"Why do you want to cancel the meeting? You've never done that out of the blue. What's going on, Weiss? Got yourself a partner?"
"No, of course not!"
The personal question made Weiss blush, and the brunette sitting in front of her was laughing like there was no tomorrow. Coco loved risking getting fired, but she knew Weiss would never. They had been working together for years, ever since Weiss graduated from college. Weiss could tolerate Coco's teasing.
"I'll dropkick you out of here before you even realize it."
"Awe, c'mon, Weiss." Coco winked. "Just teasing."
"I invited you over to my house just to tell you I'm cancelling the meeting tomorrow."
"Weiss, I've known you for years. You never invite someone over just to tell them about a simple matter that could be passed over phone." With a smirk, Coco knew she had Weiss cornered. These conversations were all too easy for her to play out.
Weiss sighed in defeat, knowing that Coco was just too good at this game. "There's another paintball game tomorrow. And the leader of my group invited me to play."
"Ooh, do you plan to go out with them?"
"N-No! Well...maybe...I don't know!"
"Who's the leader?"
"Ruby Rose was her name."
Coco hummed as she crossed her arms, staring off into the distance. "Sounds familiar. Is she that one girl who played that rock character in the movie-"
"No."
"No?"
Weiss shook her head. "No. Ruby Rose is the greatest paintballer in the country as far as I know."
"Yeah? How come I've never heard of her? Has it really been that long?" Coco started stressing frantically, taking out her phone to check something. "I haven't gotten wrinkles, have I?! Oh god, I injure myself one time and suddenly I'm not the same paintballer I once was!"
"Coco, calm down, you're fine. You're still twenty-six. How's Velvet doing?"
"Velvet? She's fine, still paintballing. I wish I could join her like I used to. Lemme tell you: knee dislocation is not fun."
"I'm sorry that happened. You two are happy though, right?"
"Of course. We've been dating for about three years now. Why, is Miss Schnee jealous? Perhaps I can hook you up with one of my friends."
"Th-that won't be necessary!" Weiss blushed, Coco laughing across the table. "I-If you won't cancel the meeting, I'll cancel it myself! I'm going to that paintball game!"
"Alright, alright. But you'd better have a date after that game. Like seriously, you're twenty-three! You should be dating someone and make out in the rain or something!" The brunette eyed her boss carefully, her chin resting on her palm.
"What the hell are you imagining?!"
"Dunno, that's what my friend told me three years ago. It's how I started dating Velvet."
"Whatever, just get out of my apartment."
"Okaaaaay!" Coco sang as she trotted out the apartment door.
It was cold outside. Freezing cold. There was a light misting over the forest, making the grass and dirt all wet and muddy. Wet and muddy was how Weiss liked the battlefield.
Sure enough, the red scarf her captain wore could be seen clearly, and Weiss knew it was Ruby.
"Hey, you made it!" Ruby called out, running right over to Weiss. "You wanna see why I love morning games?"
Taking Weiss's hand, Ruby led the silverette to a small gap between the trees, revealing an unused open field. Just on the horizon, the sun was rising with magnificent colors. The sky was red and pink, orange and yellow hues streaking across the sky. The sun was incredibly bright, the trees casting elongated shadows on the ground.
"Wow," Weiss breathed.
"Right? Isn't it just beautiful?"
Weiss nodded, acutely aware of the hand remaining in her own. "It truly is."
Ruby checked her watch and started taking Weiss back to the main field. "Yang and Blake should be arriving by now."
By the time they made it to the main field, Weiss saw Yang's yellow Valeswagen pull into the grassy lot. She parked right next to Weiss's car, and the blonde and brunette came out with their markers in hand. Yang had something else in hand, though with the distance between her and the blonde, Weiss couldn't tell what it was.
"Hey Rubes! Ice Queen!" Yang calls out as she rushes over to the two, Blake following behind in a leisurely manner. "I'll be honest, I really didn't think you'd be out here today."
"You didn't think I'd show up yesterday, what makes you think you'd expect me here today?"
"Dunno. Is everyone here yet?"
Ruby shook her head. "We're still waiting on Sun and a bunch others. Jaune and the others should be here soon. I think there's supposed to be about ten to twelve people here today. Me and Weiss were the first ones here."
