Kirakishou was late. It was an inescapable truth that rang through her mind and filled her with insecurities and uncertainties. She had explicitly stated that the dance began at 8:00pm. Even with the huge storm going on outside, there wasn't any reason for her partner to be late. There had to be something else happening and it was freaking her out.
"Relax, Ruby. You're shaking. It'll ruin your dress."
"I don't care about the bloody dress." she hissed back in response, glaring at Weiss with all the fury of a cat that had accidentally fell into a bath, even as she reflexively patted down the red-coloured formal dress for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour and a half. The heiress merely rolled her eyes at the gesture, a few onlookers glancing their way.
Not that she cared about the stares that much. She didn't even know any of those people looking at her. Just a few upper years and some randoms from different schools by the looks of it. They didn't have a right to know what was going on.
"But you do care about the dance. You care about Kirakishou, don't you?"
"Of course I do!" Ruby responded immediately, trying to keep her voice down. Even if she didn't care about what people thought, it was still a bit overwhelming to have so many eyes aimed in her direction. "It's just… I'm afraid, okay?"
Weiss smiled at her, a tired smile growing on her face as soft chuckles fought to be restrained from her slender frame. It was a knowing sort of smile, from what Ruby could see. She figured that there had to have been more than a few times where Weiss had gone through a similar ordeal, which was the only reason she was still listening to the girl rather than dart off into the night and find her damn girlfriend.
Still, at this point Ruby would take what she could get to alleviate her worry.
"I know you are." Weiss answered with a consoling tone, glancing around at the ballroom. Ruby followed her eyes. There weren't that many people that had actually arrived yet and the ones that had arrived were confined to the interior area due to the heavy rain. "It's still early, Ruby. She'll come. She just needs some time, most likely."
"But what if something's wrong?!" Ruby tried not to think of all the possibilities, even as they flowed relentlessly into her thoughts. "..S-She could have gotten stopped by the guards o-or slipped in a puddle or maybe she doesn't-"
A hand touched her shoulder. She looked up, tears threatening to spill from her silver eyes.
S-She... didn't understand why she was getting all emotional, it was just a bit of time...
"Feeling better?" Lie Ren asked, a small smile appearing on his face. She blinked rapidly, before glancing down at his retreating hand and noticing the telltale grey glow of his semblance. Ah. Right. Something to do with a calming effect. Useful.
"...Much. Thank you." Ruby hoped that her words sounded genuine, even whilst nervousness began to fester in her gut oncemore. She needed to get her mind away from the topic. "Sorry that you had to do that. How's things with Team JNPR?"
The look that Weiss shot her clearly showed that the heiress realised what she was doing.
"Quite well so far." Ren gave a curt nod, before glancing off. "Um. Excuse me. I think Nora may be requiring some assistance." he scooted off in the direction of the punch bowl, where a certain ginger-haired teammate of his was telling some story to a bunch of laughing onlookers.
Judging by the blush that had appeared on his face it was quite the embarrassing story for him, though she couldn't really hear it that well over all the music and background chatter. Something to do with a bakery and an armadillo of all things.
"…Some days I wonder what it would be like to have been placed on a different team, and then I look around and find myself glad to have been placed on this team in particular." Weiss muttered underneath her breath, shaking her head at the antics steadily unfolding around them.
"Yeah. I know what you mean." Ruby admitted, drawing the heiress' attention. "Thanks, by the way. For this. I know everything with Kira is making us all a bit tense, but thank you for putting all that to the side. You're a good teammate, Weiss."
Weiss stared at her for a tad bit longer than expected, leaving Ruby growing uncomfortable at the silence. She hoped that it wasn't due to something she said.
"Look. One of the little lovebirds has arrived."
Emerald casts a dismissive glance towards the entry hall, where a young Ruby Rose is nervously glancing around no-doubt in search of the blonde little monster that was supposedly to be her date for the evening.
"Uh-huh. Great."
