremely curious if Weiss was feeling even the slightest bit nervous about taking her upstairs because Weiss sure didn't show it. The confidence in her step told Ruby that Weiss had definitely done this before. She didn't want to imagine it but Coco's stupid smug face popped into her mind when she thought of Weiss' prior experiences.
"We've been walking for like an hour, are we there yet?" Ruby complained exaggeratingly.
Weiss' grip on Ruby's hand loosened and eventually let go completely. "We've been walking for two minutes tops, and yes, we are here."
"Oh," Ruby quipped, her hand not so subtly seeking out Weiss'. "Sorry. Jitters are making me jumpy."
"Do you want to stop?" Weiss asked leading Ruby inside.
"No, I'm good. Let's continue," Ruby said with pseudo confidence.
She eagerly followed Weiss into her ridiculously oversized bedroom and readied herself for the kiss that would lead her to the bed, but Weiss surprised her once more by leaving to go into her walk-in closet. Ruby stood in the middle of the room awkwardly teetering between her heels and toes as Weiss rummaged around. The redhead couldn't help but feel small in Weiss' bedroom, it was the size of Yang's whole house for crying out loud! The ceiling was high and smooth, painted white with an ornate boarder, and one of those fancy chandeliers rich people always seemed to have in the center right above where Ruby stood. The light wasn't on, but the room was still well-lit thanks to the copious amount of moonlight filtering in through the large glass panes that completely replaced the northern wall. But ignoring the lack of privacy in Weiss' gigantic bedroom, Ruby got a great view of the red forest. There wasn't much else other than the huge bed Weiss told her about and a table near the glass wall.
It was… empty.
Ruby got a distinct feeling of sadness and loneliness despite having Weiss just around the corner. The mansion felt so devoid of life that it was suffocating. How could Weiss have so much space and nothing to fill it with? Bedrooms represented the owner's true self whether or not they themselves realize it. Her small space in Yang's house showed who she was down to a tee, so what did that say about Weiss?
When the white-haired woman finally emerged, Ruby noticed that Weiss was still dressed in her date clothes but was carrying two plush bathrobes.
"Um…?"
Weiss handed one of the robes to Ruby and ushered her to the bedroom bathroom. And unsurprisingly enough, just like the room it was linked to, the bathroom was the size of Yang's house or rather it was large enough to house Yang's house like a giant babushka doll. The bathroom was less like a bathroom and more of a personal spa resort with its fancy stone tile changing lobby. A glass window wall and sliding doors separated the lobby and the actual bathing portion of the bathroom, keeping the steam well contained. Or it would have if the room wasn't so well ventilated. But the lobby was only that, a lobby. Further in, the bathing area was twice its size leading Ruby to believe the door to her right lead to the actual lavatories. Relief washed over her when Weiss confirmed her guess. At least she didn't have to worry about feeling overexposed while she did her business.
But toiletries aside, Ruby couldn't believe her eyes when she first saw it, the crowning jewel of Weiss' extravagant bathroom. So Ruby politely averted her attention to the cubby shelves she assumed would hold her clothes and shoes. There was even a nice stack of fresh clean towels in a basket next to an empty one designated for the used towels. But try as she might, Ruby couldn't hold herself back from commenting on the absurdity she saw.
When she first called it a spa, she was only joking. A little humour to break the tension but then she saw it, the stereotypical pretty lady fountain statue with the upturned vase over her shoulder that poured water into a basin at her feet. Only she wasn't a small fountain fixture and the water she never-endingly poured wasn't cold, it was hot and steamy. Though the real kicker here wasn't the giant wet lady pouring out a literal waterfall in Weiss' bathroom, it was the medium sized swimming pool the vaguely familiar looking statue was kneeling in front of.
Ruby had to mentally kick herself for the thirtieth time this evening. After all that she'd seen, she still dared to hope that Weiss might've had a normal bathroom.
