Chapter Five:
Housewarming Encounter
[Weiss]
Date: Friday, September 16th
-Perfect Strangers: Jonas Blue -
No one but you got me feeling this way
There's so much we can't explain
Maybe we're helping each other escape
I'm with you
Who knows the secret tomorrow will hold?
We don't really need to know
'Cause you're here with me now, I don't want you to go
"Ms. Schnee, are you positive you want to do this?"
Weiss heaved an annoyed sigh and glanced over her shoulder to look at the man running up behind her with a clipboard in hand, she recognized him as her father's personal assistant, and for the next two months, her assistant. "Yes, I'm sure. Send out the order right away." She muttered, waving her hand as an attempt to dismiss the man.
For the past three days, she'd been running around trying to get everything under control. She'd begun by quickly flipping through the paperwork in her father's office, setting the more serious inquiries aside for later (she knew she shouldn't have even considered it, but they were slowing her down) and continuing to check on everything else. Needless to say, her orders were being ignored despite her being left in charge while her father was away. This Morning, one of her lower workers had the audacity to compare her to her father, insisting that she had no clue what she was doing and needed more training.
She was not having a good day, and this man was not helping.
"But, ma'am, your father would not be too pleased with this decision. . ." This was the third time she'd heard that today, and a little part of her believed it. The other side of her told her that if she took care of this, maybe her father would see that she was ready to run the company. "How about I just-"
She interrupted him, nearly boiling with aggravation. "No, that would just be a waste of time. If we want those terrorists to back down, we need to put this into action. Do you remember what happened with the cargo two months ago?" The man meekly nodded, "That was done because the security was weak! They weren't even paying attention!"
"Ma'am, we're dealing with terrorists, criminals! This would be a waste of money! The head of security says that-" He was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing. Hesitantly, Weiss pulled her phone from her pocket and her blood ran ice cold when she noticed that the person calling was her father. She swiped to answer the call and put the phone to her ear.
"Why didn't you answer sooner?" Weiss fought the urge to roll her eyes and turned away from her father's assistant, "The phone rang three times before you answered."
She could do this. He wasn't going to be disappointed in her, right? "My apologies, Father, I was dealing with something. . ." She glared back at the assistant.
Her father was silent for a moment, but she could hear tapping in the background and anxiety rose up inside of her. "I have rented you an. . . Apartment in Mantle." Wait, what? "I want you to head down there and speak to Ironwood and move in immediately. You'll be representing the Schnee family, so do not mess this up." He hung up, leaving Weiss beyond puzzled.
That was an odd order. . . Why would her father have rented her an apartment? Much less one in Mantle. He'd left her in charge of the SDC, she didn't have time for anything else if she wanted everything to be running smoothly by the time her father returned to Atlas. Who would she leave in charge while she was gone? "Uhm," Weiss turned to the assistant, "put everything on hold for the moment, I need to head out and take care of something. Call for Falcon, I need a ride."
"Yes, Ms. Schnee." The man replied, sounding smug. As he walked away, Weiss reluctantly started for the exit. Her father was up to something, she could feel it. Maybe he was just testing her to see where her priorities lay? That would make sense considering she was supposed to inherit the company soon. Yeah, that must be what he's doing.
This was just a test, a test that she would pass with flying colors.
[Later]
Weiss had arrived, been given the key, and found her new 'home' in the span of an hour. Ironwood had one of his men waiting for her arrival and the man had even offered to lead her to her new apartment, but the creepy look in his eyes spoke of his true intentions and she rejected. Weiss had made sure the young man wasn't following her before beginning her search for her apartment. Apartment 267, one of the largest rooms in the building from what she'd been told. The moment she'd unlocked the room with her keycard and stepped in, she'd been met with an unwelcoming rush of cold air and she immediately wanted to leave.
The lounge had clean white walls, freshly waxed birch hardwood floors, large double balcony windows, and space in the wall that she assumed would be for a television. Weiss set her bag down by the door and walked into the kitchen, which was separated from the lounge by a single wall. She sighed, noticing that the kitchen had black marble countertops, a small pantry room, dark wood cabinets and spaces for appliances such as a stove and a fridge.
She walked out of the kitchen and turned down a short hall connected to the lounge, finding the bathroom and her bedroom in a split second. The bathroom was nothing too fancy, just a small shower room and a white marbled sink. Her bedroom was a decent size, holding a miniature walk-in closet and a single balcony window.
