Ruby hadn't been sure what to expect when Weiss didn't give her an address to any restaurant for their date. Instead, she merely instructed Ruby to be at the front of her apartment building at 10:30 AM sharp.
The redhead had at first been puzzled at what to wear, as Weiss hadn't given her any indication of what their date would comprise of. However, she had gotten a vibe from the woman that she preferred the finer things in life, so Ruby opted to assume that it would be a high-end restaurant. Thus, she decided on, yet again, one of the new articles of clothing that Pyrrha had chosen for her. It was a red dress. A little on the fancier side, but not enough that Ruby felt uncomfortable. She had never really been a fancy-pancy-dancy girl.
So Ruby stood on the sidewalk in front of her apartment building, idly scrolling through her phone when she heard the revving of an engine. She looked up and her eyebrows shot into her hairline.
A sleek, long, black limousine was slowing down in front of her. The windows were completely black, rendering it impossible to view the inside. It looked as if it had been through a carwash three separate times.
Ruby's focus was broken when she heard the sound of the car door opening on the opposite side, and she looked up to see a familiar white ponytail rising from inside the car. She watched as Weiss circled the back of the car, revealing her own outfit for the day. And Ruby's jaw dropped.
It wasn't what she had been expecting. She had expected something long and elegant, like a sparkling dress of some kind. Instead, it seemed Weiss had opted for a dark blue pantsuit, with a collar that dipped low before meeting a white undershirt. Ruby caught herself biting her lip at the sight.
Weiss looked beautiful. Even with the minimal makeup that Ruby could see, Weiss' face seemed to shine. The woman turned almost smug at Ruby's reaction.'
"Good morning, Ruby. I take it our transportation for the day is to your liking?" She asked, knowing full-well what the answer was.
Ruby nodded dumbly. "Y-Yeah…"
Weiss nodded herself, apparently satisfied with Ruby's awe-struck expression. She stepped forward to the door in front of Ruby and opened it, gesturing for Ruby to enter. Ruby complied, stepping slowly into the limousine, mouth once again agape at the interior.
The outside of the vehicle was deceiving: the interior looked far larger that initial appearance. Seats lined the sides, and Ruby guessed it could hold at least seven. Small lights on the ceiling cast the inside in a dim glow.
"Wow…"
Weiss entered the car herself and took a seat near Ruby, crossing her legs. She gave Ruby a small smile and Ruby could feel her brain start to short-circuit.
"Why are all three of them so pretty? It's not fair…" Ruby wailed in her mind.
That was when the limousine began to move, and Ruby braced herself at the jolt
"Wow, Weiss…this is really…um…" Ruby started to but didn't quite know how to express her wonder.
Weiss nodded. "Quite." She said, amusement lacing her tone. "Only the best is acceptable for my date. So, I had the car cleaned and my most efficient driver back behind the wheel." The woman lifted her chin a bit, looking satisfied with herself. "And besides: where we're going, I am fully anticipating turning heads while arm-in-arm with a very beautiful girl." Both her tone and face softened as she spoke.
Ruby couldn't contain the rush of blood to her face as she broke eye contact with Weiss, covering her face with one hand.
She really couldn't handle it. She had never seen herself as very beautiful before. Besides her eyes, there wasn't much about her appearance that people often commented on. But now she had three separate, gorgeous women all saying how pretty and how beautiful she was. It was hard for her to wrap her mind around.
She felt Weiss reach across and place a hand on her knee, and Ruby rewarded her with a shy smile.
They sat like that for the rest of the ride. They didn't exchange words, but Ruby relished in the comforting pressure of Weiss' hand on her leg.
Weiss immediately moved to exit the car. Ruby didn't move from her spot as she wasn't sure whether she was expected to step out herself. She quickly received an answer when the door on her side opened up, revealing her date with a hand extended towards her.
Ruby looked down bashfully as she took Weiss's hand and exited the limousine and finally got a look at where they would be eating.
Her eyes blew wide.
"Atlas Steak House…? Like…the most expensive restaurant in the city?!"