"Weiss, I get that you're ballin', but why do you have a swimming pool in your bathroom?" Ruby asked seriously dumbfounded and half tempted to giggle at the statue's exposed right tit.
"It's not a pool, it's an indoor hot spring," Weiss explained. "It's great for relaxing those tense muscles after a long day of hard work. But, um, if you wish to use it, please use the shower station to your left and rinse thoroughly before slipping in."
"You say hot spring but all I hear is pool."
Weiss pinched Ruby cheek and said, "I don't like it either! That thing," she gestured to the sexy kneeling wet lady, "looks like my mother!"
"Coincidence or…?"
"Coincidence, all Schnee women born in the family tend to look the same."
"Are you letting me use this place to help me get used to you seeing me naked or do you really just not what to use it?" Ruby asked incredulously now that she could see the clear resemblance.
"I'm flattered you think I'm considerate enough to think that, but the sad truth is I hate this bathroom with a passion and the only other working one is at the other end of the estate." Weiss crossed her arms, glaring menacingly at the statue. "So unless you want to risk getting lost in the hallways forever, I suggest you suck it up and enjoy the lap of luxury—but not on the statue's actual lap, do you hear me?! I won't tolerate you cheating on me with that bitch."
Ruby hugged the ridiculously plush bathrobe close to her body and nodded. "Yes, ma'am! Understood, ma'am!"
"If it didn't have that freakish gargoyle staring me down, I'd probably have a much better opinion of it."
"Why not take it down then?"
Weiss quirked her eyebrow and grinned. "I'm five steps ahead of you, Ruby. Look beside it, do you see it?"
"Is… is that a sledge hammer?" Ruby asked, squinting into the distance. The hammer was a truly menacing, but the strange yellow objects floating in the hot water detracted from it. 'Does Weiss have a thing for rubber ducks?'
"Yes," Weiss said accidentally confirming Ruby's silly thought.
The redhead held back her snickering laugh knowing Weiss' answer had nothing to do with the yellow rubber floaties. "You really hate it that much, huh?" she asked getting back on topic.
Weiss eagerly nodded. "I'm waiting for Coco's next day off to smash that thing into oblivion! Then I'm going to renovate all this boring white marble into slate grey tiling and maybe add a nice rock waterfall.
"And after that's all done, I may consider joining you in there for a moment of relaxation. But for now Sister Marguerite's stone-faced company shall have to suffice in my place."
"Sister Marguerite?" Ruby snorted. "The statue has a name?"
"Yep," Weiss said popping the "P" like Ruby did. "But if she creeps you out, you can do what I do and throw a wet towel on her face. Hard. Mercilessly even."
"And make her look like a corpse?!" Ruby yelped in fright. "Nope! Sister Marguerite better keep her eyes to herself or that sledgehammer is going to make a new friend."
"Alright then," Weiss chuckled as she turned to leave. "Feel free to use anything you want in there. Mi casa es su casa, as the Vacuoans say."
Ruby poked her head out of the bathroom lobby to see if Weiss was still around but she found that she was alone with Sister Marguerite. Ruby sighed and begrudgingly closed the door behind her, locking it in case Weiss wasn't as chivalrous as she seemed. Sending a quick glare and a silent warning to the statue, Ruby began undressing. It felt weird, Ruby concluded by the time her panties hit the floor. Ruby knew she was completely alone, but she couldn't help but feel small and nervous. The bathroom was just so huge it felt like she was about to walk around a public place buck-naked.
"Might as well get this over with," Ruby told herself with a sigh.
She grabbed one of the towels and wrapped it around her body, the idea of being naked in such a large space was still uncomfortable for her.
"Sex better live up to the hype," Ruby grumbled as she begrudgingly made her way into the bathroom.
The first step inside was surprising to say the least. There was a constant warmth filling the room that made Ruby's skin tingle with goosebumps. She expected it to be stifling and humid inside the bath thanks to the steamy water Sister Marguerite's infinite water jug expelled but no, it was easy to breathe with a delightful citrus tang lingering in the air.