Mercury gave a low, mocking laughter that sounded awfully faked to her ears. With him held so close to her, there existed a certain unease within her body at the idea of allowing a trained assassin to act so comfortable around her. Were it not for Kirakishou's supposed information regarding Mercury's father drawing the grey-haired assassin's interest away from her, Emerald would likely have requested that the mistress find literally anyone else to act as her date for this particular venture.
Even Neo would be better, crazy little mute that she was.
"Don't fret." Mercury warned, pulling her along into a slow dance. "Simply watch. That's all our job is right now. You can do that, can't you?"
Her heart pounded fiercely in her chest.
"I'd be able to if you just kept your damn mouth shut, Mercury."
The resultant laughter did little to sooth her worries, but it did serve to silence the boy for a while and allow her some semblance of peace for the moment. Considering the nature of the task that Cinder had laid out for herself, there was little that Emerald could do to assist unless things went drastically wrong and they were forced to intervene.
With her illusionary abilities and Mercury's skill in a small confined area filled with relatively unarmed guests, it was a tall order but it was possible. Yet, despite that, she hoped it would never come to such a thing- especially if Kirakishou were to show up. Once even a mere few hunters and huntresses caught on and activated their auras, they would be quickly overwhelmed and subdued.
They were to be used as diversionary pieces at best. Sacrificial pawns if need be. Whilst she would gladly lay down her life for the person that has done so much for her, Emerald hoped within her heart that it would never have to come to that.
"Look, Emerald." Mercury's voice drew her away from her musings. The boy's voice was cold and filled with apprehension, a staunch contrast to his typical apathetic reactions. "She's arrived."
At the entrance to the ballroom in which the Vytal Festival Dance was situated, there was – judging by her white rose eyepatch and peach blonde hair – a girl vaguely matching Kirakishou's general description. She wore an elaborate crystalline dress which shimmered brightly underneath the intense glow of the function's lighting. The garment itself appeared to have been made of large crystal pieces vaguely similar to uncut diamonds, yet appeared remarkably translucent with an unnerving internal glow resembling a very light olive tone.
Were one to take a closer look, they would find matching low-cut shoes seemingly cut from the same crystals as her dress adorning her feet. A single strap ran across the instep.
Her dress itself possessed detached small sleeves, curtaining her shoulders and ending just before her elbow. Coupled with an over-the-shoulder style and a long, running ornate skirt that fell towards her ankles, it made one imagine that the outfit belonged to an age-old and long forgotten era of some sort, trimmed with an almost impossibly delicate crystalline edge. The crystals themselves appeared jagged, yet flowed in a uniform manner throughout her dress, tinkling with every movement.
The lights from the event refracted through the crystalline dress she wore, highlighting the changes made to her seemingly untameable hair. What had once flowed freely around her slim body had been platted and knotted into a single long thick braid which ran down her back and approached her ankles in a style reminiscent of an elaborate ponytail. Multiple sections of hair had been conjoined with several white roses barring a similarity to the rose situated where her right eye should have been. There were two strands of hair which had seemingly avoided being platted, instead running forward and framing her face.
It was far beyond anything that any of the students – Beacon Academy or otherwise – had witnessed in such an event to date.
Her very presence seemed to almost dominate the ballroom alone, overwhelming and suppressing conversation as many sets of eyes gazed towards a seemingly impossibly bewitching sight. There was an intensity surrounding this woman that, whilst barely noticeable during her regular Beacon Academy schooldays, had flourished and blossomed into a noticeably palpable sensation of irregularity.
There was a sort of energy in the air now, centred around this girl.
As conversation steadily resumed amongst the readily growing crowd of students as more and more continued to flood through the doors to escape the downpour outside, many eyes focused on Kirakishou as she carved a deliberate path directly through the centre stage and towards a small group of women.
"K-Kirakishou..." Ruby stammered out, silver eyes widening dramatically as the Rozen Maiden greeted her with a soft smile. "It's… is that really you?"
"Who else would I be, except for a maiden of the pure white rose?" the figure tilted its head to the side as a mock smile appeared faintly carved over chalk-coloured skin.
Yup. That's Kirakishou alright. Ruby thought with a sweat drop. Certainly has her unique dialect, that's for sure. So very pretty...