Indeed, Ruby was standing in front of the most exclusive restaurants in all of the city. Only the most affluent could afford even the cheapest items on the menu. Ruby, in all of her twenty-one years in the same place, had never had occasion, reason, or means to step foot inside. Yet, here she was, with a beautiful woman right next to her.
She was snapped out of her trance when Weiss stepped up next to her and extended an elbow.
"Shall we?" She asked.
Ruby only swallowed and nodded as she slipped an arm in Weiss's and let herself be led into the restaurant.
High ceilings and chandeliers, marble flooring and columns. The people Ruby could see seated at the tables were dressed to the nines and she couldn't help but feel a little out of place even with her fanciest dress.
The sensation only heightened when said people looked up and eyed her, and she could tell they weren't impressed.
She whined low in her throat.
Weiss leaned into her ear and gave her a reassuring pat on the hand.
"Pay them no mind, Ruby. They won't say or do a thing as long as you're with me."
"Weiss, I'm so nervous. I've never been around people like this before and they're all looking at me." Ruby harshly whispered back.
"Just relax. I reserved a table for us towards the back where there won't be so many people."
Soon enough, they were indeed in the back of the restaurant where Weiss sat Ruby down in a small corner booth, lit rather romantically with two candles atop the table. A waitress soon arrived to place menus in front of them and asked them if they would like any drinks.
Weiss requested with what she assumed was a wine, but in actuality didn't understand a word of it. Maybe it was a foreign wine? Maybe?
Realizing it would look rather uncouth to ask for a soda in such a restaurant, Ruby opted for just a water.
Weiss looked at her with an amused twinkle in her eye. "Only a water?"
Ruby gestured exasperatedly at her menu. "I have no clue what any of these drinks are! None of them are in English. I'm not even sure if they're words." She crossed her arms and pouted. "I'm convinced rich people just make up words and they pretend to understand each other."
At that, Weiss giggled, surprising Ruby. It was a rather girly laugh, and it sounded a little odd coming from Weiss.
"Well, in my social circle, the art of pretending is one that must be perfected if one doesn't want to die from apathy." Weiss picked up the menu. "Do you have any idea on what you would like to order."
Ruby shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not even sure what a lot of these are. Is there just…a normal steak or something?"
Weiss laughed again. "Of course."
Weiss proceeded to point out the simplest item on the menu. Like Ruby wanted, it was a steak with a side of asparagus. That sounded alright to Ruby. Eventually, the waitress returned and took their orders.
Weiss leaned forward onto the table and clasped her hands together. "Blake wanted me to tell you that she again apologizes for your date the other night."
"Oh, she doesn't have to be sorry! It was my fault anyway. I'm the one who told her my sob story, right?"
"Ruby, it's not a 'sob story'. Blake asked and you answered. Regardless, she would like to go on another date with you sometime soon."
"I do, too!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly.
Weiss smiled. "Good. It would be a such a shame for us to lose a beautiful woman like yourself after we just met you." She chuckled. "We've all become quite enamored with you."
"You guys really have no idea what you do to me when you say things like that." Ruby mumbled shyly.
"Oh, I think we do. Your first lunch with us made that quite plain. You're quite adorable when your face is red."
"Well, I think you're really pretty, too."
At that, Weiss blushed a little bit. "Thank you."
They proceeded with the small talk, and Ruby soon felt herself becoming comfortable in Weiss's company. If she were being honest, Weiss was the woman she was the most nervous about. The vibe that she gave Ruby had initially led her to believe that she would be stuffy and cold. But Weiss had proven her wrong with how easy she descended into light conversation and flirtation.
Weiss, for her part, had been very excited to get some one-on-one time with Ruby. She had been enraptured with Ruby the moment she laid eyes on her. Those silver orbs had hypnotized her, and hearing Blake and Pyrrha describe their dates with her had only made her giddier. She relished in the girl's shy demeanor and awkward social graces. It was such a difference from the normally aloof and dull company she kept. Ruby was a girl she didn't have to try and act perfect around or talk politics or economics with. Just simple conversation about anything and everything with a quick flirty comment thrown into the mix.
