Chapter Two: Here Come the Voices Again
Weiss tapped her pen absentmindedly on her desk, eyeing the clock like a hawk. It was about time for lunch and she was feeling rather peckish. Between the hectic rush to get Chrys to school and the three hour long meeting from hell she had to sit through shortly after entering the office, Weiss felt like she deserved something special.
Tapping her pen one final time, Weiss set it aside and pushed her chair back to stand up. She grabbed her purse on the way out but stopped at the door and counted to three before pushing it open. Standing in front of her, looking mildly surprised was her assistant. Weiss looked at her wristwatch. 12 p.m on the dot, Ciel was as punctual as ever and earning her egregiously high salary.
"No need for the reminder today, Ciel," Weiss said with a teasing, confident smile. The younger woman had taken it upon herself to remind Weiss of the fact she was human and needed food to survive, something Weiss often forgot. "Feel free to take a long lunch; I'd like to take it easy this afternoon. I think we all need a break."
"Understood, Mrs. Adel," Ciel responded, bowing her head respectfully. She stepped aside, letting Weiss pass first before going back to her desk. "Oh," she gasped in sudden realization, "when will you be back, and should I forward any important calls directly to you while you're away?"
"Two hours at most, and if the situation can't be helped," Weiss sighed in exasperation knowing this was a longshot, "feel free to call me back in."
"Understood," Ciel said. "Enjoy your lunch."
"You too."
After leaving the office, Weiss briskly crossed the street and headed towards a familiar little café nestled between two other eateries. It wasn't as flashy or as busy as the ones she was used to back home, but it had charm and a certain someone that made it special.
Weiss smiled, unable to hide her excitement and the hope she harboured about seeing Ruby again. She hadn't been able to get the other woman out of her head for the past week and a half; it was maddening. And just like a catchy song on repeat, Weiss thought about Ruby's smile, the way her hair stood on end in strange places, and, lastly, the way her pretty silver eyes lit up when they spoke. She wanted to feel that spark again—she wanted to feel alive.
When was the last time she'd been able to talk to someone she'd just met so freely? Ruby was like a breath of fresh air compared to the people Weiss met and the company she was forced to keep. If it wasn't for her assistants and a few others, Weiss would probably go insane working in this building. Those dusty old fuddy-fuddies that liked to kiss her ass and blow hot air out of their mouths were faker than vegan cheese. At least she could stomach that.
Stopping at the worn pine green door and its creased welcome sign, Weiss firmly grasped the handle. But before pushing it and stepping through, she took a steadying breath and schooled her expression; neutral and composed, not excited or, god forbid, eager.
Weiss shook her head and quickly chided herself for thinking something so absurd and outlandish. Ruby was a perfect stranger! A friendly, perfect stranger who was admittedly quite attractive and pleasant to be around, but a stranger nonetheless… but she didn't have to be. All Weiss had to do was ask to see her again—as friends—and then she wouldn't be a stranger.
Friends. What a strange concept.
"Get a hold of yourself, you idiot," Weiss muttered angrily.
She set her jaw with a click, looked straight ahead, then strolled in like she owned the place. The first few steps were easy and she commanded the room like a beacon but stopped dead in her tracks when she ran into her first roadblock of the day. Ruby wasn't behind the counter, she was waiting in line. Thankfully, she had her back to Weiss and so focused on her scroll that she didn't notice her enter.
The plan was simple: Weiss would escape—just turn around and flee like a coward with her tail tucked between her legs. She could. It wouldn't be hard, but then she might never be able to come back just to save face, or—
"Hey, Weiss," Ruby said, glancing up from her scroll. She waved and beckoned her over. "Long time no see, stranger."
Weiss buried her surprise beneath several thick layers of bravado and waved back. She took off her sunglasses and hooked them on her breast pocket, patting them once to make sure they were secure—and definitely not because she wanted to make sure her heart wasn't beating out of her chest because that would be absurd.
"Funny," she said with what she hoped to God was a friendly smile. "Though, I must admit, I didn't think I'd be seeing you from this side of the register. Day off?"
Ruby nodded, stuffing both her hands and her scroll into her jean pockets. "Yeah, but I'm only here for lunch then it's off to university for me. Yaaay…"
"University?" Weiss said with an uptick in her voice. "That brings back memories."