Before she could think up a dignified response that didn't involve embarrassed stammering, the disguised Rozen Maiden grabbed her left hand, placing a chaste kiss atop it. Ruby's complexion reddened almost instantaneously, but she didn't retract her hand. There was no denying her doll, especially in the state that she was in now.
There was something different about the blonde-haired girl, Ruby realised almost instantaneously. A certain elegance that surrounded and dominated everything around her, up to and including Ruby herself.
Kirakishou abruptly tugged forward, snapping Ruby out of her thoughts as she was pulled flush against Kirakishou's crystalline dress. Much to her increasing bewilderment, those crystals didn't just look like crystals, they were actual freaking crystals. And they glowed! How was that even possible!? Why, if she glanced at them at the precise right angle she could even see the reflections of different people.
"W-Whoa..." Ruby mutters aloud, her eyes lidded as she takes in her partner's form up close and personal. "T-That's… wow. I know that you said you already had a dress ready, but Kira this so utterly beyond anything I would have ever imagined that it isn't even funny anymore."
Kirakishou gives her a warm smile, her lone eye bright and cheery as the doll rests her head against Ruby's shoulder. It feels weird to be the taller person in a group, but she was quickly coming to realise how wonderful it felt to have someone rest against her. Especially when it was the woman that she loved with all her heart.
"...Do you like it?" Kirakishou whispers into her ear.
In response, she snakes an arm around the doll, pulling her partner's body flush up against Ruby's chest. There is an odd warmth to the crystals that Ruby can feel as they slide against the fabric of her dress and brush against the sections that exposed her skin, curiously enough it feels remarkably soft despite looking rather jagged and sharp. Almost organic, in a sense.
"I really, really do." she answers truthfully. "You look so beautiful..."
A delighted giggle escapes the Rozen Maiden at her compliment and Ruby quickly realises that her final thought was said out loud. "These are crystals grown from my deepest field, my strongest bastion. My own Palace of Beginnings made manifest, as was intended from the start."
Grown? Ruby wonders, curiosity fluttering through her amidst all of the nervous butterflies in her tummy. She had thought that it took ages for crystals to grow. Like, years and years. To make ones so big and shape them into a dress with such detail was beyond anything she had ever believed was possible.
The other part of Kira's response, her Palace of Beginnings, Ruby vaguely recalled from one of her many snuggles with the doll. She was vaguely aware that it had something to do with Kirakishou's dorm room, but it was something more than that. Was it something to do with her power? She said that it was made manifest, after all. Whatever that means.
Ruby knew of only two other things that Kirakishou had ever generated with her powers.
She glanced the Schnee heiress from the corner of her eyes, spotting the perplexed look that was readily apparent on her face. Whilst Ruby felt a deep primal sense of possessiveness surrounding the doll that urged Ruby to prevent others from finding out about her, there was little she could do to prevent Weiss Schnee of all people from uncovering a truth if she wanted to. Especially not when Kirakishou idly spoke about it right in front of her.
Although to be fair there was quite the prestigious event distracting them. Both Ruby and Kirakishou had sacrificed a lot to be here in this very moment. Perhaps the doll had simply been overjoyed in seeing her and had inadvertently spoken something that she hadn't meant to say? The sheer idea of causing such a reaction sent happy little butterflies down her body.
"Dearest little Rose," Kirakishou's voice was a low purr, soft and sensuous like a lover. She found herself drawn to the blonde's lips as they continued to whisper in a tone just barely audible over the sounds of the other partygoers. "Is this the extent of your desires for this night? To merely act as witness without speech? You always-"
A sharp cough drew Ruby's eyes away from Kirakishou and towards a certain irate Schnee, who appeared to be shooting her a rather fierce look all of a sudden. Ruby flushed scarlet as her mind caught up with her. She hadn't realised it at first, but she had been leaning in for a kiss. It would have been her first one in a public venue, too. That time with her team setting up the dance didn't count.
