Socially Lost

It was one of those days again, the type of days where Ruby was well aware of how out-of-the-loop she was with Society and its standings. It was an odd way to feel, but most people just...fit right in with no trouble at all, making a way through the crowds of people and doing what seemed natural.

It wasn't that easy for her, though. She was always nervous and clumsy around people, strangers the most, and found it hard to just be comfortable. Even amongst her friends she had moments of doubt and to were they would throw her a confused or pitiful look. At least they were never mean about it, and it only happened for a little bit. Still, Ruby had learn to venture away from them as of late, to stay to herself or Yang, who for some reason 'got' her more then anyone else probably ever will. Her sister knew her and her small 'hiccups' and 'fumbles' but loved her anyway.

Her dad said it was more then likely because she had been left alone for a good portion of her childhood, be it from the long hunts her mother had to go do or the time she spent in the forest alone doing and eating anything she could find. She remembered how she kept her mouth closed for so long, that her lips were stuck together and split open when she tried to open her mouth to drink from a small creek that was moving just enough to avoid being frozen over. Maybe he was right though, maybe it was because of the lack of people she grew up around that caused her to be weird, but that felt more like an excuse then a real reason.

Sadly, it wasn't just her speech or manners that made her odd, it was her interests in Society too. Ruby was well aware she was a female, but she took no interest in clothes, like Pyrrha and Nora, she had no will to watch a movie like Jaune or Blake, no desire to know about the famous or the rich like Weiss and Ren, and she hated fashion and make-up unlike her beloved sister, Yang. They tried, they really did, to make sure she was included in their talks, but she just...didn't know what anyone was talking about. Movies were boring, clothes and fashion were always changing and not for the better in her opinion, she didn't care about the famous and had a hard time remembering their names anyway.

So, here she was, walking the streets of Vale, her small drawing kit swinging from her hip and sketch book hooked to a special belt she had made for it, wandering around with no real goal for the day. Everyone was off doing things, talking, laughing, being social. Where was she?

No, really, where was she?

Glancing around, she saw she was in front of a small coffee shop with two large windows at the storefront, allowing her to see inside the mostly empty building. Letting loose a small smile, Ruby decided that a cup of ice coffee sounded nice, and what a better way to enjoy a coffee, then to sit by the window and draw?

It was a good theory anyway, she hated ordering things because that meant she had to speak in a tone they would understand and she always dropped at least one coin on the floor too. The window was safe though, she didn't need to talk to it, but she knew in order to sit by that window she would need to be a customer.

"May I help you?"

The voice of the cashier awoke Ruby from her daze, making her look around. Seems like her feet had made the decision for her, she guessed. "Uhh..."Glancing up at the ordering broad, she scanned the many different choices of drink before she heard a sigh come from the man.

"Look, I know it's a slow day, but that don't mean you get to be slow."

"R-right! Sorry! I'll have umm...the...iced coffee peppermint...thing?" she knew right away that she screwed up some how. His scrunched up face and narrowing eyes told her that much.

"You mean our iced peppermint mocha with whip cream?"

"Yeah...that."

"That's ten lien." He snorted, as Ruby dug in her wallet and pulled out her lien and paid him, nearly losing a coin but catching it before it hit the ground. After receiving her drink, which was rather large, she walked over to the window and sat down. Her head was buzzing now, her cheeks warmer then they should be. At least she caught the coin.

Sighing, then taking a sip of her drink, she began to gather her things and draw. They were nothing but dancing lines, twirling emotions, words that one saw and not heard. Why couldn't she express herself like this to others? Why were her words so...fumbled and messy, but her lines were so crisp and clear?

The drink was nice, refreshing and cold, though seeing that everyone was wearing something warm and she was in nothing but a tee-shirt and some baggy pants with an iced coffee made her stick out a bit more. Maybe she should just...not care about what others think? But humans were social animals, thriving together in a community and even craved social interaction amongst others. Even she felt the need to be with others sometimes, though by others, she meant Yang.

"You're really hard to find, Ruby Rose." The voice made the young girl jump, clenching her chest in an attempt to calm her heart. Before her sat her lovely girlfriend, Weiss Schnee. "Yang was right, you really are having a bit of a bad day."

"It's normal." Ruby replied as she calmed down and began drinking her beverage.

"Is that an iced coffee? Isn't it a bit chilly for that?" Weiss scoffed as she crossed her arms. "And another thing, why didn't you invite me to your little outing? We are supposed to be dating, you know."

Ruby didn't answer, didn't want to mess things up even more. She just continued to draw and crunch on her ice, making Weiss wince at the sound of it, but she didn't pay attention. She just wanted...

...what did she want?

"I find myself having off days too, Ruby." The heiress sighed as she glanced at the lines her partner was drawing. They were swirls and spins, angles and sharp turns. It was clear that the other was lost, in a maze, and felt...alone. When she noticed surprised, silver eyes blinking back at her, Weiss let go a light chuckle. "I may not be as...different, as you, but I promise you that not everyone floats along in their social life. It takes a bit of work, and a small amount of interest."

