Location: Vale, Townsquare
[One of a Kind]

Approximately three hours later, the training session had disbanded; Pyrrha and Ruby's fight was an exciting one, the girls were evenly matched, exchanging blows in bright sparks as they danced around the battlefield.

Sometime during the fight, Weiss retreated to the back of the training room where Jaune had followed her. After blocking a hit from Pyrrha, Ruby noticed her blonde friend anxiously flirting with her clearly uncomfortable girlfriend. Around that time, a mysterious bullet flew through the air and struck the wall two feet above Jaune's head, startling him enough to move.

It didn't go unnoticed by her sparring partner, who quickly changed positions so that Ruby had her back towards the duo, unfortunately.

They ultimately tied in the end, both calling forfeit once they'd reached their own satisfaction. Pyrrha returned to her own partner to examine him, apologizing for the 'misfired bullet'. Ruby quietly came to her girlfriend's side, her eyes remaining locked on her blonde friend and half-hearing the brief lecture she was given.

Four practices later, the two teams split for the day.

JNPR headed on back to the dorm rooms to study, much to Jaune and Nora's displeasure. Weiss suggested returning to their own dorm to rest, her body tense and exhausted from the morning's activities and the sparring practice, but she'd been outvoted by her teammates and reluctantly joined them on their unnecessary trip into town.

Yang's first stop was dragging Ruby to the weapon shop she'd managed to scam earlier that day, granting Weiss the opportunity to watch her girlfriend geek over new and improved weapons, and some sort of dust-infused bullet launcher she'd wanted to purchase for Crescent Rose. After a few quick moments of mulling it over, she'd instead settled on a pack of high-impact bullets, wanting to test out how well they'd fire with her sniper.

That's when Weiss stepped in and offered to pay for Ruby's purchase, despite Ruby insisting that she would pay with her own allowance. Yang hadn't missed the chance to poke some fun at the two of them, referring to the ammo as a post-wedding gift.

Their next location was Tucson's Book Store so that Blake could pick up the book she'd ordered; Lace Mystery.

She'd been rather secretive and flustered regarding the plot of the book when questioned, which told more than Weiss wanted to know. Yang waited outside of the store, having browsed enough for her liking and grown bored. Ruby, on the other hand, busied herself with the recently released volume of her favorite series, and a couple of romance novels that caught her eye.

Ruby's discreet peek into the children's section didn't go unnoticed by Weiss. She hadn't missed the giddy, hopeful look in the brunette's eyes, either.

When they left the store, Weiss noticed that her girlfriend had gotten lost deep in thought, judging by the glaze over her silver eyes. Her brows creased in worry before she'd snapped herself back to her senses, suddenly piquing up between Blake and Yang's conversation, informing them that she and Weiss would be heading off alone to provide the Bumbleby duo with some alone time.

Without waiting for a response, Weiss found herself being hauled away from the rest of the team and towards a vaguely familiar jewelry store, where she was asked to wait outside while Ruby went in. A few minutes later, Ruby exits the door with a small plastic bag, wearing a nervous smile on her face.

"I kind of had it personalized last week," she confesses quietly, "I asked them to hold it until today, so, um," she pulls a long box from the small bag she carried, "here."

Weiss cautiously takes the box and slowly opens it. Before she can even see inside, the sun glares off the piece and blinds her, but once her eyes adjust and she sees the chain-link bracelet, warmth flutters through her heart as she reads the message engraved on the heart-shaped pendant: Her and Ruby's initials with a heart in between.

'For me…?'

She shakes her head, clearing her thoughts. "Ruby, what is this?" Weiss askes, scowling to conceal her childish glee. "I don't even wear bracelets?"

Disappointment flickers through Ruby's eyes, Weiss' heart tightens with guilt. "I… I just thought that since you bought me something, I could do the same for you…" She reaches for the item, "You don't like it… I-I can take it back?"

Weiss steps away from her instantly, holding the bracelet close. Ruby frowns in confusion. "No," Weiss says in a firm tone of voice, "it's mine, don't touch it." Her heart flutters as glee flashes through those captivating silver eyes and Weiss averts her gaze, willing away the heat stubbornly spreading across her face. "Th-thank you, Ruby."