"Fancy," Ruby said ogling every corner of Weiss' luxury bathroom.
To her left in the upper corner was the shower station, a humble tempered glass cubicle with two shelves one lined with haircare products and the other for body wash. It was a deceptively simple set up compared to the elaborate decor lining everything else.
Ruby neared the shower wearily, the heated tiles and rolling warmth making her feel like she was treading through the belly of a beast. There was no telling what she'd find until she pushed the sliding doors open and reveal what the fogged over glass concealed.
Swoosh
"Huh?" Ruby blinked and entered, sliding the door behind her. "Well whaddaya know, it's totally… HOLY MOTHER OF—SISTER MARGUERITE!?"
If statue presiding over the hot spring could laugh, she'd be laughing her rock-hard butt cheeks off right about now; her much smaller twin had just scared the living crap out of Ruby.
"God damn it!" Ruby screamed, her backside flush against the opposite wall facing the miniature Marguerite. "Who the hell keeps a statue in the shower?!"
Novelty systems weren't too common compared to their more practical siblings here in Vale. And the few that littered the infinite internet space were worth the chuckles, but this… this was definitely not worth her reaction and the thousands, if not hundred-thousands, of lien it probably cost to commission.
Right off the bat it was easy to tell that Mini-Marguerite wasn't as flawless as Mega-Marble-Marguerite and showed signs of age, most notably around her hollowed out eyes, which were flaking off around the edges, and the fact she was missing her lower jaw entirely. Marguerite's water jug and arms were also missing, the jagged ridges around the location telling a tragic story of struggle—for the person not the statue.
The stalemate between Ruby and statue continued with Marguerite staring at her latest victim like an eyeless demon, taunting Ruby to try anything against it. Honestly, Ruby had more than half a mind to grab Weiss' sledgehammer and introduce it to Sister Marguerite's petite soeur. She weighed the tempting possibility against her better judgement, but ultimately decided to let Mini-Marguerite live just so she'd have the satisfaction of destroying her with Weiss on a later date.
Girlfriends who smash stuff together stay together, right?
"Okay, so how the hell do I turn this thing on?" Ruby shuddered at the double-entendre.
Her eyes scanned the cubicle for a shower head of any kind and found it in the ceiling directly above her. With that mystery solved, Ruby moved onto the next query: how to turn it on. Because other than the shelves holding all of Weiss' various haircare and body products, the creepy statue was the only thing that stood out. Following the rule of elimination, Ruby swallowed her fear and turned the statue all the way to the left… which she quickly learned was terrible, terrible idea.
Scalding hot water rained down from the heavens, drenching Ruby from head to toe with hellfire. Her hands frantically cranked the statue to the right, then to the left, then back to the right, a little to the left once more, and finally the perfect temperature was achieved. It was an ordeal and a half to get there, and Ruby was once again redder than her namesake, but it was worth it.
Oh so worth it.
Ruby could feel all her stress wash away with the heated rain, her worries a thousand miles away. The raining shower was definitely a nice change from the pressurized one at Yang's that pelted her hard enough to make her wince. It was just a shame that the rain wasn't heavy enough to massage her tense muscles.
After a quick rinse Ruby turned the water off and left the shower, her wet towel wrapped tightly around her body. She decided to forgo the shampoo and body wash entirely, preferring her natural scent over the foreign Atlesian bottles lining the shelves. Plus it felt oddly wrong to try and mask herself mere minutes before being intimate with someone. A blush spread across Ruby's cheeks or it would have if she weren't already so flushed.
"Should have made it a cold shower," Ruby lamented as she swatted away the steam and passed the hot spring and its basket of… "Lemons?" Gripping her towel tight, Ruby knelt down next to the container and read the note attached to it out loud. "Dear Frosty, lemon aid you with your stress problems. Love, Coco." Looking between the soggy note and the many undamaged lemons floating in the spring, Ruby painfully groaned, "Lemon aid… lemonade... lemme aid. She's worse than Yang. But at least I know they aren't rubber duckies now."
