Ruby couldn't quite remember when she had last been at the mall, much less been to the mall with another person. After college, she was so focused on work that going to such places was never really in the cards. It wasn't as if she had the money to spend anyway.

But as she observed Pyrrha walking smoothly alongside her, she couldn't help but feel her spirits lift. Being at the mall, being with Pyrrha, it seemed almost…natural.

The tall redhead had invited her out soon after the lunch at Vale's. She explained that Weiss and Blake had other work responsibilities, so she wanted to get some one-on-one time with Ruby. Ruby had readily accepted. Going out to eat at the restaurant had been sort of a breath of fresh air for her, and she was eager to get out more. Thankfully, she didn't have to work on that Sunday, so there wasn't a reason for her to say no.

When she had arrived at the mall, she couldn't help but smile when she saw Pyrrha waiting at the entrance for her, giving Ruby an excited little wave. She also couldn't help the rush of blood to her cheeks as she observed Pyrrha's attire.

Despite her wealth, Pyrrha seemed to opt for more modest outfits. Nothing flashy at all. Today, with the sunny spring weather, she was wearing a simple red tank-top and skinny black jeans and white sneakers. Nobody would have guessed that she was an enormously successful real-estate CEO. The top left her arms completely bare, and the muscles that she had seen in the three women's profile picture was very much accentuated. They rippled with power and Ruby had felt her mouth go dry.

"Ruby?"

Said girl snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed that she had actually begun to fall behind Pyrrha in the midst of her ruminations. Pyrrha had stopped and was looking back at her with a bright grin, eyes sparkling.

"O-Oh, sorry. Just got lost in my thoughts, I guess."

Pyrrha giggled, and Ruby thought it was one of the most beautiful sounds she had ever heard.

"Not a problem, Ruby. Now, come on. We're going to get some clothes for you."

Ruby blinked.

"Clothes shopping? But…I didn't bring any money…" Ruby said, almost shamefully.

At that, Pyrrha shook her head with a huff, an audible mix of amusement and exasperation. She strode up to Ruby and the smaller redhead felt a little intimidated. Pyrrha was just so tall. She towered over Ruby and Ruby had to crane her neck upwards slightly just to meet her eyes.

Pyrrha placed her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Ruby, do you remember what Weiss said at lunch?" She lightly tapped Ruby on the nose. "We want to make you happy. Our profile quite literally says we're looking for someone to spoil and pamper. That means you have to let us do that."

Ruby shrunk in on herself. "I know, but…I didn't know that meant, like…buying me things. I knew money would be a part of it, but…"

"I know this can seem strange to you. It's new and, forgive me for assuming, you seem like a girl who isn't used to people doing nice things for her." Pyrrha smiled again, and Ruby felt her heart melt. "So please, let us make you happy." She squeezed Ruby's shoulders.

Ruby was once again sucked into her own mind. Pyrrha was right: this was very strange for her, and the taller redhead had zoned in immediately on what was holding Ruby back. Ever since she had graduated high school, she had been on her own, and she so rarely had the luxury of relying on others, unless it was a group project for class, and that had only turned her off of the notion even further. It wasn't as if she had much of a choice. Circumstances beyond her control had forced her to rely on herself, and it had been like that for almost four years now.

But when she looked at Pyrrha, some of that apprehension disappeared. The earnest look that inhabited those emerald orbs seemed so genuine, so honest. Pyrrha struck Ruby as that type of woman, almost too honest for her own good. So, she could be secure in at least feeling that Pyrrha was telling her the truth.

As such, Ruby nodded. "Okay…if you're okay with it."

Pyrrha's eyes lit up. "Of course, I am." She removed her hands from Ruby's shoulders and slipped a hand into one of the younger girl's. "Now come on. I know just the place for you!" She said enthusiastically as she began to tug Ruby along.

Ruby's face once again warmed as she stumbled the first few steps to keep up with Pyrrha. Her heartrate rocketed upwards at the feeling of Pyrrha's warm hand in her own and her face heated up once more. However, she also smiled a bit at the woman's exuberance. Her heart felt lighter than it had in a long time.

Soon enough, they were standing in front of a high-end clothing store that Ruby would never have any reason to walk into. But then she reminded herself who she was with as Pyrrha once again pulled on her hand and led her into the women's section of the store.

Ruby was awestruck at the options before her. T-shirts, blouses, jeans, skirts, sweaters, and countless other articles of clothing lined the racks and walls. Pyrrha gently pushed her forward to pick some things out. However, almost on instinct, Ruby felt herself gravitating towards the table that proclaimed the clothes atop it were on sale. She began rifling through them before a hand gripped her shoulder. She winced as she turned around to see Pyrrha giving her possibly the most deadpan look she had seen in her life.

"This really is difficult for you, huh?"

Ruby sighed. "I know…I'm sorry. It's just habit."

A thoughtful hum was her response. "How about this? I'll start picking out some clothes and you tell me whether or not you like them, okay?"

Ruby thought for a moment before nodding, and then they were off, with Pyrrha searching a rack here and a table there, selecting clothes she thought Ruby would like or look good in. When she did, Ruby would go into the dressing room to change. She would then step out and get Pyrrha's opinion.

Ruby could feel herself getting progressively more bashful as Pyrrha told her over and over how cute she was in basically anything, clapping her hands in approval or cooing in adoration. She reacted positively to almost every article of clothing she had picked out. Finally, Ruby huffed as she gave Pyrrha a suspicious look, looking between her and the growing stack of clothes that Pyrrha had given a thumbs up to.