Not my fault… Ruby huffed inwardly, glancing away from the beautiful doll and pointedly ignoring the stares of others sent her way. She was egging me on! Can't you see that, Weiss? Can't anyone see that? Acting all teasing… wearing a dress like that… pulling me close... How can you read me so easily, Kira? It's not fair…
"Kirakishou, it is good to see that you were successful in arriving here tonight. I feared the storm would make it difficult." Weiss interjected diplomatically, interrupting the two girls before they embarrassed themselves any further than they already had. Honestly, not even a minute into a conversation and the young couple looked about ready to start sucking face. To be forced to handle such a humiliating affair was incredibly degrading for the Schnee Heiress.
The blonde in particular blinked in apparent surprise at her very presence, detaching from a pouting Ruby to glance over at the heiress with a placid smile. Any trace of the flush brought along by the actions of her team leader vanished almost instantaneously as she stared down at the blonde-haired girl.
"Weiss Schnee." Kirakishou announced, nodding her head. "A rose greets another rose. Apologies for failing to notice your presence at first. My little reaper requires all of my attention, you see. She is quite needy tonight."
In response to Kirakishou's apparent teasing Ruby pouted even harder, going so far as to mutter a little over-exaggerated "Waah! Meanie!~" as fake tears trickled down her cheeks. Even so, the twinkle of amusement in her eyes was visible to all.
Skilfully resisting the neigh-overwhelming urge to roll her eyes, she ignored her bumbling leader in favour of addressing the soft-spoken girl in front of her, who appeared to be patiently awaiting her response. It was a curious greeting that Kirakishou had given her- one that spoke of formality of some kind, yet without context its meaning was lost on the Schnee Heiress.
"Apology accepted." she decided in the end. It was the only reply she could give without going down yet another rabbit hole.
"...You were not seen following your call during the events of yesterday afternoon." Kirakishou observed, drawing the heiress out of her musings with all the subtlety of a bucking of cold water. "Did you resolve the situation? You appeared quite distressed, so as to require the consolation of a pure white rose to even answer. Why, I doubt you even spoke with your fellow team members about the matter."
Despite herself, she tensed at the reminder of her Father's call. "...It's fine."
Kirakishou's answering silence was enough to make the Schnee falter, just a little bit. It reminded her that, despite the illusion of peacefulness, she was talking to a woman would could very easily control a conversation with her very presence alone. Revealing details to such a figure about her upcoming company meeting and subsequent deal with the Atlesian military was to be avoided at all costs.
It was almost like she was speaking with father. He, too, had a way of controlling events by simply being in the same room as others.
"Oh right! I was going to ask about that." Ruby's inquisitive voice answered in wake of the silence, shooting a brief uncertain look towards Kirakishou who thankfully allowed her the chance to respond. "...I didn't want to intrude at the time, but you did seem a little on edge when you came back to the dorm room last night."
Weiss felt her hands balling into fists as Kirakishou's date and Weiss' own team leader inadvertently rallied alongside each other. It was quite the unfair prospect to go up against completely alone. Privately, she wished her own blasted date was nearby in order to soothe her qualms, but clearly it wasn't going to be the case at the moment. She would have to pull it off all on her own.
Why of all things did Kirakishou and Ruby have to latch on to the one point of discussion she would rather remain dead and buried?
Damn them. Damn Jacques Schnee.
"...It's not exactly something that I'm able to even speak about at the moment. Company policy, I'm afraid." Weiss answered diplomatically with a brittle smile plastered over her face. "However, I wanted to offer you two my congratulations on successfully managing to attend the dance. You both are shaping up to be quite an... interesting couple despite all the setbacks. Certainly the talk of the evening so far."
"You really think so? Ohhh that's so freaking awesome, isn't it Kira?!" Ruby gushed excitedly, her eyes darting between Weiss and Kirakishou in a readily apparent elation over the sheer prospect. She pointedly ignored how the sudden flash of lightning in the distance gave the young reaper a rather unsettling background illumination for a brief instance.
"Absolutely." Weiss continued onward with a satisfied nod, glad that her team leader had fallen for the bait and changed the subject away from more sensitive matters. "I have had my concerns in the past, but clearly they were misguided judging by the smile on your face. It is good to see you happy, Ruby. You deserve it."