"I don't have that."

"I am well aware, trust me, I thought about this greatly before I started liking you." Weiss reached out and tapped the corner of Ruby's sketch book with a finely painted nail. "Some people just aren't wired to be social and there is nothing wrong with that. But I know you feel a bit...left out, I suppose, so I have thought of a way to help you."

"H-huh? Help? How?" Ruby's eyes widen as she stared at her smirking girlfriend. "If I'm not wired to be social-"

"Good, you were listening." Weiss hummed as she nodded her head to herself. "You need more self confidence." Her voice gave no room for argument, not that Ruby could truly give one in the state she was in.

Weiss focused on Ruby for a moment more before getting up, throwing her empty cup away, and placing all her pencils and sketch book back where they belong before dragging the groaning teen out of the door and into the streets. "The first thing you need to do is dress a bit better. And no, I'm not talking about dresses or mini skirts." She blew out a breath before continuing. "Something that will make you feel a bit better about yourself."

"Why?" It was a simple question, but why did Weiss look at her with so many emotions? Was it a hard answer? Or was it a no-brainer?

"Because..." The words were hard to explain, well, to someone like Ruby anyway. "If you feel better about yourself, people will feel better about you, too."

"I don't feel bad about myself, I just have off days."

"That's not what I mean, Ruby." Weiss stopped in front off a clothing store and led them inside. It was nothing special, except that Yang was standing there, tapping her boot clad foot. "You don't take any pride in yourself. You're too worried about what others think. So you sputter sometimes, so you have weird habits and ideas, and who cares if you constantly wear a cloak? No one cares unless they want to pick at you, or that you make it an issue."

"Weiss has a point, Ruby." Yang sighed as she took a few steps closer to the couple and wrapped her younger sibling in a hug. "So today, me and the ice princess here are going to cheer you up!"

"Excuse you! I thought we agreed on a friendly co-existence today!" Weiss snarled as the blonde merely stuck her tongue out at her. "Why you-"

"Anyways~!" Yang chuckled as she squeezed the sighing Ruby harder, "Blake wanted to come too, but then she felt like she was intruding on a moment. She's waiting back at the dorms for us, so let's go!"

"Hold on! We haven't bought the clothing yet!" Weiss pointed out, only to have her eyes widen at the sight of a bag the taller was holding. "You didn't!"

"I did!" Yang smirked as she moved Ruby to sit on her shoulders, after moving her precious hair to the side. It seemed like the younger didn't care about anything that was going on, that or she was just ignoring them at this point. "You should be happy that I'm sharing my wisdom with you, Weiss." Yang started to make her way through the crowds, smiling and not caring about who or what stared at her. "You see, Ruby learns through a number of different ways. She watches, she mimics, and she tries until she either does or doesn't. Sounds simple enough, right?"

"Where are you going with this?" Weiss snapped, though she truly was paying attention.

"This has been a problem for her since the beginning, so you can imagine her trying to do and then trying to mimic." Yang smiled wider as she watched the smaller nod in understanding. "So the only way she's going to learn is by watching. In fact, the only reason she hasn't learned by now is due to one, single problem."

"That being...? What?"

"She's never gone outside when she's like this. Now look at her! She went outside and bought her a drink, if her minty breath is any indication, and now...she's watching." The older sister pointed up at the younger, making the heiress follow with her eyes.

Ruby was indeed watching, she was watching people walk by them, not caring or staring, not laughing at or pointing to. Her eyes were wide, darting to and fro, the gears clearly turning inside them. At times, her fingers would twitch in the golden locks of hair she held and sometimes her mouth would move, like she was speaking softly to someone.

"If you're going to really date my sister, then you're going to have to pick up on some of her kinks. She'll always be awkward and she will probably never like girly things and she'll always wanna be a hero...but she is adaptable when it counts, she's caring and loving more then she should be, and her being awkward only makes her more adorable."

~ Dorm Room~~

Ruby smiled happily as Weiss slowly ran her fingers through her hair as she laid her head in her lap. Yang had bought her new pjs, a footie that made her look like a little beowolf, and Blake had read her a small tale about a lion and a mouse.

Maybe they were right, maybe she shouldn't put so much thought into other people's opinions. Maybe she should just worry about herself for the most part. It wasn't like those people would see her again, and if they did, they wouldn't remember her. She did need to work on her speech though, but that could wait.

...Right after...a small...little...lap nap...

"...Is...IS SHE DROOLING?! RUBY!"

A/N: Hey guys! This was a super special chapter for a super fan named GrowlScout! GS wanted a chapter that focused more on a awkward Ruby, so I decided to dig deep into the mind of the awkward and pull out how they feel! It was easy to do, since I'm a tad awkward myself, but I always had my sister there to help me through it! And beat up those who took it too far! Speaking of that...YANG DON'T KILL THAT CASHIER! I MEAN IT!