Ruby giggles and takes a short step closer to the blushing heiress, "Is that a blush I see?" She coos playfully, her demeanor changing into one of mischief, sending a quiver up Weiss' spine as her voice slowly became sultry. "Did I make the oh-so stoic Weiss Schnee blush?"

"No!" Weiss denies, clutching her gift tight with one hand and spinning around on her heel to walk away. Now that she isn't facing Ruby, she allows a tiny smile to creep to her lips and she glances down to the bracelet. She'd grown up receiving/and or purchasing expensive, sometimes rare items from all over Remnant, granted she'd never really had a use for them…

And despite it being a custom creation, the bracelet was still a standard piece of middle class jewelry. So why did such a small, flimsy bracelet make her feel so happy?

A light laugh comes from behind her and she hears the tapping of feet approaching, followed by a pair of arms gently embracing her from behind. "I can see you smiling~!" Ruby says in a cheerful voice into Weiss' ear, causing the girl's face to redden. Weiss yelps in protest and pries at her girlfriend's arms as an attempt to remove them, mumbling something under her breath when Ruby's hold is locked and tightened, but loose enough that Weiss remains comfortable.

"Ruby!" Weiss hisses at the brunette, "We're in public-eek!" She's cut off by a soft, feathery kiss against the back of her neck. "Ruby." She repeats, making no move to try and escape the reaper's embrace. She'll never admit it, but having Ruby's arms around her makes her feel safe. "Let go of me." Weiss murmurs.

Ruby scoffs in mock offense. "Fine, but only because you asked nicely." She withdraws her arms from Weiss' waist after placing another soft kiss below her girlfriend's ear.

Weiss rolls her eyes and stepped out of Ruby's embrace, Ruby's hand gently sliding across her stomach almost wistfully. Weiss spares her a glance over her shoulder, light blue eyes meeting with adoring silver. Ignoring the pang of loneliness that grips her heart upon the loss of contact, Weiss turns away and walks down the street to head back towards the heart of the town. "Come on, we need to find Blake and Yang."

"I would rather not." Ruby replies quickly and uncomfortably, jogging to Weiss' side. "I still can't get that image from last week out of my mind."

Weiss allows a small, coy smirk to form on her lips. "Ah," she says teasingly, "are you referring to the closet incident or the-"

Ruby cuts her off immediately with a strangled, disapproving noise of disgust. "Please don't remind me."

The older woman chuckles quietly. "Or do you mean the time we walked in on-"

Ruby silences her with a series of repulsed whines and grunts, swatting at Weiss' arm childishly while they walk. "Weiiisss! That's my sister!" Weiss growls, annoyance pooling in the pit of her stomach at her partner's behavior.

She recoils back, stops walking and grabs her girlfriend's wrists, Ruby pauses and stares back at her. She'll be able to break free without difficulty if she wants to, but she stays still. "Ruby, you are eighteen-years old. Act like it." Weiss says firmly with irritation etched on her features. "You're not a fifteen-year old child anymore."

Ruby raises a brow back at her, unfazed by Weiss' sudden change in demeanor. "I've never been eighteen before, I don't know how to act my age."

The heiress groans and releases the reaper's wrists and turns again, letting out a breath as an attempt to relax her nerves. She started down the street again, Ruby following closely behind her. "I would teach you, but it would take years for you to even grasp the simple idea of proper etiquette." As soon as the words leave her mouth, she is struck by an arrow of guilt and she keeps her eyes downcast, not wanting to see Ruby's reaction.

"Maybe," Ruby murmurs, her voice calm and cool, "but if I learned how to act like that, if I changed, would you even love me anymore?" She asks, approaching Weiss slowly. Weiss stops and examines their surroundings, grateful that there weren't any prying, lurking eyes. The woman faces Ruby's questioning silver eyes. "If you really want me to," Ruby whispers leaning in subconsciously to look Weiss in the eyes. "I guess I could work on my behavior."

Weiss moves her hand up and places a finger on Ruby's forehead, gently pushing her away and holding her at bay. She doesn't budge. "Dunce…" She mutters under her breath, "I said act your age, not like an obnoxious, rich snob."