Poor little Ruby stammered painfully and displayed a complete ineptitude in handling a simple compliment, as was expected from a girl of her age. Whilst it was true that her team leader was slowly developing a rather keen intellect and curious thirst for knowledge, she was still a child out of her comfort zone and thus still susceptible to mere deflections and forward-facing compliments.
Never during her time in Beacon Academy did Weiss Schnee ever think that she would have to utilise her father's teachings against her own team leader, however. Not until recently, when the blonde little girl came along and inserted herself quite intimately into Ruby's life.
Perhaps when everything was over with the blonde girl and her shenanigans, Weiss would apologise for her blatant lies. Until then, however, placating the two lovers with simple friendly sentiments was all she could do in order to prevent disaster.
Said blonde was smiling placidly at her words, but the sharpness in her slit amber eye belayed her true intent- no doubt a silent warning if Weiss had ever seen one. There was little point denying the possibility that Kirakishou had caught on to her little gambit, yet was merely allowing the charade for Ruby's sake. It was perhaps the only weakness that she had found on the blonde during her admittance at Beacon Academy.
"It must be quite comforting to have a room all to oneself." Weiss brought up in an almost casual manner, taking a moment to steel her rapidly beating heart.
Kirakishou's eye snapped over to Ruby in an instant, the little reaper all but starting at the sudden intense gaze from her paramour. "...It has its little pleasures." she answered simply.
Ruby didn't know if it was the tone of voice that Kirakishou used, or her own dirty mind that was the actual culprit, but she found herself instantly reminded of her numerous snuggling sessions with the blonde-haired Rozen Maiden doll.
Little pleasures indeed... She mused internally, shuddering as desire made itself apparent through her body.
"... Right. Well." Weiss coughed, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks. Had she caught the innuendo? "If you would excuse me, I need to go find my date. It was nice talking with you both." The heiress spoke, sounding distinctly uncomfortable. "I will find you later, Ruby. Goodnight."
"Um... Okay. Goodnight?" she spoke to the Schnee's retreating form, perplexed at the abrupt departure.
Was Weiss really that repressed that even a little innuendo would send her running? Or was it something else? Oum, even she wasn't that uncomfortable with discussing naughty things. N-Not anymore at least.
Kirakishou eyed the girl's departure curiously. "...Your partner was in quite the hurry, beloved."
"Yes, well..." Ruby scratched the back of her hair, chuckling awkwardly. "I guess that it's just the two of us now."
As she found the doll's eye snapping to find her own silver pools, Ruby found herself shivering under the intensity of that particular gaze. Feeling a sudden unexpected shyness permeating her body, she looked down at her feet.
How could she compare to the beautiful Rozen Maiden standing before her? Clad in crystals that shone like magical diamonds, enchanting and eternal. Who was she compared to such an entity? Some low girl from Patch with a sob story and a raggedy old dress that some random clerk had offhandedly said looked pretty on her.
What was she even doing here?
Why was-
Hands encircled her face, cradling her cheeks. Startled out of her trace, she looked up to inadvertently meeting a lone slit amber eye. Kirakishou pulled her close, their noses touching ever so slightly.
"Mine."
The background sounds faded into a dull tone. She could feel her heart beating a hundred miles an hour once again.
Lips met, the freezing chill of Kirakishou's artificial body against her own. She sighed softly even as they kissed, eyes fluttering shut as Ruby allowed herself to surrender to the sensations that the doll was forcing upon her. Kirakishou's hands slid from her cheeks to wrap themselves around her back in a constricting embrace. The crystals were humming a subtle melody that gleaned a beautiful hymn behind the music. Entrancing.
Ruby whimpered in need as the doll detached from her. Desperately, she refused to allow the doll to fully depart- instead grabbing her hands and holding them tight. Kirakishou's hands vaguely felt like human hands, seemingly devoid of the doll-jointed likeness that was her partner's true form- instead hidden behind some illusion that Kirakishou had clearly conjured with the intent of keeping prying minds away.