"Weiss and I," Weiss corrected.
"Sorry, Weiss and I were the first ones here."
"Either of you have coffee yet? Blake and I brought some for y'all." Yang held up the tray of coffees, passing out each cup to her teammates. "Iced coffee for Rubes, black with nothing else for Weiss, caramel macchiato for Blake, and my yummy latte!"
"Thank you, Yang. That's very considerate of you," Weiss said as she gladly took the beverage. The smell of the dark roast made her hum peacefully.
The four sat down in a patch of grass illuminated by the sun's gentle rays, drinking their coffees as they waited for the others to arrive. One by one, more people started to arrive until everybody was ready and Weiss had finished her coffee. The two blondes Weiss had met yesterday, Sun and Jaune, had arrived with their equipment and wide smiles.
"Hey there, if it ain't Miss Schnee! Didn't think I'd see you here; it's a small world, ain't it?" Sun seemed very enthusiastic today, and Weiss assumed it was under the influence of caffeine.
"Sun!" Ruby called out, the two of them doing an odd handshake that Weiss could not keep up with. There were fist-bumps, high-fives, other odd hand gestures and motions, and a weird chest-bump at the end. "Better late than never, huh?"
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that! Neptune found a leak in the apartment and wouldn't stop fussing over it."
"Oh Sun, God bless your soul. How can you be dating a guy that can't stand water?"
Sun shrugged. "Dunno, but I manage. Anyway, did you meet Miss Schnee?"
"I did. I met her yesterday at the game that you missed. Her name is Weiss Schnee, and she's an amazing paintballer. Like seriously, I haven't seen anyone aside from Blake use first shots so well."
"Really?" Sun turned and faced Weiss, crossing his arms as a wide smile appeared on his face. "I'm really excited to hear that. Gonna be honest, I was surprised when you came in yesterday, even more so when you knew exactly what you were asking for. You don't seem like one for mud and paint."
"That's what I said!" Ruby added.
"Not that that's a bad thing, I just-"
Weiss smiled and waved it off. "No, I get it. I'm all prim and proper, and not a lot of people know this side of me."
"There's another side to you?" Ruby arched an eyebrow, and Sun squeezed the brunette's shoulder.
"Rubbles, you're talking to the CEO of Schnee Industries, the leading company of the whole world."
In that moment, Weiss hadn't seen a jaw drop or eyes widen as quickly as Ruby's had.
"You're the CEO of Schnee Industries?! Holy crap, I'm in the presence of the richest person in the world. J-Jeez, um, I-I don't know what to say or do now."
"Please don't think of me any differently. I'd really rather be a friend than a business person to you."
"Really? Then, I guess, um...do you want to get some lunch after the game?" Ruby started stammering, her face turning as red as her tipped hair. "I-I mean, like, i-if you aren't busy or anything, you're probably super busy...why'd I ask in the first place, I, um-"
"Ruby," Weiss cut off Ruby's blabbering by gently holding her shoulder. "I'd be happy to."
Ruby smiled, her face still very red. "S-Sweet. Ready for the game?"
"As ready as you are," Weiss replied, returning Ruby's smile.
With a nod, Ruby gathered the team up. "Alright, gather around everyone! For those of you who were here yesterday, the game's the same. We're playing elimination. Do we all have our armbands?"
Just as Ruby asked her question, one of the refs came up behind her with a box of red armbands. Ruby gladly took it as she thanked the ref.
"Looks like we're red team again. I have no idea what the other team will be, so be careful and watch your shots. Does everyone remember their squads from yesterday?"
Everyone nodded except for the blonde named Sun. Ruby nodded at him and looked to Yang. "Sun, I'll place you with Yang's team."
"Gotcha," he replied, winking at the leader.
"Next order of business. We're going against Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora, and a few other names that I don't remember right now. Pyrrha's strong in pushing forward, so all of you watch your front." Leaning in closer to Weiss, Ruby said Pyrrha was the one with pure red hair, Ren was a raven-haired, green ninja with a pink streak, and Nora was a ginger that usually got out within the first couple of minutes in the game. "Ren is incredibly stealthy and will fire first shots all the way from the back. Keep good cover and watch the back for him. Nora isn't strong in evading attacks or taking cover very well, but her offense is incredible. Watch out for her at all costs. She will go gung-ho with that marker if she gets the chance."