Ruby smirks at that. "Oh so…" She gestures towards her playfully. "You."

Weiss' response is a blank, expressionless stare. The air around them grows cold and quiet; she stays silent and unreadable as Ruby starts to fidget and a tiny, nervous smile crept to the brunette's face. She begins rambling; "I mean, uh, like, uh… Like Winter! Like Winter, yeah, that's what I meant." Weiss cocks a brow and Ruby's expression morphs into one of panic. "Not that she's an obnoxious snob!" She shakes her head, "No! Not at all! She's just, uh, cold, and distant? Aloof?" Realization dawns in her eyes. "Unapproachable! Yeah! Wait," she pauses, biting her lip, "that's not any better, is it?"

Weiss advances before Ruby can spout out more nervous gibberish, she comes close to her and reaches to grab the front of her girlfriend's collar, pulling the taller girl down and silencing her with a passionate kiss that sends sparks fluttering through her heart. She feels Ruby's body go rigid for a brief moment before the kiss is momentarily returned. Weiss parts before Ruby could get any ideas.

Weiss can't help but to smirk at her achievement; she leans in and gives the brunette another sweet kiss. "An obnoxious snob wouldn't have fallen in love with a dolt like you." She chuckles, watching as shock crosses Ruby's face.

She makes to leave, but before she can step away, an arm shoots out and encircles her abdomen, gently tugging her closer. "Ruby!" She scolds again, becoming slightly annoyed with her girlfriend's actions. A single slender finger taps her chin up and she glances towards Ruby, her heart performing a backwards flip upon seeing the mischievous look in her eyes.

"You've fallen in love with me?" Ruby questions playfully, but affectionately. "Aww!" She smirks. "You must be a 'dolt' yourself, then! There's no way a smart, intelligent heiress would fall for an idiot, unless she was secretly one herself, eh?"

Weiss feels like steam is coming out of her ears, humiliation rises up inside and she jerks her arms back, she bashes at Ruby's chest as hard as she can. "Are you insulting me?! I never said that!" She shouts. "Let go of me, you brute!"

Ruby just giggles and Weiss stiffens when she feels gentle fingers combing through her hair. She sighs softly as her body slowly relaxes and loosely wraps her arms around Ruby, resting her forehead against her shoulder comfortably. She closes her eyes, allowing her aggravation to melt away. "There, there…" Her girlfriend coos, "You're okay… Calm down, Princess."

She tenses again, opening her eyes again and repeating the nickname in her head. Deciding she doesn't like it, she grunts and pushes herself away from Ruby, "I am calm." She says firmly as she straightens her posture to look Ruby in the eyes. "And don't call me that!"

"Sure." The reaper grins, strolling passed her and lifting a hand to pat Weiss' head playfully. The gesture sends another wave of embarrassment through her, she lets out an irate growl. "C'mon, let's get something to eat."

Weiss releases a defeated huff and peers over her shoulder to watch her girlfriend leave, her heart flutters and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

She turns to follow her.

"Out of all the places in Vale…" Weiss murmurs, staring up at the old, rundown building and looking back at Ruby judgmentally before a blank look crosses her features. She gestures to the shack, one brow raised. "You chose this."

"Hey," Ruby mutters in response, "it's good! Dad, Yang, and I eat here on summer vacation!" She pushes the door open and walks inside, Weiss following closely behind her. "It's also where I told Dad about us!" Ruby says, looking over her shoulder with a warm smile.

Weiss rolls her eyes, a tiny smile forming on her lips. "It's nice to know that you love me so much that you told your father we're dating in a leaky, moldy restaurant."

Ruby frowns at her, "Weiss," she pouted, "it's not leaky and the mold-smell is just…" She pauses, "Actually, I can't explain that. I don't smell it."

Without another word, she hops over to the counter where a young man looked up, he smiles at her and his eyes flicker back at Weiss. "Two?" He asks and Ruby nods, Weiss comes to her side as the waiter sweeps up two menus into his hands and leads them away. "Alright, right this way!"