"Next please," the cashier called in a teasing tone.
The young woman behind the counter had long curly orange hair, a hearty amount of freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks, and the friendliest green eyes Weiss had ever seen. She was dressed much like Ruby when they first met, only she was more well-kept and definitely less scatterbrained.
"You do know that the purpose of a 'day off' means we get a day away from you," the cashier joked.
"Aw, but then I wouldn't get to annoy you, Penny," Ruby said to her co-worker with an adorable pout that did dangerous things to Weiss' heart.
"Aren't I just the luckiest then?" Penny laughed as she clicked her pen open and poised it above her notepad. "Anyway, what can I get for you today?"
"The usual and whatever the pretty lady behind me is getting," Ruby said, gesturing to Weiss who was mildly taken aback. "Order whatever you want, Weiss, it's on me today."
Feeling cheeky, Weiss crossed her arms and cocked her hip. "What if I want the most expensive thing on the menu?"
"Offer still stands," Ruby grinned, effortlessly rising to Weiss' challenge.
Weiss wasn't surprised by people often, but the few times she was, she couldn't resist playing along. She hummed in thought and loosened her tie a little. This was going to be fun.
"How about you let me pay instead?" she counteroffered.
"What?" Ruby blinked then shook her head. "Nah, my treat. You can, uh, thank me later by maybe…" she shuffled awkwardly in place before looking at Weiss with pleading puppy dog eyes, "having lunch with me today?"
Weiss quirked an eyebrow at her. "Thank you later?" she weakly chuckled. Her defeat was instantaneous; Weiss didn't have a chance. "Alright, you win. But next time, it's on me. Fair?" Weiss held her right hand out.
"Fair!" Ruby exclaimed, shaking Weiss' hand before turning back to Penny with the biggest smile ever. "You heard the pretty lady, Pen!"
"Okay, so your usual plus the—"
"I don't really want your most expensive menu item," Weiss quickly chimed in. Penny tilted her head, waiting patiently for her actual order. "I just want a black coffee and a cheese croissant for here and another to go."
Hearing Weiss' request made Ruby's face light up. "Chryssie really enjoyed it, huh?"
"You remembered her name," Weiss said with a faint gasp.
"Well, uh, it was real cute," Ruby smiled. "Kinda hard to forget."
Weiss crinkled her nose as she knowingly smiled at her. "You're not wrong. Chrys is one unforgettable little girl."
"So that's the usual plus one black coffee, a cheese croissant and another to go?" Penny asked, warily eyeing both Ruby and Weiss. Ruby nodded her head, not daring to break eye contact with Weiss. "Okay, that'll be 2,560 lien, please."
Ruby fished out her wallet and handed Penny the money, even going as far as dropping a few spare coins into the tip jar.
"Aw, thank you," Penny said, "but you didn't have to."
"You'd do the same for me," Ruby shrugged.
"True. Anyway, you know the drill, have a seat anywhere you'd like," Penny said, giving Ruby back her change. "I'll let Yang know you're here."
"Thanks, Pen." Ruby quickly pocketed her change before turning to Weiss with a pleased smile. "So where would you like to sit?"
"By the window if you don't mind."
"Best seats in the house!" Ruby exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.
After taking their seats, an awkward silence fell with neither woman knowing what to do or say to jump-start the conversation again. Ruby tried a few things but all she could muster were simple pleasantries. Weiss didn't fare any better. In fact, she was positively lost on how to further the conversation beyond "how was your day so far?" and asking what Ruby's "usual" was. Eventually, though, Ruby thought of something that left Weiss speechless.
"I really like your accent," she said out of the blue. "Can I ask where you're from?"
"I'm from Atlas," Weiss replied as calmly as she could. She was a little self-conscious about the way she spoke since her accent was an awful mishmash between Eastern and Western Atlesian, two languages that often clashed based on tones alone.
"I knew it!" Ruby enthusiastically cheered. "You know, I always wanted to learn the language. I took one year back in junior high, but I bombed it so hard the teacher begged me to never speak it again."
"It can't be that bad," Weiss laughed but immediately regretted it when Ruby levelled a challenging gaze at her. "Oh no."