"What about Jaune?" Weiss asked quietly to her leader as the others started conversing among each other.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about him. He usually takes the boundary lines and stays away from everything. He's not the best shot either."
"Oh."
"Yup." Ruby gathered the attention of her team once more. "Is anyone using smoke bombs?"
Sun's hand went up. "I've actually got a few."
"That's prefect. If things get pretty dicey, we'll send in kamikazes."
Weiss crossed her arms. She couldn't recall if those were allowed. "Kamikazes? Is that legal in paintball?"
"Yeah, as long as we aren't aimlessly firing. It should be enough smoke to screen their vision, but not ours. Besides, I've actually trained these guys to maneuver through smoke screens."
How is that possible? This woman-who seemed around her late teens, possibly early twenties-was incredible, more than Weiss could ever imagine. She leads these groups as if she had been in the army. She trained these groups to work in smoke. What's next, she teaches them how to fly? Weiss wouldn't question her if she actually managed to figure it out.
"Alright, the assigned kamikazes will be Blake, Yang, and you-" Ruby pointed to another teammate beside her. "On my signal, Sun will toss a smoker and you all will break in the same direction as the smoke. Use it to your advantage and take out as many people as you can. If it ends up being only Ren again, push towards the back and smoke him out of there. There's no way he'll be able to hold it off on his own this time. We've got another first shot user with us."
Ruby nodded at Weiss with a grin. "Everyone got it?"
The whole team nodded in response, some responding with "yes ma'am" or a simple 'yup'.
"Then let's play some paintball!" The leader sent a thumb-up to the referee, who nodded in return.
Another moment went by, and both teams were ready. Ten seconds to go, and Ruby was ready to go. Her eyes contained a fire that Weiss had never seen before. Those silver eyes were filled with a wonder and passion for the sport of paintball.
When the horn blew, Weiss followed her leader to the very end.
They were stuck in a tight spot. Only two of the opposing stood, and those two happened to be Pyrrha and Ren. Weiss looked to Ruby, the brunette having the same look of anxiety. They outnumbered the other team by two, Yang and Sun still stood alive.
"Sun, I'll have to send you both in! We can't reach them from here!" Ruby called out, waiting as Sun prepared the smoke bomb. Then turning to Weiss, the leader grabbed the CEO's shoulders firmly, staring intensely into icy-blue eyes. "Weiss, if all fails, I'll go in with them. Should I get shot, I need you to do your best and finish this game. Can I count on you to do it?"
"I'm not sure if I can, I only got back to paintball yesterday and I'm still a little rusty-"
"Can I count on you? No matter what it is, what the issue or scenario may be, I just want to know that I can count on you." Ruby loosened her grip, but her gaze remained. "Can I count on you, Weiss?"
She had only known Ruby for less than 24 hours. Ruby was already asking so much. And despite being complete strangers, Weiss answered without hesitation.
"You can count on me, Ruby." Weiss took Ruby's hand and pulled her closer, their masks touching. "And I will count on you. Do your best and make every shot worth it."
Ruby nodded, and despite the mask she had on, Weiss knew she was smiling. "I promise."
Nodding at Sun, the blonde threw in at least three smoke bombs, enough to cover them all for the frenzy. "Go now! Go now! Get them, Yang! Go Sun!"
The two blondes rushed through the smoke, firing towards the opposing two with every chance they got. Ruby waited, nervously and impatiently for a hit to be called. She had faith in her teammates, knowing that they could handle themselves just fine. But it was when a hit called from a familiar voice did Ruby look to Weiss with concerned eyes.
"Yang's down. Back me up." Ruby stood, ready to make a break for the smoke. Weiss rose to a squatting position, ready to cover her leader and advance to the next barricade.
"Sorry Rubbles! I'm out too!" Sun called out as he walked off the field.
It was now two on two.
Looking on ahead as the red leader sprinted, Weiss noticed a redhead waiting just beyond the smoke. "Ruby, watch your barrel! She's just up ahead!" Weiss peeked through the scope of her marker, taking as many shots as she could to land on the opposing player. Before she could land a shot on the redhead, Ruby held up her hand and called out her hit, which meant Weiss was the final representative for her team.