"Pyrrha, erm…Miss Nikos-"

"Pyrrha." Pyrrha said firmly. "Miss Nikos makes me sound old." She continued with a chuckle.

"Okay, Pyrrha. Why do you keep saying I look good in everything?"

A raised eyebrow is what she received in response. "Because you do."

"No, I don't." Ruby shook her head, and the finality and firmness of the denial distressed Pyrrha. "I'm just…average. All these fancy clothes…they're wasted on me."

"Ruby, stop."

The girl flinched at the hardness that overcame the woman's normally cheerful tone. Pyrrha's eyebrows were furrowed and a frown that seemed so foreign to her face was directed at Ruby.

"The only reason you don't think your beautiful is because you haven't had people around you to tell you that you are." Pyrrha approached Ruby and, to the smaller girl's surprise, embraced her in a gentle hug. "I'm being one-hundred percent honest. I think you're a very beautiful girl and these clothes aren't wasted on you. They're going to accentuate what makes you so beautiful." Ruby squeaked when she felt a kiss being placed on the top of her head. "You deserve to be happy and feel beautiful."

They stood there, in the middle of the store, with Ruby's head resting on Pyrrha's chest.

Beautiful…

It had been such a long time since she had heard those words used to describe her. The last person had been her father and that had been a long time ago. The emotions welled up in Ruby's heart as she felt Pyrrha tighten her hold on her, rubbing her back in comfort.

"It's like I said before, Ruby: we want to help make you happy. Please let us." Pyrrha whispered, almost pleading.

That was it. Ruby slowly moved her arms to return Pyrrha's hug.

"Okay…" She responded in a small voice. She was forcing herself to not cry.

After remaining like that for another minute or so, Pyrrha led Ruby to the counter to pay for her clothes. She did it with a smile on her face the entire time, even while Ruby cringed at the two zeroes at the end of Pyrrha's total cost. Ruby left the store with two heavy bags filled with clothes. Pyrrha had indicated that some work responsibilities required her to head home soon, so they opted to head to the front of the mall where they would say their goodbyes.

However, as the walked down the crowded hall of the mall, something caught her eye for the briefest of moments. A video game store had a large advertisement for the latest gaming system on the market. Ruby had casually browsed on online stores and had seen it, and she fantasized about having something to do after work as opposed to just watching cable.

Her gaze lingered on the advertisement for only a few seconds before she continued to walk alongside Pyrrha. But Pyrrha had already stopped and observed the advertisement.

"Do you want that game, Ruby?"

Ruby instantly knew what she was thinking about.

"Miss Ni-uh, Pyrrha, please, no! I was just looking at it."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Why not? It's certainly nothing I can't afford."

Ruby grabbed her wrist and tried to tug her away from the store. "Pyrrha, no. You've already spent so much on me today! I don't need it, I promise." Ruby sounded almost desperate now.

She couldn't believe that Pyrrha was actually considering this! She had already given Ruby so much and Ruby wasn't about to make her pay for some stupid video game. The guilt she would feel would weigh on her and she knew that it would.

Despite Ruby's pulling, Pyrrha remained solid as a rock on the spot and actually began walking towards the store.

"Pyrrha! You don't need to do this for me!"

"Maybe not, but I want to."

Pyrrha was honestly shocked at how resistant Ruby was being to this whole thing. She had never met a sugar baby like this. She figured perhaps that Ruby had only been looking for enough to get by, a small cushion so she wouldn't have as many stresses on her shoulders every month. But that certainly wasn't what Pyrrha was looking for. She had gained a little insight into the type of person that Ruby was. Shy, insecure, and she felt undeserving of so much affection and goods being thrown her way. It was so different from every other person she, Weiss, and Blake had come across on that dating site, but it was actually a breath of fresh air. Instead of showering someone with gifts to keep them around, Pyrrha felt she was actually helping someone. Ruby's happiness, quite suddenly, had become a priority for her.

Ruby groaned and eventually resigned herself to this. Sure enough, a few minutes later, she was walking out of the store with a box with the system under one arm and Pyrrha carrying a small bag with a few games in it.

Ruby wanted to die, she was so embarrassed.

Finally, the two of them stopped at the entrance to the mall and turned to each other.

Pyrrha beamed. "I had a lovely time today, Ruby. I would be so happy to do this again."

Ruby said nothing as she considered what to say. Pyrrha watched silently as Ruby placed the game box and the bags of clothes on the ground.

She approached Pyrrha and put her hands on her shoulders. She stood on her tiptoes.

And she planted a light kiss on Pyrrha's cheek.

As she pulled away, Ruby's face felt like it was on fire. "Thank you for today, Pyrrha. It m-meant a lot t-to me. I…I want to do this again, too. I like being with you and spending t-time with you." Ruby stammered out.

Pyrrha's face took on a redness of its own before she finally gave Ruby a dopey grin and giggled like a schoolgirl.

With that, Pyrrha offered to drive Ruby home so she didn't have to haul all of her new belongings on her bike, which Ruby accepted.

Pyrrha drove her home and waved goodbye once they arrived. Once she entered her apartment, Ruby let out an exhausted sigh as she sat down on her couch.

She had barely been sitting for ten minutes before her phone dinged. It was another notification from the website.

Hello, Ruby. It's Blake. I hope you enjoyed your date with Pyrrha today.

I hope it's not too short notice, but would you like to go out with me later this week? I have some free time after Wednesday.

Ruby, to her own surprise, didn't waste a second in responding.

sure! i don't work on thursday. does that work for you?