All was well with the two before Ruby caught Weiss's gaze flicker past Ruby and she frowned. Ruby raised an eyebrow and looked back over her shoulder, and she could see the object of Weiss's ire.
A woman was approaching them. Clad in a rather revealing red dress was a woman with eyes that reminded her of Blake's, a glowing, golden sort of color. But while Blake's reminded Ruby of honey, this woman's reminded Ruby of fire. Dark, curly locks descended down her back, one of her eyes covered by her bangs.
"Well, if it isn't Weiss. What a pleasure to see you again." She said in a deep, sultry tone.
"Ms. Fall." Weiss said simply, her voice dipping to a dangerously sharp level.
"Oh, don't be like that. I just came over to say hello. To you…" Those fiery eyes descended onto Ruby. "…and your little friend, here."
"U-um…I'm Ruby, um…"
"Cinder. Cinder Fall. It's delightful to meet you, Ruby."
Ruby flinched when the woman reached down to brush her fingers over Ruby's bangs. It was so shameless.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby saw Weiss stand up a bit in her seat.
"I think that's quite enough, Ms. Fall." She barked sharply.
"Oh, come now, Weiss. Possessiveness is a bad look on you." Cinder responded. "Is Weiss boring you, Ruby?"
"N-no, not at all. I'm having a good time."
"Is that so?" Cinder leaned down until she was nearly nose to nose with Ruby. "I believe I can provide you with an even better time." She whispered. Her eyes were half lidded.
The white-haired woman across from them began to genuinely worry that the naïve Ruby would get sucked in by the woman, but that's not what happened. To Weiss, the look of surprise that came over Cinder's face when Ruby pulled away was priceless.
"I…um…I think I'm okay with Weiss, actually." Ruby said nervously, but there was a hint of finality in her tone.
The woman pulled back, but kept her eyes locked onto Ruby's. "Alright, then. As you wish. I bid you both farewell." She said simply.
Her gaze lingered on Ruby's far too long, and the redhead could feel herself squirm under that look.
Cinder turned on her heel and walked away.
"Ruby, are you alright?"
Ruby looked to Weiss. "Hm? Oh! Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Don't be worried."
Weiss nodded, relieved that the date was still salvageable despite the…interruption.
The food soon arrived, and Weiss couldn't help but laugh as Ruby almost drooled when she took a bite of the steak. It was about what she had expected. They ate and conversed pleasantly, but soon their plates were empty and Ruby said she needed to get to work.
Weiss offered to have her driven there, which Ruby politely declined. She could get there on her bike just fine and she needed to pick up her uniform from her apartment anyway.
When they arrived, Weiss once again opened the door for Ruby. However, her composure broke a bit when Ruby looked thoughtful for a moment before leaning in and placing a kiss on Weiss's cheek.
Ruby giggled at how red Weiss's face got, but Weiss took her revenge when she returned the kiss, this time on the corner of Ruby's lips.
The girl nearly fainted on the spot, but managed to hurry herself into her apartment.
Neither Pyrrha nor Blake could recall a time they saw Weiss so excited as she regaled them with the tale of her date with Ruby.
"Oh, you both were right! She is such an adorable girl!"
Pyrrha only smiled. "Yes, Weiss, you've said that at least four times now."
Blake playfully huffed and crossed her arms.
"I'm feeling a bit left out that I'm the only one who hasn't gotten a kiss from her, yet. I'll be sure to fix that on our next date. Oh, and dibs on next date."
Wiess nodded. "That's only fair, I suppose."
The white-haired woman sighed dreamily as she finally collapsed onto the couch, smile still plastered all over her face.
"We really struck gold with this one, you two. We really did."
"Oh, definitely."
"You're welcome, by the way. I'm the one who found her."
They all giggled at the comment before Weiss felt her phone vibrating against her leg.
She looked at the screen. It was Ruby.
"Odd…I recall Ruby saying she worked late tonight. Why would she be calling…?"
She answered the phone. "Ruby?"
She heard the girl breathing hard on the other end, occasionally hiccupping.
Ruby was sobbing.
"Ruby?" Weiss said. "Ruby, what's wrong?"
"Please come pick me up, Weiss…please…"