The heiress breathes a heavy sigh for the hundredth time that day. "You're lucky that I love you…" At that, Ruby beams and her silver eyes light up like fireworks. Weiss feels her heart flutter. 'Cute!' Weiss' expression instantly becomes guarded to shield her internal squealing; she couldn't show her soft side, not in public. "Though why I love you remains a mystery to me…"

Weiss' eyes wanders towards Ruby's hand and her fingers twitches, she hesitantly scans her surroundings and quickly strolls up next to Ruby. Silver eyes glimpse back at her briefly and Weiss moves her hand, softly locking her fingers with Ruby's, the brunette offers her a tiny smile and she curls her fingers around Weiss', their palms forming an upside down heart.

Her girlfriend chuckles and begins slowly swinging their hands, her gaze becomes soft and she looks up to her longingly. "It's almost like we're swinging a child."

Weiss scoffs, "And just like that, you've ruined the moment."

Ruby rolls her eyes as they are led to their table, she withdraws her hand from Weiss' and playfully gestures for her to sit down first. "After you, Your Highness." She gives a mock bow as Weiss sits down. The heiress waves her hand for Ruby to join her and the brunette slides in across from her.

After a few minutes of quiet conversing, a young man walks up to them. "Good evening, ladies!" He greets, taking a quick look at Ruby. "My name is Azuron, and I'm your waiter today! So what would you like to drink?" He fixes his attention on Ruby, never sparing Weiss a single look. "We have the Strawberry Lime and Sunset Chamallite on the special today."

Weiss' brow twitches at the mention of the alcoholic beverages and she raises her eyes to look at Ruby, huffing a deep sigh when Ruby's face lights up. "What's a Sunset Chamallite?" She knows her girlfriend won't go overboard, she just needed to trust her.

Azuron smiles and Weiss feels a spark of jealousy twinge at her chest. He is too nice. Azuron waves his hand, "Oh it's like a Tequila Sunrise," he explains, his voice just a bit too peppy, "just a lil' stronger. I think you'd like it if you enjoy the Tequila Sunrise!"

The legal drinking age here in Vale was approximately eighteen, much to Weiss' displeasure.

Ruby claps her menu shut and withdraws her ID from her pocket, flashing it at the waiter to verify that she was of age. "I'll take a Sunset Chamallite, a Hazelnut and Milk fruitcake, and Mistralian-Style Beans and Chicken."

"Well you certainly have an appetite!" The man chuckled, "Nice choice of dessert!" He says happily, almost flirtatiously, "My grandfather actually made the Hazelnut and Milk fruitcake, and sold the recipe to this restaurant!"

Ruby grins in response. "Really? That's amazing!"

A cold feeling settles inside of Weiss' chest, she casts an angry glower at Azuron as he turns to her with a bright grin on his face. The air becomes ten degrees colder when their eyes met, she can clearly see the challenge in his hazel orbs. "What would you like, miss?" The waiter asks nicely, Weiss isn't blind to the change in his voice.

'I'd like for you to kindly leave and never come back.' Weiss sits up, closing her menu. "Two waters," one for Ruby, "and a simple salad."

Azuron hums, "Pickled chicken salad, or would you like a-"

Weiss cuts him off. "Just a salad."

The waiter shrugs and jots their orders down before turning back to Ruby as if Weiss had never been there in the first place. "So," he starts with a revolting nice grin, "why are you trying the Sunset Chamallite? Don't you think that it might be a little too strong for your first time drinking?"

Ruby shakes her head, "I've already had a Tequila Sunrise twice since I've been here," since she's been here with Yang, "so I think I'm ready for something a little stronger." She grins challengingly, "I can handle it!"

Azuron laughs and Weiss grits her teeth together, "I'm sure you can." He turns away, "I'll deliver your orders now, let me know if you need anything else." The subtle wink he shoots towards Ruby doesn't go unnoticed.

As he walks away, Ruby let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders slacking. "Jeez, I thought he'd never leave…"

"He'll be back." Weiss mutters as she watches the man walk away towards the back, he takes a glance back towards them and their eyes meet for a brief moment before he disappears into the back room. "He forgot to take up the menus on purpose." She refocuses her attention on her girlfriend as annoyance brewers inside of her chest, bubbling to the surface when Ruby innocently looks at her. "Why did you do that?"

Ruby frowns, "What do you mean?"

Weiss' hands clutch the edge of the table, "Why did you let him flirt with you?!"