Love, Coco.
The phrase repeated itself again in Ruby's mind, turning frown quickly into a sneer. Love, Coco. Hearing it again, this time in the addresser's sultry voice, made Ruby's stomach churn.
'They're friends,' Ruby told herself. "And so was Pyrrha."
Ruby hastily grabbed the lemon at the top of the pile and threw it at Sister Marguerite's face as hard as she could. The lemon soared through the air, cutting straight but missing the statue's head by a hair's width. Ruby reached for another lemon, eager to tweak her aim and clock the nightmarish sister, but the sound of Weiss' voice stopped her.
"Ruby?" Weiss called from outside the bathroom. "I need to make a quick phone call downstairs. Take your time, I don't know when I'll be done."
"Alright!" Ruby shouted as she placed the lemon in her hand back down.
Of course Ruby had no interest in staying any longer than she needed to. The steam was starting to get to her and that was never a good sign, Blake's books taught her that much. So Ruby left the lemons and the sisters on death row behind.
Love, Coco.
Ruby was in the middle of towelling herself off when the forbidden phrase popped back into her head. She gritted her teeth and forced the thought back out before she tossed her towel into the used bin.
"Alright, just email the rest to me when you have the chance," Weiss' voice echoed in the hall. "Mhm, of course, I expect only the best from you, you ingrate… yes, good night to you as well and give my regards to Velvet."
Weiss was practically outside her bedroom door now. Ruby had to decide quick if she wanted to keep Weiss from waiting on her, but what to do? The choices were getting harder to settle on with each step Weiss took. Should she wear her big girl undies or go commando under her robe?
"God damn it, Coco, would you just hang up?" Weiss shouted, her voice just past the bathroom door. "I don't care about the oregano! Just order it and—no, you know what? Good night!"
After hearing Coco's name and the angry tone Weiss said it with, Ruby felt the smart thing to do was give Weiss a second to breathe and calm down. It really was for the best. Ruby noticed that she had a tendency to push all the wrong buttons when it came to Weiss and she really wasn't looking forward to spending the night on the couch, so she took her time slipping back into her underwear.
After securely tying her robe's sash around her waist, Ruby began thinking about what she'd heard. She didn't know what could've been so important that the brunette had to call Weiss after midnight.
'Maybe she was worried about Weiss,' Ruby thought but quickly dashed it away with another. 'Nah, she doesn't seem the type. Otherwise she wouldn't have let me leave with Weiss so easily.'
Sighing, Ruby gave up. There wasn't any point in worrying herself silly over a phone call. And plus, Weiss was with her tonight not Coco; that gave a healthy boost to Ruby's bruised ego.
"Okay, let's do this!" Ruby said psyching herself up. "Game time, Ruby, don't fuck up."
Ruby strutted out of the bathroom, holding her head high with confidence. She was strong, sexy, and she knew it; Weiss was going to enjoy unwrapping this particular present. Ruby hoped to catch Weiss eagerly waiting for her by the bed but instead she was greeted with a sight straight out of a painting.
The blue-eyed woman was leaning against her panoramic window, gazing out at the moon with her mind a million miles away while she sipped on a tall glass of wine. The moonlight bouncing off of her snowy hair made the silken threads resplendent, but the morose expression Weiss' half lidded eyes held made her look more like a lunar goddess pining for her distant realm than an aristocrat watching over her lands.
Weiss cradled her elbow with her free hand, her shoulder pressed firmly against the window pane. Ruby approached her quietly, tiptoeing around her so she could hold Weiss from behind. The older woman didn't seem to mind or even notice Ruby snake her arms around her waist, but she did lean in when Ruby placed a light kiss on her temple.
"Hey," Ruby said as she nuzzles her nose against the nape of Weiss' neck.
