A Scattered Plate : Classic

by skull025

Re-uploaded upon request.

3. Chapter 3

Ruby walked into the Gele Gloxinia at 1:30PM. Weiss was standing on the line, everything turned on, food warming. A pen bouncing in her mouth. "Hello Ruby." Weiss greeted.

"Hello Chef." Ruby answered. "I see you opened." She said, setting her knife bag down.

Weiss nodded. "I want to chat with you before we start." She said. She pointed her pen to the bar area. "Coffee?" She asked.

Ruby nodded. "Sure thing." She said.

Weiss walked to the bar, Ruby followed. Weiss pulled out two mugs and filled them with hot water. She set them aside and started measuring a pour of beans.

Ruby slid into a barstool. She twisted on it, getting a feel for it. She crossed her arms, elbows on the bar. "So." She said simply. "What's up?"

Weiss ground the beans. "I want to touch base with you, make sure we're on the same page." She pulled a lever on the grinder and filled a porta-filter with a fine grind. She set the filter on the espresso machine and pressed a button.

Ruby drummed her fingers. "Well, it's my first real go as a sous." She said. "What do you need from me?" She asked.

Weiss put a second porta-filter on the machine. The first filter was pulling espresso into a small glass beneath. The brew was a beautiful black with a touch of caramel head. Weiss turned, catching Ruby's eye. "I need you to inspire the crew." She said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. She turned back to the coffee at hand.

Ruby gulped. "Oh, just that?" Ruby pursed her lips. "Easy peasy." She said.

Weiss smiled, shaking her head. She began frothing some milk. "Not as easy as it sounds, or I'd do it myself." She said, raising her voice slightly.

The milk foamed up into the glass, and the second espresso finished pouring. Weiss dumped the water in the mugs and poured the espresso into each mug. Then she squirted one with a lot of sugar syrup, and filled both with milk froth. Weiss grabbed two saucers and placed the mugs on both.

Weiss caught Ruby's eye, sliding her coffee to her. "Sweet enough for you?" Weiss asked.

Ruby picked up her brew, and took a sip. Warm, not burning. Full flavored coffee. Creamy. Sweet. "Perfect." Ruby sighed, and took another sip.

Weiss' shoulders seemed to relax. "Good." She said. "Good."

Ruby cocked her head. "Why the hot water?" She asked.

Weiss shrugged. "One of my mentors. Taught me to pre-warm the cup, stops the coffee from getting shocked." She said.

Ruby nodded. "Oh, so when the hot coffee hits the cool mug, the change in temperature messes up the flavor?" She asked.

Weiss blinked. "Precisely." She said.

Ruby bounced slightly on her stool. "It's tasty!" She exclaimed.

Weiss nodded. "I think so too." She said, sipping her own brew. "The crew here isn't terrible. There are a few meatheads, one or two that'll give you trouble." She said off-handedly.

"What sort of trouble?" Asked Ruby.

Weiss waved her hand. "Oh, nothing like that. Those fucks know better than to touch anyone in my kitchen." Weiss tugged at the hem of her coat. "But quite a few will have the same idea I had when you walked in. Young, inexperienced, how the fuck could you be sous. That sort of trouble."

Ruby smiled behind her mug. "Well, I got your respect." Ruby said casually. "The rest should be a piece of cake."

Weiss arched her brow. "Really?" She asked.

Ruby set her mug down. "No, I'm terrified." She confessed. "But that's good. A little stress can do the body good." She said, eyeing Weiss' expression.

A shadow passed over Weiss. "Yes. Yes it can." She said softly. Weiss clapped her hands together. "Today I want you on prep. Look over the recipes, learn the food, learn inventory, and help with running food to the line. I'll walk you through some prep projects and then jump on line once it gets busy." Weiss pursed her lips. "Do you need anything from me?" She asked.

Ruby shrugged. "Nope. Well, maybe the menu. I still need to take a picture of it." Ruby pantomimed using a camera. "And the thing with the crew. I'll feel it out."

Weiss smiled. "You're a great cook Ruby. Just strut your stuff and the rest will follow." Weiss sipped her coffee. "And if all else fails, cut someone's hand off and shove it up their ass."

"You have scary thoughts." Ruby remarked.

Weiss smirked. "Comes with the territory, little Rose." She said.