"I'm sorry, Weiss! Win it for us!"
The redhead walked off with her, Weiss being proud of her shot on the redhead from the distance she was at. All that was left was the one named Ren, a green ninja, as Ruby explained him. Weiss carefully advanced to the nearest wooden structure, which provided enough cover from all around. By now the smoke was clear, and Weiss surveyed the area desperately for the final opposing player before she could get shot. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a barrel and mask peeking out from behind a tree, and Weiss wasted not a second to take her shot.
She missed, and the mask disappeared behind the tree. Weiss crouched down behind the wall to get out of sight of the other player.
"Dammit, c'mon. I can't lose this. I can't let her down." Weiss's grip on her marker tightened, steeling herself for the next moment.
This wasn't good. Both of them were aware of their positions on the field, and one hit was the determining factor. Weiss had to take the risk. Peeking up ever so slightly, the player's knee was just within range, and she took her shot. She watched as the paint bullet flew through the air and explode right on his knee, costing him the whole game. The hand went up, and the shot was called.
Weiss had won the game.
The horn went off, and Weiss stood from her position. She noticed one of the refs walking over to her, waving excitedly.
"Weiss, I didn't think you were that good!"
The CEO stood frozen for a moment, trying to figure out how this referee knew her and why that voice sounded so familiar. Something then clicked in her mind as she got a further inspection through the mask.
"Coco? What the hell are you doing here?! You should be at work! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fire you right here and now."
"Today's my day off. You didn't forget about that, did you? Velvs told me there was a game she was reffing for and that they needed one more ref. So I stepped in to help, and not only did I get to witness this Ruby Rose you were talking about, I got to watch my boss kick some ass!" Coco laughed and shook her partner's whole body with excitement. "You are incredible!"
"Alright, let me go now. I have a lunch meeting with someone later, and you are only getting in the way." Weiss started to walk away, Coco standing in her spot, deep in thought.
"A lunch meeting? Wait," Coco started jogging to catch up with Weiss, "do you mean a date? Weiss Schnee, did you actually get yourself a date?"
"No, we are only going out as friends."
"Nuh-uh, I don't think so. It's that Ruby chick, isn't it? You're going on a date with her, aren't you?"
"Shut up right now or I will fire you."
The brunette scoffed. "That's what you said for the past two years. C'mon, Weiss, you can't fire your best friend."
Weiss grunted as she walked off the field, putting a barrel plug over her marker. She removed her mask and immediately noticed Ruby sprinting towards her.
"Weiss! You did it! You won the game!" Ruby embraced the shorter girl in a tight hug. "I knew you wouldn't let me down!"
"But you got shot."
"But I did my best?" She smiled goofily, only making Weiss's smile wider. "Anyway, wanna get some lunch now? Since you won, I'll let you choose. I'll pay."
"Oh, no, you really don't have to. You were the leader, so I think it's fair if you choose."
Ruby shook her head. "Nope, you had the winning shot. My policy is winning shooter chooses the diner. Or at least that's what Yang says."
"Will we be eating with Yang?" Weiss started walking over to one of the tents in the open field to clean off her belongings and pack up her things. Ruby followed closely behind her.
"No," the brunette shook her head. "They're going home after this. I just wanted to get to know you more since you seem pretty cool."
"Then...do you want meet at Casa Vale? Is twelve okay?"
"Sounds good!" Ruby grinned and helped Weiss with her marker and mask. "It's a date!"
Weiss checked her watch. It was eleven on the dot. She had an hour to drive home, take a shower and get ready, and then drive to the restaurant. The casual lunch meeting turned into a date in the matter of seconds, and Weiss was not sure how to go about it. She had gone on dates before, none of them being women, and none of them lasting very long.
But Weiss could feel that this was going to be different. Ruby didn't seem like them. In many more ways than one.
As Weiss got into her car, she watched as Ruby waved on the way to her own vehicle, a brand Weiss did not know. It was beautiful dark red and, though a little muddy, had plenty of character. It wasn't too big or too small, a rightfully sized car for a young woman like her.