But they still felt the same to her. Cold and smaller than her own, with pronounced joints that felt odd against her skin. They were the hands of the woman that held her heart.
"Come. Dance with your rose."
"Okay." she whispered.
Her eyes were stinging.
Ruby found herself led to towards the dance floor in almost a trance like state, passing onlookers with nary a glance. Instead, her eyes fell towards their conjoined hands. The doll was pulling her along through the crowd, expertly weaving through students and faculty alike as several tried and failed to converse with them.
Their hands were still joined. Bound together. It was the only way that Ruby could keep herself moving forward, to keep herself from breaking down. Once upon a time it had been her big sister Yang that had been the driving force, now Kirakishou had taken that place in her heart.
"...I'm not really the best dancer." Ruby admitted in a soft whisper.
The doll pulled her close. They were in the centre of the dance floor now and surrounded by couples, no-doubt exactly as Kirakishou had planned. A slow song was playing in the background, one she didn't recognise. There were no lyrics, only soft-strung instruments.
Once upon a time, Ruby had despised such music. It was almost funny, how the sound of her hated genre sent such fire through her veins nowadays.
Kirakishou spoke lowly. "For this dance, I shall lead. Simply follow my footsteps for now. Place your hands on my waist. Not too tight, not too soft. Hold me."
"Like this?" Ruby slid her hands down the doll's sides, feeling the little crystals jutting against her flesh. Eventually, she found a spot that felt just about right, one without too many of the jagged-looking crystals in the way. The Rozen Maiden let off a low murmur of approval, grasping Ruby's shoulders with her hands and leaning forward in an intimate embrace.
"Very good, little reaper." she preened at the endorsement, a tentative smile worming its way across her face even as her brow scrunched together in concentration. Originally Ruby hadn't been quite sure how she felt about all the pet names that Kirakishou would give her, but hearing the doll using one now was oddly calming in a sense. Especially with her cute little childlike accent.
Dancing with the doll was an interesting experience for the young Rose. Outside of mock play dances she had done as a kid with a bunch of her former friends back over in Patch, she had no real experience with dancing- let alone formal ballroom dancing whilst in the presence of hundreds of onlookers.
Thankfully Kirakishou appeared to be enjoying herself, if the pleased smile that lit up her face was any indication. Ruby had never felt more proud in herself. After all the pain that the girl had been though with her sisters and former love interest, Ruby felt like Kirakishou deserved a few happy memories.
To know that she was the one causing them was enough to tear away any concerns that had been nagging in the back of Ruby's mind. She was happy, as long as she was with Kirakishou.
Eventually, their stance shifted and Ruby found the tempo lulling into a slower waltz. Some time during the various dances she had moved her left hand to rest on the doll's shoulder in an imitation of Kirakishou's former hold, whilst the doll herself had long since relinquished control over the partnership to Ruby.
Inexplicably, she found her attention wandering towards the gold ring that lay upon her ring finger, shining brilliantly underneath the combined glow of the party lights and the unnatural glow emanating from Kirakishou's crystalline dress.
How long had she been wearing the ring? Why, Ruby wasn't entirely certain if she'd ever even removed the ring whilst showering. Yet, somehow, it remained as flawless as the day she had woken up with it nestled on her finger.
"Hey, Kira?"
The doll hummed softly in response, a pleasant tune that made Ruby feel a little guilty for speaking up in the first place and possibly ruining the moment with her big mouth. But she had to satisfy her curiosity.
"I wanted to ask about the ring. The one you gave me. Did you… did you do something to it? Like what you did to hide your, um, features?"
She felt, more than saw, the doll's body still almost imperceptibly following the question. It had only lasted for a fraction of a second before the dancing had resumed, but in the face of what had been an utterly flawless performance on the doll's part so far, it was made borderline obvious to Ruby's keen eyes.
"...Yes."
Kirakishou's answer was curt, yet confirmed her suspicions. Ruby had known for a while that the ring was more than a simple gift, as Kirakishou had previously spoken about how Rozen Maiden were able to bond to others through the use of a contract ring. Whilst she didn't know the exact details, it was enough to warrant a belief that Kirakishou would go to certain lengths to keep it safe.