It was one simple phrase that even children who had never ever spoken the language could repeat with ease. But Ruby had somehow managed to butcher it beyond recognition. Weiss was taken a back and it showed on her face; however, effort points still needed to be awarded. It's just a shame Weiss had trouble lying to truly genuine people.
"Well?" Ruby said expectantly.
"I will give you 10,000 lien right now to never speak my native language ever again," Weiss replied without hesitation, unable to come up with a placating lie. She'd make it 20,000 if Ruby pinky promised.
"I told you it was bad!" Ruby exclaimed as she threw her head back in roaring laughter, not at all offended like Weiss had worried. "No need to pay me off, just seeing the horrified look on your face was enough." Weiss couldn't help but laugh along with her now that she didn't have to worry. "Wow," Ruby dreamily sighed, "you have a really pretty laugh."
Weiss immediately blushed at the compliment and hid her face behind her left hand. "Merci," she said bashfully, trying in vain to reign in the heat threatening to swallow her face whole.
"Ah, you're married," Ruby pointed out, her voice sounding strained like she was sad or disappointed. Weiss wondered why that bothered her so much. "Ever gunna bring the lucky guy here?"
"Woman, and," Weiss softly corrected, her breath hitching, "no…"
"Oh… I'm sorry, I—"
Weiss shook her head, hiding her wedding ring beneath her other hand. "S-She passed away recently."
Saying it out loud was still hard, but she was getting better; stronger. Her therapist would be so proud if she could see her now.
"Oh God," Ruby paled, "I am sooooo sorry! I, uh, um…"
"You don't have to say anything," Weiss said, running her finger over the smooth, comforting gold metal. "It's been hard adjusting to a life without her, but the world's going to keep turning and we've got to keep living."
"But still… that was insensitive of me I—"
"Couldn't have possibly known," Weiss said, stopping Ruby from beating herself up any further. "Depressing topics aside, what about you? Anyone special in your life?"
"Haha, nope!" Ruby said a little too quickly.
Weiss quirked an eyebrow and glanced over to where Penny was. It was clear to her that the girl had a crush on Ruby, but now she was wondering if Ruby harboured anything for her—for Penny, not Weiss herself. That would be awkward and wholly inappropriate considering the fact they were basically still strangers.
"Never been the dating type," Ruby clarified, pulling Weiss back from her spiralling thoughts. "Never ever been on a date either, so I can't even begin to imagine what being married is like."
"It's… it's a pain in the ass," Weiss laughed, thinking back to all the times her wife made her want to commit murder. "But I wouldn't trade the experience or what it gave me for the world."
Ruby nodded her head in understanding. "I'm guessing you're talking about your daughter?"
"Expertly deduced," Weiss smiled. "She's… the best thing I've ever done."
"How old is she?"
"She's nine." The admission seemed to stump Ruby like an impossible puzzle and Weiss found it absolutely adorable. She could tell Ruby was desperately trying to figure out how old she was based on her looks alone, so she decided to give her a hand. "I had her shortly after I turned sixteen."
"Oh, damn," Ruby gasped. "That makes you, uh…" She held up both hands and began counting on them. But somewhere between seven and eight, Ruby ran into a problem and restarted her calculations. "Um…"
Weiss waited patiently but gave up after the third attempt. "Twenty-five."
"Whoa, you're a few years older than me," Ruby said, blushing. "I thought you were my age, but, uh, I'm only twenty."
"That's more than just a 'few' years older, Ruby," Weiss chuckled, tapping the table twice.
"I guess," Ruby laughed, blushing even harder. "But, wow, you had her really young… I can kinda relate."
"You have one too?" Weiss asked hesitantly, her eyes roving over Ruby's left hand for a ring she might've missed. Had Ruby lied to her when she said she'd never dated?
"Oh no, no, not that!" Ruby exclaimed, nervously waving her hands in front of herself. "I only meant that I could relate because my mom had me when she was really young too—seventeen, actually."
"Ah, I see." Weiss nodded her head with relief and understanding before steepling her hands. "It was difficult considering what I went through, but I wouldn't change a single moment."
"Yeah…" Ruby murmured, her eyes downcast. "I bet she wouldn't either…"
"Hm?" Weiss curiously hummed. She had heard what Ruby said loud and clear, but her intuition told her it wasn't meant for her ears.