In all of her honesty, and rarely does she ever admit to it, Weiss was nervous. The ride home went by faster than she could blink, and no, she was not speeding. The shower was swift, and now she was troubled with what to wear. It was a casual date, nothing fancy. There was no need to outdo or upstage anyone, but Weiss had the tendency to do so without trying or meaning to. After dawdling at her closet for much longer than necessary, she settled on a pair of white jeans, a white graphic t-shirt, and a humble, light blue blazer. She tied her hair up quickly in her usual side pony tail, grabbed her keys, and rushed out to the garage on the bottom floor of the building.
She had less than ten minutes to get to the restaurant, and the drive was typically a twenty-minute drive.
"Crap crap crap crap crap, please don't be here before me. Please don't be here before me. Please don't be here before me." Weiss hated being late to anything, and with her given time, she could only hope that Ruby was running late as well or that she wasn't as much of a stickler as she was.
When Weiss arrived, she didn't see Ruby's red car parked anywhere, a great relief to her. Vacating the white vehicle, Weiss went inside the restaurant where she was immediately greeted by the front of the house.
"Oh, Miss Schnee! A pleasure to see you! To what do I owe this pleasure?" A small, round man came up to the silverette and shook her hand.
"You as well, Klein. I'm actually waiting for someone," Weiss responded, looking around the restaurant for any telltale signs of the paintballer.
"I see. Would you like to find a seat? If they arrive, I'll be sure to send them over."
Weiss nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Klein."
"My pleasure, Miss Schnee." His furry, brown mustache waggled as did his eyebrows. He smiled widely with delight and joy.
The CEO took a seat in a secluded area shrouded by plants and unoccupied booths. She browsed on her scroll for a bit before a certain brunette came panting, her red-tipped hair slightly tousled and unkempt. At least she wasn't wearing her muddy paintball clothes. "Sorry I'm late, Weiss! Traffic in my area was insane, and I thought I could make it by running from my apartment."
"How far do you live?"
"About fifteen minutes away on the north side. I didn't keep you waiting long, did I?"
Weiss shook her head. "I actually arrived not even ten minutes ago."
"Oh really? What a relief." Ruby sat down in the oppositely-facing chair, trying as best she could to fix her mane of onyx and red.
"So you ran all the way here?"
Ruby nodded. "I was on the track team in high school. Me and Sun go on marathons from time to time, so running is pretty much a part of me."
The round, middle-aged man came back with two menus. "Welcome to Casa Vale, ladies. Today's special is Spaghetti alle vongole, which I highly recommend. Drinks are one lien from twelve to two, and dessert is two for one. My name is Klein, and I will be your server for today. Any questions?"
Both girls shook their heads in response, and Klein smiled with a nod. "Anything to drink?"
"Just water," Ruby replied.
"Water for me as well."
"Alright! I'll be right back with those waters," Klein said as he walked off.
"So Ruby, what do you do?" Weiss asked as she looked up from her menu.
The other girl looked up from hers as well, seeming eager to respond. "I work at Rose Markers. I'm usually in the marker department since I'm pretty sure I know the most about the guns more than anyone else in the shop. I play paintball professionally, as you can imagine, and I sometimes referee for a little extra pay. Now my turn to ask you something." Ruby squinted her eyes as she closely examined Weiss. "Where and what did you study?"
Easy question, Weiss thought. "I studied business and economics at Beacon University. What about you?"
"No way, you went to Beacon too? I studied art there!" Ruby giggled, only widening Weiss's smile. "When'd you graduate?"
"Three years ago. You?"
"Also three years ago. By the time I was fourteen, my GPA was already higher than a senior high school student. Beacon noticed me and gave me a full scholarship."
By the time she was fourteen? Did Weiss hear that correctly? That means...
"Does that mean you graduated high school at-"
"Graduated high school at fourteen, graduated college at seventeen. Yup, which means I'm twenty now. Gonna be twenty-one in a few months." The brunette grinned. "You're a smart cookie like me, aren't you? How old are you?"
"Twenty-three," Weiss responded.
"That means you started college at sixteen. It's a small world, huh?"
As shocking as this news was, Weiss could only find herself smiling like Ruby. "I suppose it is."