Weiss shut the door and started for the empty lounge again, stopping dead center of the room. It still wasn't giving her a very homey feeling, she really couldn't see herself living here at all. Maybe it was because it was bought for her? Perhaps the homey feeling would come later once she's mostly settled in.
"Okay. Got the apartment checked out, now to find some furniture. . . If he hasn't already bought that for me." She rolled her eyes and slipped her bag over her shoulder, exiting the room and locking it with her keycard. She turned and started down the hallway again, approaching the elevator and tapping the 'down' button. The doors slid open instantly and she glanced over her shoulder to make sure nobody was following her, she walked inside and pressed for the lobby.
Releasing a deep, stressed sigh, she leaned against the back of the elevator as it began its descent. She had only two months to get everything done, she didn't need to waste too much time shopping. . . If only she could get some assistance, she could finish everything rather quickly. But, no, she doubted her assistant would help much anyway, he'd probably just pester her and get in her way.
She'd have him fired if he wasn't her father's assistant.
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open again, the people waiting outside started to pile in without hardly giving her a chance to get out. The reason why struck her in the face like a brick, the smell of alcohol and cigarettes was overwhelming. If she had to guess, they lived on the second floor, either highschool or college students. They seemed pretty young. . Did the apartment complex allow that?! Weiss fought the urge not to gag as the elevator doors closed. "Ugh, that stench," she muttered to herself, ignoring the few glares she received upon her entry.
Pulling out her phone to search for the nearest furniture store, she stepped out of the way and leaned against a wall. She murmurs and whispers about her presence didn't go unnoticed, but she chose not to acknowledge them. It wouldn't do much good anyway, judging by the way they spoke of her. . . Tuning out their voices, she tapped for the directions and bit her lip. It was about thirty minutes away from here, probably close to an hour if traffic slowed her down.
"Couldn't you have done this when I wasn't in charge of the company?" She grumbled under her breath, switching her phone off and started for the exit without paying attention to her surroundings. If she was in their way, they could just go around her.
"Eh-?!"
Weiss glanced up just in time to see a blur of red and black speeding in her direction. Her eyes widened in surprise and before she had a chance to get out of the way, another body collided with hers, sending them both tumbling to the floor. "I'm sorry! I didn't see you! I'm really, really sorry!" A vaguely familiar voice yelped as they detangled themselves from her, Weiss groaned and pushed herself up to sit on her knees.
The woman growled in irritation. That's just what she needed today. . . Ignoring the other person's attempt to help her up, she rose to her feet and swiftly turned to face the person. "Would you paying attention to where you're going?! You. . ." She trailed off, her words caught in her throat. She knew this person.
"Hey! You stepped out in front of me, I didn't see you! I apologized!" Silver eyes glared back at her before slowly widening in realization, "W-Weiss!" the woman took a step away from Weiss and averted her eyes. "H-hey, Weiss."
"Hey, Ruby. I don't think you should be running out here, you're lucky it was just me." Weiss couldn't help but smirk, if she had never met the girl before, she'd have bitched at her for sure. For good reasons, of course. "Wait a minute. Where's that fire you had just a second ago?"
Somehow, the world got brighter when the brunette cracked a small smile of amusement. "Well, I didn't know it was you, so, um, sorry." The brunette bit her lip, glancing to Weiss' side and behind her. Her brows furrowed. "You mean you don't have your boyfriend with you?"
White eyebrows shot up high, disgust and panic shot through Weiss and she grimaced, "My boyfriend?!" Who could she possibly be referring to? The only man she ever hung around was- wait, "Neptune?" Did the world really think he was her boyfriend? Ruby meekly nodded her answer, fiddling her fingers and keeping her head hung low. It caused guilt to stab the older woman in the heart. "No, no, Ruby. . . He's not my boyfriend, he's my best friend. I don't like him that way."
Ruby seemed to perk up and their eyes met again, "That's a relief. . . You're really pretty." She whispered audibly, Weiss chuckled and the brunette sulked away, her face turning red. "I said that out loud. . ."
Weiss just giggled, "Yeah, you did. Thank you." She changed the subject before Ruby could pass out from humiliation, "What are you doing here and why were you running through the lobby?"