Much like her uncanny ability to shelter her Rozen Maiden features from others through the use of an illusion, it had been a sort of unspoken agreement between the two girls to not speak of it unless necessary. Ruby had been more than content in just enjoying the relationship whenever possible and leaving all the crazy mysteries for when outsiders got too jumpy.
Which happened a rather frightening amount of times, actually. For all of her recent 'training' at handling social situations, apparently there was nothing to be done about pure bad luck and overly nosy people butting into her affairs. Or Ruby just passing out from kissing, as embarrassing as it was at the time.
But perhaps now, without anybody in the way or any chance of unfortunate fainting incidents, she could finally get the doll to open up and tell Ruby more about her mysterious past and whatever role her contract ring had to play in it.
She eyed the doll, who was staring back into her own eyes with an intense gaze. She could practically feel the emotions pressing down against her, but Ruby did not allow that to stop her. If there was going to be any development in their relationship, she needed to know more about Kirakishou.
"Could you tell me what you did, Kira? Please?"
"...None other may witness it, save for us."
Ruby nodded slowly as she digested the information, steadfastly ignoring the lump that had settled in her stomach. It didn't take a genius to piece together that this was likely the same technique that Kirakishou was using to hide herself, having also used it to hide her mother's doll features from the world.
It was a wonderful technique, but it had led to so much pain for her.
Everybody had believed that her mother had been an impostor, because her unique features had been purposefully hidden and only revealed following her demise. Because it had been revealed that Summer Rose was a doll, people had felt justified in the idea that she wasn't real. Considering what little she knew about Laplace-no-ma, the supposed adversary behind all of this, it was possible that this had been their plan from the start. They had clearly known about Kirakishou beforehand and by extension likely had a clue as to her semblance, including its limitations.
Nobody would ever bother to investigate a murder if they don't believe the victim is even real.
Unbidden, a question presented itself in her mind; would events have played out differently if her mother's status as a Rozen Maiden had been revealed to everyone from the start? Or, would she have been killed anyway?
"Could you- um… could you stop it?" Ruby asks, going a little red as the doll startles once more and inadvertently clutches her figure a little more tightly than before. Whilst one of Kirakishou's hands hadn't been that low, it was enough to cause her to blush.
Stop it! Head in the game, Ruby! Stupid hormones! Why'd you have to pick now to rear your ugly head?!
"Why?"
"I-I just..." Ruby stammers for a second, looking down before she shakes her head and forces herself to lock sight with Kirakishou. "I don't want to hide it anymore, Kira. This ring… it's a symbol of our contract, you said. Our binding. It's special, right?"
Seemingly lulled by her words, the doll relaxes slightly and loosens her grip. Ruby lets out a breath that she didn't even realise she was holding.
"It is, Ruby. Our bond is very special. Unique. My ring is special, because it is yours as much as it is mine. Our binding. Our contract."
Feeling emboldened by the affirming response, Ruby presses forward, "Then why do we have to hide it? We haven't really been hiding our relationship anyway. Especially not recently. If anything I'd be more surprised if people didn't know that we were together."
"...And you would wish for this?" Kirakishou questioned immediately, silencing her. "Would you accept the responsibilities in revealing our contract ring to the world? There are those in which would gaze upon the ring and feel… bad."
The sight of her big sister's face, twisted into a fierce snarl and lit with blazing red eyes flashed through her mind. Yes, it was almost certain that Yang would freak the hell out upon seeing the ring, especially on that finger. Dad would too, once he learnt who it was that she was dating. As would about a billion other people, probably.
All because Kira did something monumentally nice for her and suddenly everyone treats her as some suspicious villain. Shouldn't they be happy that someone as heroic as Summer Rose was brought back into the world? Even if she was in the form of a doll? So what if a token of their union was shown to the world?
No. She wouldn't hide her feelings away. Not anymore. The ring on her finger was a wonderful blessing, not some stupid curse.
"Yes. I want this. Please, Kira."
Slowly, the doll nodded. "...Okay. Tomorrow morning, it will become visible."