Minutes later, Klein came back with their waters, took their orders, and let them be once again. As they conversed, Weiss couldn't help but notice how beautiful Ruby really was. The way she smiled to punctuate every sentence, the way her silver eyes would gaze gently into her own, the look she gave every time she was on the verge of laughing, it was all beautiful. Weiss had not met anyone like Ruby before, and as she got to know this girl, she could only think to herself-
How is there no one else in the world like you?
"...and then Jaune was caught in a point-blank situation. They both surrendered, which led to a tie game. I really wish we could've gone into overtime. Anyway," Ruby took a sip from her water and set the glass back down rather loudly. "Tell me, Weiss Schnee, just how exactly did someone as illustrious and as magnificent as you get into paintball, one of the messiest sports to exist?"
"How did I get into paintball?" Weiss had to ask the question twice to emphasize her point, though it only seemed like she had to ask herself. "Paintball has been my whole life. My mother had been a paintballer in high school and decided to get me into it. I've been playing for as long as I can remember."
"But then yesterday you told me that it had been a while. What happened then?"
"That's..." Although she wanted to share her story and all that had happened within the past few years, she had just met Ruby and did not feel ready to tell her-or anyone for that matter-of what took paintball away from her. "That's something I'm not willing to share right now. It's somewhat personal, and I'm sorry I can't tell you more right now."
"Oh, no, I totally get it. I'm sorry for intruding on your privacy."
Weiss shook her head. "It's nothing like that, it's just hard for me."
Klein came back soon enough with their food, letting the two girls be as they began to eat. As the two ate their meals, they conversed as if they had known each other for years. Weiss laughed genuinely, wondering how long ago it had been since she had last laughed like this. During the time it took for them to eat their meals, Weiss had learned quite a few things about Ruby. Ruby is the top paintballer in the country, she graduated both high school and college with her sister, she has a dog named Zwei, and her red tips are natural. Ruby also earned the right to call herself an artist. The younger woman showed her a few pictures of her paintings and sketches, and Weiss's immediate thought was she could barely even draw a stick figure.
"Is there anything you can't do?" Weiss joked as she set down her utensils. "You're just way too talented, there's got to be something you can't do at all."
"Yeah, there totally is! Like, I can't do hair to save my life. I can do ponytails and a side braid if I really tried, but buns and anything else are out of the question." Ruby chuckled at herself as she tried to think of other things she wasn't good at. "I can't ride a bike either. My mom never learned, my dad could not teach despite his valiant efforts, and Yang didn't even bother with it. She'd bike me around anyway by tying a wagon to the back of her bike. Those were fun days until I broke my arm."
"Let me guess: you fell out of the wagon." The CEO grinned as if she were proud of her most definitely correct answer. Ruby shaking her head was a devastating blow to her self-esteem.
"Nope!" Ruby popped the 'p' as if she were proud of Weiss's error. "I hopped out of the wagon, saw something under it, went to reach it, and then Yang...well...you could probably guess from there. She kinda ran over my arm, and that definitely hurt like hell, and I'll admit that it wasn't my brightest moment. But I was like two years old, and despite my smarts, I don't think I had a lot of common sense."
"And you're saying you do now?" was Weiss's retort, Ruby giggling like a child.
"Alright, I'll give you that one. Now then, since you graduated at a younger-than-average age as well, what can you do?" The brunette suddenly gasped, Weiss arching an eyebrow in question. "Wait, don't tell me. If you can fire first shots like a professional sniper, I bet you could pilot a plane with ease. What can't you do?"
"Well, I'm not so sure about piloting a plane." Weiss looked up in thought, a light bulb suddenly turning on in her head. "I can't cook. No, that's a lie, I can cook, just not very well. I cook to survive, not as a profession. People bring me lunch most of the time."
"Anything else?" Ruby really wanted to know everything about Weiss.
"Um, I'm not very sure at the moment."
"Well then, you must be an incredible human being."
"I wouldn't say that," Weiss murmured, Ruby catching it unexpectedly.
"But you are! You're super smart, you're super talented, and you're super beautiful!"
This made Weiss pause. Ruby thought she was beautiful? Not just pretty, but beautiful? Even with the scar running down her left eye? "You think I'm beautiful?"