"Erm," Ruby smiled nervously, "I live here. I moved in yesterday, I was just heading back to my apartment because I forgot my car keys and I need to buy furniture for my apartment because what I have isn't much, and I also need a job to keep buying furniture so I was going to also head out and see if I can find a job, so, um. . . Yeah."
She needed furniture?
"I could help you! I mean, with the furnishing thing. . . That's where I'm heading." The words slipped out before she could stop herself, and a part of her didn't want to take the offer back.
Ruby's eyes widened, "N-no! I can't do that! I can get it myself."
Weiss just smiled, "Please, I insist! I'll even have my driver take us there. Consider them housewarming gifts, I'm sure I can afford to pay for both of ours. " Well, she couldn't allow this girl to go alone. Who knows what would happen?
"I, um," a tiny smile came to the brunette's lips, causing Weiss' heart to flutter, "yeah, okay. . . It's a date, then!" Silver eyes widened and Ruby flew back, arms flailing as her face turned as red as her namesake. She started to stutter and Weiss smirked again. "Not like a date-date, I mean like, yeah, I'll go, you know? Ha-ha!"
Deciding not to allow the younger woman time to further humiliate herself, Weiss held up a hand "I know what you mean, Ruby." Weiss interrupted before the rambling girl, "Come on, let's not dawdle."
"I really like this one!" Weiss sighed as Ruby sat down on probably the fifth chaise that day, the brunette giggled and tilted her head back to look at the woman, "Heey, don't look so annoyed! Come on, we're shoppin' for you now, why don't ya try it out?" Within the past hour, Ruby had seemingly become more comfortable with her, with the excused occasional slip up.
Not that she minded, she actually thoroughly enjoyed her new friend's company. "Nah," Weiss smiled playfully, leaning over the back of the chaise and smirking at Ruby, "besides, you look pretty," she hesitated, half-wanting to stop her sentence there, "-comfortable there."
Ruby giggled, Weiss' hesitation obviously didn't go unnoticed. "Oh? I'd be even more comfortable with a princess sittin' next to me."
"You're bad at this," Weiss raised a brow, "do you think before you speak?"
"No."
She sighed for the hundredth time that day, a small smile creeping to her lips. "Well, be thankful you're cute." Weiss said before she could stop herself, her eyes widening as heat rushed to her face. What the hell did she just do? Noticing the other woman's matching expression, Weiss averted her eyes as quickly as she could.
"Weiss?" She turned her attention back to the brunette seated in front of her and she felt her heart skip a beat when she realized Ruby had sat up. "You're beautiful." Ruby whispered as Weiss leaned down, she could feel Ruby's breath against her. She was close enough that she could kiss her. . .
Reeling herself back to her senses, Weiss chuckled in amusement. "That one was good, I will admit." She playfully tapped her forehead against Ruby's, "But I'd rather you save it for your girlfriend, don't want to waste it all on me, do you?"
"I'd be fine with that." Ruby giggled.
Weiss' eyes widened and she looked away again, her heart racing as she cleared her throat. "Ahem, uh, we should probably keep shopping."
"Wait-wait-wait-!" Ruby sped after her and Weiss turned around just in time for the brunette to stop behind her. The younger woman blushed, "I think, um, if ya- if you just tried it out that you would like it. . ." She kicked her foot across the tiled floor, "It suits you. . ."
Weiss gaped at the woman for a long moment, staring into her friend's pleading silver eyes. Her heart skipped a beat and she let out a breath of reluctance. "I, uh," she peeked over Ruby's shoulder at the beige and white chaise, "okay. . ." She couldn't say no to those eyes, it was like looking at a puppy begging for treats. "But only if we buy it."
Why did that sound like they were living together?
Ruby grinned, the sparkle returning to her eyes and sending Weiss into another spiral of emotions. "Yeah, okay! Deal!" She had to ignore the fluttering in her chest and the pounding of her heart, drawing a few slow breaths before quietly approaching the snowy white chaise with Ruby watching her. Hesitantly, she set her bag down and carefully made herself comfortable.
The moment she leaned back, she felt weight lift from her shoulders and she breathed a sigh of relaxation. "You look. . . Beautiful." Ruby whispered, causing Weiss to realize she'd closed her eyes. She opened her eyes and looked in Ruby's direction, her heart almost stopping in her chest when she noticed the brunette smiling sheepishly at her. "It almost looks like you have wings."
