Ruby's heart was hammering in her chest and she could hardly breathe in the empty lobby. "Out of all the things I could've said, I picked, 'your scar is cool'? Anything would've been better than that! Heck, nothing would've been better than that!" She cried, burying her face in her hands and groaning like she'd been hit in the stomach.
She rubbed her eyes, the smell of oil clung to her hands, relaxing her. "I should've just left those earbuds hanging there," She sighed, looking up and walking towards the elevators, Zwei's nails clicking on the floor as they moved.
"Do you think I was acting awkward?" She asked, looking down at Zwei, who looked up at her with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "It's not like I was expecting Weiss to walk up out of nowhere while I was buying a hotdog, I panicked!"
Zwei licked his nose and wagged his tail at her.
"I hope she didn't mind me saying that stuff about her scar. She laughed a lot, that's good, right?" Ruby asked, pushing the up button. The sound of the gears worrying to life hummed through the doors as the elevator descended.
"I don't think she didn't recognize me. But is that good or bad? Or- wait? Ugh, where's Yang when you need her," She whined as the doors dinged open. The two of them rushed inside, with Ruby elbowing the twelve button on her way in.
"Maybe she hasn't heard anything yet?" She wondered as the doors closed and they were launched into the air. "I doubt it," Ruby said sadly, looking down at her dog who was staring at her with a clueless smile.
"Zwei, you're cute, but sometimes you really are no help," She admitted, "But you're a really good listener," she smiled, bending down and rubbing his ears. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hands, riding in bliss until the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. She kissed Zwei on the head and stood up, freaking out slightly less than when the ride had started.
Ruby frowned when she saw how barren the office lobby was. Sure her new times were later, but she was hoping to at least see at least one familiar face here. Well, one familiar face that didn't work here.
Amy was sitting behind the reception desk, talking to a tall woman with a clipboard. She was dressed in a suit that looked too tight in some places and too loose in others, with bags under her eyes that seemed to stretch on for miles.
There were also two boys with straw blonde hair sitting awkwardly and holding hands. They were each trying to hide the same anxious expression, but neither of them looked too convincing.
Ruby didn't recognize them, but she'd seen people like them more times than she could count. An overworked caseworker, kids who had been through more than any kid ever should, court-ordered therapy, and probably two parents fighting over them. The younger brother wiped his nose with his sleeve while his brother rubbed his back.
She pulled out her phone and saw she was only… Fifteen minutes late. Great. "Don't make her wait any more, let's just go," Ruby mumbled to herself, keeping her eyes forwards as she moved towards the door.
"Sam, I'm scared," The younger brother whispered.
"I know, it'll be fine," The older brother, Sam, was trying to keep a brave face but Ruby could see the hand not around his brother shaking. She gritted her teeth and tried to keep walking, but after a few steps, she turned and was walking towards the boys.
Sam found her quickly, staring at her and trying to figure her out. Ruby walked up calmly and confidently, smiling warmly at them as she tried to be as unthreatening as possible.
"You guys like dogs?" Ruby asked suddenly, catching both of the boys off guard. It was only then that they seemed to realize Zwei was looking up at them and wagging his tail. The younger brother lit up, grinning like a madman. Sam looked apprehensive, but his eyes were just as glued to Zwei as his brothers.
"Yeah!" he said, bouncing up and down in his chair.
"His name's Zwei,"
"Hi, Zwei, I'm David!" He waved excitedly.
"You wanna pet him?" David looked up at his brother, the older boy looked at Ruby sceptical, but when he saw how excited his brother was, a small smile grew on his face. He hesitated, but nodded to his brother.
"Can I?" He asked, looking up at Ruby now.
"I don't see why not," She held her sack of potatoes out for him, Zwei's tail was a blur.
David held his hand out for Zwei, who started licking it, "That tickles!" he giggled, scratching Zwei's back with his other hand. "He's so soft,"
"Pff, don't tell him that! It'll go straight to his ego," She whispered, her eyes flicking from David to Zwei, grinning.
"But look at his eyes!" He gushed, showering the dog with praise. The older brother pulled his arm from around David, putting it back in his lap and watching them.