"Hello," Weiss replied taking another sip of wine before offering it to Ruby. "It's a vintage bottle of Rosé d'Anjou, I think you'll like it."
"Well, roses are kind of my thing so… eh, why not!" Weiss chuckled at Ruby's enthusiasm and tipped the glass to give the girl a taste. "Oh wow, that's really sweet—annd there goes the aftertaste…"
"Aftertaste aside, how did you find it?" Weiss asked.
"Pretty good," Ruby quipped. "Totally different from those cheap bottom shelf bottles."
"I would hope so since this bottle probably costs more than your average Beacon tuition," Weiss said dryly. She offered the glass once more before downing the rest with a content sigh, enjoying the feel of Ruby's strong arms around her too much to move. "Did you enjoy your shower?"
"Yeah," Ruby hummed, her nose buried deep in Weiss' rose scented hair. "You smell pretty."
"Thank you."
"Oh! That reminds me, did you know you have lemons in your swimming pool?" Ruby quickly added.
"I haven't shown you that part of the mansion yet."
Ruby shook her head. "No, the one in the bathroom. You've got lemons floating in it."
"What?"
"Coco left you a basket full of 'em, too."
"Oh for crying out loud! I told that idiot to stop wasting them," Weiss groaned in exasperation. "Was there a note?"
"Y-Yeah…" Ruby managed to force out. 'Love, Coco.'
"Well? What did it say?"
Ruby sighed and pulled away, her eyes downcast and crestfallen. It was only a passing glance but Ruby could see the bottle of Rosé on the table closest to the panoramic wall. She took Weiss' empty glass from her hand, not needing permission to do so, and went to fill it up. Ruby could feel Weiss' curious gaze burrow holes in her back, but she needed a little help from some liquid courage to bring up what she wanted to say.
"Is everything alright, Ruby?" Weiss asked not liking the sudden silence between them.
Ruby poured an ounce of wine into the glass, downing it in one gulp like a shot before pouring much more. With a healthy amount of alcohol coursing through her system, Ruby returned to Weiss' side.
"Can I ask you something that's been bugging me all night?" Ruby took a sip of wine then offered it to Weiss who eagerly accepted it.
"Go right ahead."
Taking a deep breath, Ruby asked, "Is there something going on between you and Coco? I-I know it really isn't my place to try and assume anything, but you guys seem really close and—"
"Is that all?" Weiss chuckled. "Aside from being my business partner, Coco's my best friend. We've known each other since we were children and yes, there is history between but that's considerable seeing as she's also my ex-wife."
"What?!" Ruby was glad she'd given the wine glass to Weiss because she would've dropped it right then and there.
Weiss drank her liquor with a refined countenance, her face impassive as she gauged Ruby's mental state. "Did she not tell you?"
"No, but I wish she had…"
"I see," Weiss said with a frown. "I suppose this is where you question my morals and my reason for pursuing you."
"Kind of… but I only want answers, I know you aren't like most people; you won't hurt me," Ruby told Weiss, smiling weakly at her. "I believe you when you say you like me, it's Coco I don't trust."
"Then allow me to put your fears to rest," Weiss said in a much lighter tone. "She and I were married, and we were happy. But that was only because we knew we weren't meant to be. We agreed that if either one of us found someone we truly loved, we'd separate without a fight. She found Velvet and," Weiss reached out and touched Ruby's cheek, "I found you.
"Love isn't as straight forward as society tries to make us believe. It isn't always romantic. And while there was a time when she and I were in love, that time has passed; just like the seasons.
"When you and I met, I felt something that I never felt with her; it was electrifying. I went home that evening unable to think about anything else. I never believed in love at first sight, and I still don't, but I do believe in destiny and in what I feel."
"I felt the same thing, too." Ruby found the courage to touch Weiss again, only this time she didn't feel the lingering hesitation that froze her in place.