Weiss frowned and sat up to look behind her, "N-no! Hold on, I-I can take a picture? With your phone, of course." Ruby stopped her, gesturing to Weiss' purse as if asking for permission. The woman stared at the brunette for a long minute, searching her for any reasons not to trust her. She did offer to use Weiss' phone, but how could she be sure- Ruby interrupted her train of thought. "I-I'll take the picture and hand it right back, but if you're not okay with it, I can just use my phone- or not take a picture at all?"
There was sincerity in her eyes. . .
"Front pocket," Weiss said gently, "just swipe the bottom corner. . ." Ruby smiled and withdrew the device from the front pocket, swiping to the camera and stepping away from the older woman.
Ruby hesitated, lowering the phone. She bit her lip and averted her eyes momentarily. "Hey, Weiss?" Weiss hummed in response, "Could you, er, lay down?" The woman frowned and Ruby's eyes widened, quickly piecing together what that could translate to. "N-not like that! It's just- I can capture the 'wing' better if you're, uh, laying down because it, uh- I'm sorry."
After a moment of silence, Weiss scoffed in amusement and rolled her eyes. "You're a complete disaster." She muttered, shifting so that she was laying on her side comfortably, "Is that good?"
The brunette smiled again, giggling nervously and offering a brief nod as a response. She knelt down and aimed the camera at the heiress, Weiss closed her eyes and relaxed her body. She was used to people asking her to pose for pictures considering she was a Schnee. Though, when she looked at the photographer, all she saw was either masked irritation at the mere sight of her presence, or the creepy glint of desire.
Once the camera flashed, she opened her eyes and glanced over to the woman. Ruby met her eyes and clicked her phone off, approaching Weiss as she sat up off of the chaise and never breaking eye contact. Silently, she handed over the phone and smiled, "So will you buy it?" Ruby asked sweetly, hopefulness glimmering in her eyes.
Weiss breathed a sigh of content, "Sure, add it to the list." Ruby pulled her own phone out and clicked it open to the notepad, "What else do you want?"
"Huh?" The brunette looked at her in confusion.
"Well, all you have is kitchen utensils and supplies, a bed, a couch, dinner table, and a bookshelf." Weiss replied, glancing over her shoulder at her friend, "Surely you plan on buying more than that. . .?" Ruby slid her phone back into her pocket, shaking her head quietly. "But, Ruby-"
She was cut off, "Please, Weiss, you've already bought enough for me. . . I will be just fine with what I have." Ruby pleaded, sounding both meek and desperate.
"I-. . . Okay." Weiss whispered, "So, you'll help me finish shopping, or do you wish to go home?
Ruby smiled at her, "I'm fine right here."
[Ruby]
-That night-
"Which building did she say she was in?"
Ruby opened her eyes at the sound of her sister's voice, sighing in realization and rubbing her eyes. She'd told her sister and Blake to stop by since they were both curious about her new apartment. She'd completely forgotten. She groaned and sat up, sliding her legs off the railing and standing to her feet.
"The one on the left." Blake spoke this time, her voice just as hushed and quiet as Yang's. If it were not for her excessive training, Ruby probably wouldn't have heard them in the first place.
"Which one on the left?" The brunette smirked as she leaned over, peering down from the balcony to see wavy red hair, Yang's wig, and a flash of white. Blake was hiding her ears using a headband. . . That had to be uncomfortable.
"This one!" Blake snapped in apparent irritation. The other woman turned to face her and crossed her arms.
"Well I've seen apartment buildings that look like a damn house!" Yang replied, not sounding too happy. She seemingly relaxed after a second, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. . . It's just, they almost caught us earlier! We shouldn't be out here. . ."
"I know. . . Keep your voice down and try to act normal," Blake sighed as Ruby propped herself up on the balcony railing, staring down at them, "maybe you should give her a call-" The faunus paused for a moment. Blake tilted her head back and contacted purple eyes met with Ruby's silver pair. "Hello."
Ruby rolled her eyes, "Hello 'Irides'," she nodded to Yang, who stuck her tongue out at her in response, 'Ramara'." She smiled at Blake.
"Hi!" Yang waved up to her, "Can we come in? It's kinda cold out here!"
"Aren't you a space heater?" Blake raised a brow.
"Hey! I can get cold too! The wind out here is cold!"
Ruby giggled, "Alright, hold on. The lobby's closed, lemme find something. . ."