"Well of course! Who wouldn't?" Ruby cocked her head to the side and stared into icy blue eyes. "If I'm completely honest though, I think you're absolutely gorgeous."
"I-I don't know." Weiss knew she was presentable, maybe pretty, but never saw perceived herself as beautiful or gorgeous. Especially the mark that marred her face. People had told her before just to get close, just to use her for money or fame or any other reason, but Ruby was different. She seemed and looked like she meant it.
"Alright-y, I guess it's time to pay the check. Hey, we should totally meet up again sometime. Hey, you got a—" Ruby suddenly pulled out her scroll, looking at Weiss apologetically. "Sorry, I've gotta take this."
The brunette turned away with the device up to her ear. "No, no, I didn't forget. I'll be there soon, Yang, chill."
When Ruby hung up, Weiss arched an eyebrow. "What did Yang call for?"
"Tonight's the big match between Ironwood and Lionheart. They're both pretty big boxers, and Yang's betting on Ironwood."
"Ah," Weiss nodded, "I see."
With a titter, Ruby stood and grabbed Weiss's hand. "C'mon, let's get out of here."
Weiss stared at the hand holding her own, her eyes fixed on how much larger it was. Slender, long, calloused fingers were grasping and intertwining with her own. Ruby noticed how fixated Weiss was and gave a gentle squeeze, sending a warm smile her way. Weiss felt her heart flutter at the smile.
When the meal was paid and all was said and done, they both walked up to Weiss's car. Weiss got into the vehicle and turned on the engine, Ruby standing at the driver's door. "We stayed in there longer than I thought. It's nearly evening."
"Yeah," Weiss tittered. "Thought they would've kicked us out at around two."
Ruby rubbed the back of her head a nervously laughed. "Hehe, yeah."
"Ruby, I can give you a ride home if you want."
"Actually? That'd be great!" Ruby walked around the side of the vehicle and sat in the passenger's seat. "Thanks a lot, Weiss."
As Weiss pulled out, she could feel Ruby glancing at her. "I need to know where you live in order to drop you off."
"Oh, right, sorry. I live on the north side at Fifth and Main Street."
"You live close to my office."
"What about you?" Ruby turned her head to face Weiss. "Where do you live?"
"West side. It's about a twenty minute drive from my apartment to work."
"That's twice the amount of time it takes me."
Within a few more minutes, Ruby's apartment building was within sight, and the brunette pointed it out as soon as she saw it. Weiss stopped in front of the entrance, waiting for Ruby to vacate her seat. She seemed hesitant to do anything in the moment, and as Weiss was about to ask, Ruby took the opportunity from her.
"Will I see you again?"
Weiss reached into her glove compartment and retrieved a sticky note and pen. She wrote down a few digits and handed it to the younger woman with a small smile. "Does this answer your question?"
"I guess so!" Ruby grinned toothily as she leaned in closer to Weiss.
Feeling a pair of lips press against her cheek brought surprise to Weiss. They were warm and soft, slightly chapped, but full of character. Ruby then got out of the passenger seat and waved at Weiss, her toothy grin shaping into a sly, earnest smile.
"I'll be sure to call you, Weiss. Have a good night."
She watched as the professional paintballer walk into the building, not to be seen for who knows how long? Could be days, weeks, maybe even months, but Weiss had a feeling it would be soon. Very soon. Ruby left her wanting more. Ruby made her want like never before. Weiss couldn't remember the last time she had been this sore.
"What the hell am I doing? I'm rhyming in my head right after being kissed by Ruby, a girl who I had just met yesterday." Weiss let her hands rise to her face, not sure of whether she was covering her face in shame or embarrassment. "Pull yourself together, Schnee!"
Sitting up properly, she pulled out from the front of the building and continued down the road, realizing that she was going in the wrong direction. She couldn't focus, and not even a full minute went by when Ruby started calling her. Weiss had ended up at her office building, picking up her scroll.
"Hey, um...are you free tomorrow?"
Weiss smiled brightly, her heart feeling warm at the sound of Ruby's melodic voice.
"Game or date?"
"Is both okay?"
"More than okay, Ruby. Tell me when and where and consider it a date."
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Reviews and thoughts are always appreciated!