"A lot of things happened in the year we were apart. Some good and some bad," Weiss said touching the fresh scar healing above her eye. "We have all the time in the world to piece things together. I'm just glad my leap of faith lead me back to you."
Ruby smiled and took the wine glass from Weiss, finishing it off before she put it away next to the bottle of Rosé.
"Can I ask you one last thing?" Ruby turned to face her soulmate, a burning desire shining clear in her moonlit silver eyes.
"Anything."
"I need to hear it from you. Straight forward with no misdirection," Ruby said firmly. "I can't commit to this until you say it."
"Alright, what is it?"
"Do you still have any feelings for Coco? And I don't mean the kind you'd have for a friend or someone who's practically family." Ruby stood her ground. "Are you still in love with her?"
Weiss looked Ruby dead in the eye and said, "No. Coco is my best friend. I will always love her, but only as my sister and closest confidant."
"And what about her?" Ruby asked. "Do you think she feels the same way you do?"
"Darling, please, who do you think convinced me to move to Vale in the first place?" A mirthful chuckle rumbled in Weiss' chest, her eyes telling a story Ruby wanted to ask about later. "When I told her about you, she practically threw the divorce papers at me asking when the wedding was."
"Really?"
Weiss quirked her scarred eyebrow at Ruby. "Where do you think I got this giant paper cut from?"
"I know that's a lie but I can still see it happening," Ruby shot back with a pout.
"So, is there anything else you want to ask me?"
Ruby shook her head and embraced Weiss fully. "No, just promise you'll be gentle and that you won't laugh at how bad I am at this."
"Can't have been worse than my first time," Weiss said, whispering in Ruby's ear. "Just do what your body tells you to do. This isn't just sex, Ruby. I want to connect with you. I want to love you, so I need you to trust in me."
"I trust you," Ruby confessed without thinking, her heart taking the lead. "I'm sorry I doubted you."
"Let that be the first and the last," Weiss said. "We have a long way to go together, but I'll be there with you every step of the way.
"Now, are you sure you want to do this? There's nothing here that dictates what we should do. If you're uncomfortable with anything, I want you to tell me."
"I want this."
Weiss sought for the truth in Ruby's eyes and found it soon enough. There wasn't a single shred of doubt or hesitation like she'd seen earlier down in the kitchen. Instead, Ruby was confident in her decision and that was all Weiss needed to know before she leaned in and kissed her.
This chapter was a long time coming—literally! It's been years since this story first came out and I'm excited to get to this portion.
In regards to Weiss' scar, if you flip back to previous chapters there was never any mention of it meaning it's recent. Cutting one's hair is also a sign of beginning anew, hence her much shorter haircut in the current events. And I really hope people know me enough to tell that I put a lot of meaning between the lines.
Now a little bit about Coco. If you follow any of my other stories you can see the parallels in Weiss' relationships right away. I had always planned to give Weiss that secular friend, but none of the characters gave off the proper vibe until Coco appeared in the second season. Her place in the Sharkyverse is integral to any story she appears in, past, future, and present AUs, it doesn't matter. That's why my updates were slower than needed be. I had to find the right person. And that person is Coco.
Her role shall always be Weiss' platonic soulmate with Ruby being her romantic one. This will never change. Tested time and time again, but their dynamic will always snap back into place. I also wanted it to properly reflect Weiss as a person when it comes to love and friendship. To her she sees Coco as someone so integral to her life that any misconceptions and allegations can be laughed off. It also affects Ruby because it takes a truly mature individual to understand that their significant other can have other people in their lives without it being romantic.
Colour Blind, Nature's Wrath, and anything I come up with in the future will always have deeper multifaceted views on love and friendship with a focus on trust.
That being said, one of the lemons in Sister Marguerite's hot spring really was a rubber ducky.
Remember to drop a review if you enjoyed the story! It lets me know the story still garners enough attention to warrant my time to update considering I have about a million other things I want to write and share.