Ruby quickly shook her head and looked up, her radiant smile firmly back in place like it had never left. "It's nothing," she said with false cheer. "So, Weiss, what brings you in today?"
"Lunch?"
"Oh."
Shaking her head, Weiss relaxed against the backrest and took a moment to appreciate the easy atmosphere between her and Ruby. She had only made a friend this easily once before, but Ruby was different compared to Neon. In fact, there was only one person Weiss could safely compare her to and that thought alone terrified her to the core; she wasn't ready to let go just yet. Clenching her hand, Weiss forced the lump lodged deep within her throat down like a bitter pill.
"Soo…" Ruby said, drumming her fingers on the table as she looked everywhere but at Weiss, "what do you do for a living?"
Weiss blinked, suddenly feeling nervous. "I'm…" she bit her lip and shifted her eyes away from Ruby's, unable to stomach the fact she was about to tell a lie, "a desk jockey."
"Oh, office lady, neat!" Ruby said. "I've always wondered what it was like to work in a cubicle."
"It's…" Weiss thought of her spacious office on the twenty-seventh floor overlooking the city and winced, "it's okay. I'm pretty short… so I've got a lot of legroom."
That was putting it mildly. Her office was gargantuan in comparison to the tiny corner office Ruby was no doubt imagining. Weiss had wanted something smaller with less windows or no windows at all, but the windbag she replaced wasn't as humble.
"Legroom's nice," Ruby quipped obliviously.
"It is…"
Another awkward silence fell and Weiss suddenly remembered why she was here in the first place. They'd been waiting for some time now, they should have at least gotten their drinks or their whole order. Ruby seemed nonplussed about the issue though, making Weiss feel bad for being so impatient. But there was being patient and there was being too scared to ask what was going on, and, at the current moment, Weiss was neither of those.
Driven by hunger, thirst, and impatience, Weiss glanced over to the register and immediately winced in sympathy. Poor sweet Penny was busy dealing with a row of angry looking customers all by herself. Curious, Ruby followed Weiss' gaze and clicked her tongue.
"Damn it, not again," she muttered beneath her breath.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, not really," Ruby bluntly answered, pushing her chair back to get up. "Wait here, I'm going to go see if she'll let me help her out."
"Alright."
Weiss watched Ruby effortlessly join Penny on the floor, taking over the register so the poor girl could focus on preparing the many drink orders she had piled up. They worked like a well-oiled machine, smooth and efficient. The line began moving at a faster pace, and the people who had been waiting patiently for their drinks got them with appreciative smiles and apologies.
Ruby eventually came back with two drinks in hand, one was Weiss' coffee and the other was a whipped cream monstrosity with drizzled caramel and a cherry on top. Weiss eagerly reached for her coffee and cupped it with both hands as she brought it up to her nose.
"This smells like heaven," she said, breathing in deep then sighing. "I've been dying for some good coffee all afternoon."
"Don't have any at the office?" Ruby asked in an annoyed tone. She plucked the cherry off her drink and popped it into her mouth.
"We do, but it might as well be mud water," Weiss said, blowing the steam away before taking a tentative sip. It wasn't anywhere near as good as the coffee Ruby served her that first time around, but it was passable enough that she didn't make a face when the aftertaste hit. "Mind telling me what has you about as grumpy as me?"
"You're not grumpy," Ruby grumbled then groaned when she proved Weiss' point. She ran a hand through her wind tussled hair and sighed. "Our boss is a dick. He purposely short-staffs us then gets mad when that"—she pointed to Penny and her massive workload—"happens. There's also barely enough hours for everyone… it's absolute hell."
"What about the pay?"
"Abysmal," Ruby huffed. "The cook? She's here for almost thirteen hours each day without overtime because 'we can't afford to hire another cook to help.' "
Weiss' wide eyes narrowed in anger. "That's illegal."
"I KNOW!" Ruby yelled, surprising Weiss and everyone around them. "Oops," she blushed, "yeah. We know, but what are we supposed to do? We need the money and no one's really hiring, especially places this close to the university."
"Have you considered going to the labour board?"
Ruby shook her head. "If our boss finds out we even thought about it, he'd probably punish us by cutting back hours even more or worse, he'd fire us."
"It's your civic right though," Weiss countered. "I can't stand employers that—" Bzz-bzz-bzzz. "Damn it," Weiss pulled out her scroll. "Excuse me for a moment."