"Do you wanna hold him? He's friendly," she smiled at Sam.
He looked past Ruby and at the caseworker who was standing by Amy, eyeing the three of them. Amy whispered something to the woman, who nodded at her, "Go ahead, Sam," the woman said, her voice soft but strict.
Sam held out his arms and Ruby gently handed him Zwei, who settled into his lap. "Be careful, he's heavier than he looks," She laughed, getting a giggle from both of the boys.
"Does he like getting scratched behind the ears?" David asked.
"He likes getting scratched everywhere," She joked, unable to resist giving him a scratch on the top of the head.
"Alright boys, I think that's enough, " The woman said gently, walking over with a tired smile on her face. The boys' faces fell, but the petting didn't stop.
"Just a few more minutes?" David asked hopefully.
"We're running late enough as is," She said regretfully, honestly looking sad for the boys.
"Zwei and I are running late ourselves, so we should get going. Are you two gonna be here next week?"
"Every Monday," The woman nodded.
"Perfect! Do you guys wanna make a deal then?"
"A deal? What kind" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, it's your guy's first time here, so if you promise to try and do well in your session, I'll show up early next week and let you play with Zwei before your meeting. But I'm friends with the people here, so I'll know if you don't," She explained, watching the two of them have a silent conversation.
"That's it?" David questioned.
"Yup! I'd say that's pretty fair," Ruby smiled, giggling excitedly.
The two looked at each other again and nodded after only a moment, "Deal," Sam said, holding out his hand.
Ruby felt her hands get clammy, trying to breathe through the tremors that were trying to move through her body. "Deal," She swallowed, shaking his hand.
"We'll see you two next week then," Ruby smiled, taking Zwei from Sam and setting him back on the ground.
"Bye, Zwei!" David called, waving as the two of them walked towards the reception desk, only to be stopped by the woman putting a hand on her shoulder.
"It's been too long since I've seen them that happy, thanks," She whispered.
"You don't have anything to thank me for," Ruby chuckled, walking up to Amy who had a smirk on her face.
"Back at it again already?" She teased.
"What does that even mean?" Ruby questioned with a laugh.
"Nevermind," Amy smiled, shaking her head. "You're late again by the way,"
"It's not my fault this time, I swear! Jaune begged me to solder something right as I was walking out, then he told me something really weird, then there was traffic!" Ruby whined, giving Amy her puppy dog eyes.
"I'm not the one you need to apologize to. Now get moving or she'll really crack the whip," Amy cackled, pretending to use an invisible whip.
"She'd never do something that! I hope," She said uneasily, before rushing through the door and into the back.
"Good luck!" Amy called after her, and Ruby couldn't help but smile.
Zwei's tag jingled around his neck and was the only noise in the hall. That was until they neared the end, where something could be heard coming from the last door on the right. Ruby didn't even bother knocking before barging in
"You're late," someone said before she'd even opened the door.
"I know, I know, but I can explain!" Ruby begged as she walked into Winter's office.
The office was simple, with Winter's desk in the back of the room and a brown couch in the middle with a chair next to it. Toys were scattered across the room with the toy chest shoved against the side of the wall open and empty.
Winter was laying down on the couch with her phone on her chest playing rock music, the guitar and drums filling the room. "Sure you can," Winter teased.
"I can! Also, it looks like a tornado came through here," Ruby said, dancing around blocks and toys until she made it to the couch, sitting on the armrest near Winter's feet.
"Hurricane Adrian actually,"
"I thought you made people clean up before they leave?"
"Normally. But I thought cleaning up after him would be a good punishment for being late," Winter explained, an evil grin on her face.
"Wait, I have to clean this up? Why?" Ruby complained while Zwei jumped up on the chair and got ready for a nap.
"Because you were late again," Winter said with a cheeky look on her face.
"But how did you know I was gonna be late again?"
"Because I know you," Winter laughed.
"You're mean," Ruby teased, smiling.
"Don't worry, I'll help. A little. Later. But nevermind that, how've you been this week?" Winter asked, sitting up and turning off her music.
"Do you remember that girl I've told you about?"
"The mystery girl you've been telling me about? Of course,"
"Well, you're never gonna believe this,"