Ruby immediately pressed her lips up against the doll, enjoying the slight eep of surprise that escaped her lover and vibrated against her. She didn't question the nature of Kirakishou's powers, nor why she was waiting for tomorrow morning. It didn't matter. Whilst she was entirely uncertain as to why exactly Kirakishou had become so shy and reserved when discussing their contract, the peach-blonde had nonetheless relented and accepted Ruby's request without an argument.
For that, her little doll deserved a reward-
"Miss Rose? Pardon the interruption."
Ruby stares at the looming man, apprehension rapidly surfacing in her thoughts. She clutches her date tightly, resisting the urge to say something rude that would net her in a heap of trouble. Even though she really wants to be just a little bit mean after he decided to interrupt their private time.
"...General Ironwood?"
The Atlesian General is dressed in a predominately white tuxedo, with several of his more prevalent badges on full display. Ruby wasn't entirely certain if it was standard military formal wear, but it did seem like a pretty decent outfit nonetheless.
She glances over to Kirakishou, who has gone still following the general's approach. Her smile still remains, but it seems rather sharp to the young reaper. There is a sense of amusement radiating from the doll, however, which has Ruby quite perplexed.
"If at all possible, I would like to speak with you in private. There are matters of urgency that I feel are in our best interests to discuss."
"Umm… I don't know if-"
Before she could politely tell the general to piss off and let her enjoy her date with Kirakishou, the peach blonde herself decides to interrupt.
"You should go with him, Ruby."
Bewildered, she turns to face the doll, who is staring right back at her and patiently awaiting a response.
"I-If you're sure..." Ruby hesitantly answers, looking around the party. "Are you going to be alright for a while?" she's quite aware of Kirakishou's limited social interaction with pretty much anybody else besides herself and that one instance with Penny in Vale, but she hasn't seen Penny all night. There was a good chance that nobody would even try to socialise with Kirakishou, even after the doll had put so much effort into the night.
She didn't want her doll to be lonely.
"Yes, Ruby. This needs to be done." Kirakishou answers, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder and glancing over to the Atlesian headmaster. "General Ironwood would not have interrupted our time together over a simple paltry matter, Ruby. Isn't that correct?"
The general, who had been eyeing the two girls with something vaguely akin to apprehension, gave a swift nod towards the blonde- though he did look rather put out.
Feeling an all too familiar sigh of annoyance escape her at once again having to go deal with outside stuff instead of playing with her doll, Ruby pulls the doll forward and presses a chaste kiss to her forehead.
"I won't be gone long. Just… be careful."
Kirakishou giggles, stroking her cheek as the two detach from their dancing embrace. "Come find me once this is all over, Ruby. Be mindful of the storm."
Once the doll has departed, she turns to stare up at Ironwood. She finds herself placing her hands on her hips, kind of similar to how Weiss does it when she's significantly pissed off. Because Ruby can certainly understand that feeling right now.
This was supposed to be their night- both Kirakishou and her, dancing the night away and spending some quality alone time together. They had worn their pretty dresses and complimented each other, just like in the movies. But instead of a perfect night she has to deal with Weiss hanging over her shoulder and the freaking military general of Atlas freaking Academy pulling her away.
"This had better be good." she hisses.
For all his worth, the headmaster doesn't immediately call her out for her behaviour- of which Ruby is slightly grateful for. Considering her temper at the moment, there was a rather high possibility she'd say something mean if she was called out. Which, a small rational part of her brain reminded her, was a pretty bad idea when speaking with a military general from another nation.
"Of course. We will need to have this conversation in private. Follow me."
A/N:
The fabled Vytal Festival Dance! Oh, I loved writing this chapter. I had imagined Kirakishou's dress around chapter seven or so and committed to one day writing it. Admittedly writing appearance descriptions had always been a part I enjoyed when creating characters, leading to a rather sizable portion of the story being dedicated for just that alone. A nice little bit of fluff this chapter.
What did you all think? I added more physical descriptives for a lot of scenes in this chapter, rather than entirely using emotive language. Sort of a prelude for future scenes that will require such structuring.
See you all next time!