"Don't mind me; go ahead."
"I've been out of the office for less than twenty minutes," Weiss growled into the receiver, "what could have possibly gone wrong?"
"Mr. Hawthorne is here demanding to see you, Mrs. Adel," Ciel answered. "I told him to schedule an appointment, but he's refusing to leave. Should I get security?"
"Merde, what a stubborn idiot," Weiss hissed. "I don't want to see him, but if I don't... ugh, fine, tell him I'll speak with him for twenty minutes—but only twenty minutes! Make up an excuse to get me out of there or else we might have a murder on our hands."
"Yours or his, ma'am?"
"I said a murder, not a suicide." Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "While he's with me, send word to head office. We might have to bring in the big guns if I can't get him to simmer down."
"I'm really sorry I couldn't handle this on my own."
"Don't apologize, Ciel," Weiss said in a much softer tone. "You did the best you could. Let me handle the rest."
Ciel bid her farewell and ended the call to deal with their uninvited guest. Weiss wanted to scream and throw her scroll across the room but didn't because that would be impertinent. And a total waste of a perfectly good scroll.
"Everything okay?" Ruby asked with one eyebrow quirked.
"No," Weiss sighed. "I'm going to have to cut this date short."
"D-Da… um, it's no problem!" Ruby said, her voice hitching. "What about your food and coffee?"
Weiss looked at her full mug with a disappointed frown. "Get it to go, I guess. Excuse me."
She slipped her purse over her left shoulder then picked up her mug and carried it over to the register where Penny was taking a bit of a breather. She explained to the girl what was happening and thanked her profusely for understanding when she said "no problem!" Weiss slipped Penny a little something extra and had about as much trouble getting her to accept it as she did with Ruby.
After getting her croissants bagged and a fresh cup of coffee as thanks, Weiss was ready to head out but not before saying goodbye to Ruby. She walked back to her new friend with an apologetic smile and a small request waiting on her tongue.
"I'm really sorry for having to leave so soon."
"I-It's okay," Ruby replied, wringing her hands on some tissue nervously. "Um," she gulped, "I hope this isn't overstepping, but can I have your number?"
"My… number?" Weiss blinked. So much for my request.
"Yeah," Ruby smiled. "So we don't have to rely on chance to see each other again."
Setting her coffee and food down, Weiss dug into her purse and pulled out a pen. She held her hand out for the poor tissue in Ruby's death grip and motioned for it. "Give me that," she said firmly. When Ruby handed it to her, she quickly jotted down her first name and number then flipped it around to hand it back. "Don't lose it."
"I won't," Ruby said, staring down at the tissue like she'd been handed a million lien.
"And, Ruby?"
"Yeah?"
"Next time? It's my treat. We agreed." Weiss wasn't going to budge on that promise.
"I'll be sure to thank you later then," Ruby grinned.
"Text; don't call," Weiss added as she gathered her things. "I might not be able to respond right away, but you'll at least get an answer."
"Got it!"
"Well," Weiss bit her bottom lip, scanning the table for anything she might've missed, "I guess I'll see you later, stranger."
"I'm pretty sure we're friends by now," Ruby chuckled, standing up. "Let me walk you to the door?"
"You don't have to," Weiss said with a slight blush, "but I certainly won't say no."
"Heh," Ruby tucked her hands into her pockets and followed Weiss to the door. When they reached it, she opened it for her. "Go kick some ass, Weiss."
"An ass kicking is the least of his worries."
"Haha… well, um, bye?"
"Take care, Ruby. Au revoir."
"Yeah," Ruby grinned. "See ya later…"
Weiss held Ruby's gaze for a few more seconds before forcefully tearing herself away. She didn't want to, of course, but if she didn't, they'd probably still be standing there like a couple of loons. It wouldn't do to dawdle, especially since she had an impatient salaud waiting for her at work, but something told her to look back. And when she did, she felt her heart skip a beat. Ruby was still by the door watching her with this silly little smile that made Weiss smile back. They shyly waved at each other and wordlessly agreed they'd both look away then and there. But Weiss couldn't resist taking one last sneaky little peek after she took a few more steps.
"That dolt," she said to herself when she saw Ruby still watching her.