After a few minutes, she tossed a rope down to the girls who rested below and tied it to the side railing. Ruby gestured for both of them to come up. Blake grabbed the rope to make sure it wasn't loose by giving it a simple tug, when she felt it was secure enough she hoisted herself up the rope and jumped over the side railing. Yang tailed right behind her girlfriend.
Yang dusted herself off and stepped into the small apartment, taking her wig off and removing her contacts to look around. Ruby glanced at her sister and smiled when she noticed the approval in Yang's eyes.
Attached to the balcony was the dining room and kitchen, the two rooms separated by a simple piece of carpet. The lounge was rather small and consisted of a two-seater couch, a desk, and a television. There was a hallway leading to the back of the apartment. The kitchen was about the same size, holding a table, four chairs, a refrigerator, a microwave, and a stove.
Ruby gestured for two other women to follow her down the hall, stepping aside so that they could look around. At the end of the hall was a closet with the bathroom to the left of it, and on the right side of the hall, a straight line across from the bathroom, was the only bedroom in the house.
"Wow, nice place ya have here, Rubes!" Yang complimented, "Where did the stuff come from?" She asked as she slid the bedroom door open, her eyes widening at the sight of the twin bed. "Holy fuckin' shit," her jaw dropped, "it's an actual bed. Come to Mama." Without waiting for Ruby's response, the blonde made herself comfortable on the bed.
Taking a seat next to her sister, Ruby leaned back and crossed her legs, giving the larger women room when Blake joined them. "Um, Weiss bought it for me." The brunette whispered, "She insisted. . ."
"Ooooh," Yang sing-songed, rolling over and grinning at the younger woman, "Weiss, huh?" Blake, who was comfortably draped across her girlfriend's back, remained silent, watching Ruby with apprehension. "Details, tell me. Tell me now." Yang smiled.
"Not nothing too interesting," Ruby shrugged, "I just kinda knocked her down when runnin' to get my keys from the apartment. She offered to take me out and we-"
"Ohhh, like a date?"
"No! We just went to Saudira's Furniture and picked up some stuff." Ruby waved her hands frantically, "She said that mine could be delivered today and she'd be back in two or three days for hers. I mean, she has hers, but it hasn't been delivered because she has a place to stay right now and she didn't wanna spend all day arranging stuff when she had stuff to do."
A small smile tugged at the corner of Ruby's lips, "And, uh, that man I told you that was with her isn't 'er boyfriend. . . She doesn't even like him like that."
Yang chuckled, "See? What'd I tell ya?"
Blake sighed, "Ruby, she's still a Schnee. You can't tell if she has good intentions or not."
Yang glanced down, considering her girlfriend's words and breathing in deeply. Annoyance pricked Ruby when the blonde spoke; "Blake's right, you can never be sure with them. . . Maybe you shouldn't let your guard down, Ruby. She may be nice, but you don't know her."
'I asked you to trust me.' The brunette frowned, listening to her sister and Blake's conversation regarding her safety. She was thankful that they were worried about her, but she was twenty years old now, they didn't seem to understand that she needed to figure things out for herself.
"You need to be wary of her, Ruby," Blake whispered kindly, "if your Uncle has told us anything about the Schnee family, they are not very friendly people."
Yang snorted, "Yeah! Do ya remember how frustrated he was that one Thanksgiving? Mumbled on and on about how entitled and obnoxious they were, couldn't get him to shut up for nothin'!"
"Weiss is different," Ruby muttered under her breath, "she's kind. . ."
"Ruby," Blake sat up as Yang rolled off the bed, whispering something to the faunus before leaving the room, Blake turned back to the brunette, "do you know who Weiss Schnee is?"
"Yes."
"Then I advise you to be-"
"Y'all don't even know her!" Ruby snapped, irritation swelling in her chest, "You judge her for her name, that's it. You haven't met her! I asked you to trust me, I'm not as naive as I was a few years ago," Yang frowned and Ruby held up a hand to stop her before she spoke, "I know what I'm gettin' into, and I know how to get myself out of it if anything goes wrong."
Blake sighed, rubbing at her forehead. "Ruby, why do you want to trust this woman so badly?"
'I felt the spark. . .' Ruby shook her head, "You wouldn't listen anyway." She looked at the clock and slid out of the bed, "It's 1am. I'll sleep on the couch. . ." She approached the door, not looking back at the black and yellow duo. "'Night."
Without another word, she left the room.