The brunette raises a brow and sits back, "Weiss," she says calmly, "I was being nice… There's a difference between flirting and being nice. You're being possessive."

"I'm not possessive," Weiss objects immediately, "but now he thinks you're into him because you were being nice." She groans and rubs her forehead, breathing slowly as an attempt to relax her nerves. What was she doing? She knows Ruby would never cheat on her.

Maybe she was being possessive. She needs to calm down…

"I-I'm sorry…" She apologizes quietly, "I didn't mean to get like that… I just," she pauses for a moment, "I don't want him to think you're into him because you're being nice..."

Ruby smiles and she reaches over to place her hand on Weiss'. "You're forgiven." Her thumb runs over Weiss' knuckles soothingly, "There's no need to be jealous, Princess, I'm not gonna leave you. I love you too much. I'll take care of it when he comes back."

Weiss cracks a thankful smile at her.

Two transparent glasses filled with their ordered beverages are placed in front of them and Ruby's attention moves upwards, Weiss frowns when Azuron meets her girlfriend's eyes. "Here's your drinks," he says, ignoring Weiss' presence, "I paid for the cost of yours," he sends a wink towards Ruby, "no need to thank me."

Rage bubbles up inside of Weiss, she clenched her fists and opens her mouth to retort something; Ruby held her hand up and she swallows her words, sitting back and letting the silver-eyed girl handle it. "Actually, I'd prefer it if you hadn't," Ruby smiles, the false remorse in her eyes was nearly believable. Azuron frowns in perplexity, "I'm here on a date with my girlfriend, and it'd be nice if you would leave us alone."

"Girlfriend?" His dark, hazel gaze glanced to Weiss and his expression became stoic. She matched his glare with the same level of intensity, waiting for one of his snarky, offhand comments. "She deserves a man, you know," he said, his voice devoid of emotion, but challenging, "someone who can really protect her and take care of her. Not some fragile princess."

Confident in herself, Weiss offered him a sweet smile and watched as bewilderment flickered across his narrow features. "Is that so? Well, between the three of us, I do not see this 'Man' you speak of." Ruby grinned when she said this, "I only see a good-for-nothing boy who is too dense to realize when he's out of his league."

"Are you insulting me?" Azuron asks, thoroughly baffled. "How dare you! I am-"

"Azuron! Get back to work!" A woman hollers from the back room, causing the man's mouth to clamp shut and irritation to flood his eyes. He shakes his head and his expression goes blank before turning away and returning to the backroom.

Weiss watches as his back slowly departs from them, her hands clutching the edge of the table and her breathing careful, quiet. She lets her guard down and sighed, leaning against the seat behind her and looking back at her girlfriend. "What was that? I could've come up with a better insult than that." She frowns, her brows creasing. "I could've put him in his place without insulting-"

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Ruby slide her glass to the side and inclines forward. She had just a moment to register that the younger woman had leaned over the table, one hand on the flat surface to stabilize her. Weiss' chin is gingerly tilted up by two soft fingers and their lips met for a tender kiss.

The world around them falls into a deafening silence.
She can't hear anything aside from her own quickened heartbeat.
Any rage she'd felt subsided, almost as though it'd never existed at all.

A warm, tingly feeling erupts through her body as Ruby carefully deepens the kiss, her fingers tracing along Weiss' jawline, leaving warm trails of pleasure in their wake.

She snaps out of her daze when Ruby breaks the kiss, whispering a sweet 'I love you' against her lips, sending euphoric waves washing through Weiss' being. The heiress opens her eyes as Ruby sits back, a knowing grin on her face and her silver eyes dancing with amusement. "Just one kiss causes you to thaw, how sweet." She giggles as Weiss returns to her senses. "You still get that dazed look in your eyes."

"No I don't," Weiss insists immediately, ignoring the growing blush on her face, "you don't know what you're talking about."

Ruby giggles, "And every time I point it out, you deny it."

Weiss averts her gaze, "Shut up…"

"I love you, too." Ruby replies.

It might seem like a small, unimportant detail...

But pay attention to that bracelet, it will have some significance.

Things seem to be going just fine, don't they? Let's hope they remain that way.