Ruby blinked, taken aback.

Weiss frowned. "Something the matter?" She asked.

Ruby shook her head. "No, no." She said. "It's nothing."

Weiss nodded, eyes narrowed. "Okay. Well, let me get the menu for you." She said.

Ruby stood up, stretching her hands above her head. "While we're at it, want me to make us some food? I've got the prep for the salmon benedict in the fridge, I could throw together a hash." Ruby offered, reaching for her coffee mug.

Weiss shook her head. "That sounds nice, but we don't have the time right now." Weiss said, glancing at the clock. "We've got fifteen minutes until the crew arrives, and I'd like to run through the prep list with you, and see if you have any questions concerning our recipes." Weiss raised her cup of coffee. "And I like to enjoy a cup of coffee when I have it." Weiss nodded at the mug in Ruby's fingers.

Right. Tongues stapled to soles. Ruby remembered that. She shrugged. "Raincheck then." She promised, sitting back down at the bar.

Weiss nodded. "Raincheck."

The pair sipped their coffee in silence. Ruby looks out the massive floor to ceiling window of the Gele Gloxinia. The afternoon sun hung near the top of the window, glittering off the windows of Atlas' skyscrapers.

Ruby stole sideways glances at Weiss, who seemed engrossed in the view. That is, until Ruby stole her fourth glance and met Weiss' eyes head on.

Ruby froze, like a cookie jar in the headlights. No, wait, a hand in the deer. Weiss raised one brow. Ruby's brain scrambled for something. Anything.

"So, how'd you become a cook?" Ruby asked.

Weiss looked at her mug. It was half empty. "It's a long story." She said.

Ruby shrugged. "Got the cliff notes?" She asked.

Weiss lifted her mug. She took a sip, her brow scrunched in thought. It looked almost adorable, her entire being focused on Ruby's question.

"I was once a singer." Weiss said, her voice flat. "Then I wasn't a singer anymore. Cooking was a path I chose after I lost the only path I knew."

Ruby felt her shoulders sag. "I'm sorry Weiss." She said, her voice warm with sympathy.

Weiss shrugged. "I like cooking. And I'm proficient." Weiss glanced at the clock. "And I'm punctual." She finished her coffee, slapping the mug on the counter. "Let's get you acquainted." She gestured to the back, and started walking, mug in hand.

Ruby quickly downed her mug and ran after Weiss. Her brain flashed to that night in the bar. When Weiss sang, the whole world seemed to quiet. The lights on the stage were the brightest Ruby had seen. Weiss' voice was a treasure to cherish.

And Weiss wasn't a singer anymore. Ruby frowned to herself. What was Weiss like then, to think her voice wasn't capable now?

A question for another time. Ruby took a deep breath, and centered herself. Now was the time to work.

~0~

Weiss took Ruby over to the prep list and assigned her first projects. A quinoa mix for a summer salad, a broccoli basil soup, and a fuckload of onions.

Weiss took down the recipe book and flipped to each recipe. She explained how the quinoa needed to be cooled in a specific pan so there was enough space for the other ingredients to be mixed in later. How the basil needed to be destemmed thoroughly, and to save the prettiest leaves for garnish.

Ruby nodded, looking at the recipe book. "Why is there pineapple and carrot in the summer salad?" She asked.

Weiss sighed. "Color." She said dismissively. "If you have any further questions, please let me know. We're not in a huge bind today, so feel free to settle in."

Ruby hummed, and focused on the book in front of her.

Weiss hid a smile. She knew Ruby could handle herself, but Weiss figured it would be a week before she found her feet, and the respect of the crew. It took a week for even the most hardcore, seasoned chefs to adjust to a new kitchen, and Ruby was young yet. No doubt she'd rise to the challenge, but there would be some stumbling.

Weiss wouldn't give Ruby too hard a time.

With Ruby occupied, Weiss turned to the line. She wrote down comprehensive lists for each station, then took a bus tub to the back and began filling it with delis and 4-quarts of prepared sauces, onions, peppers, beets and tomatoes. She began stocking the line.

Ten minutes later, Perry and Dusk arrived. Weiss nodded at the pair, holding the list out to Dusk. "This is what's left for this station. Please get ahead on shaved onion, we're having a couple large parties from Vacuo and you know how they love salad." She said.

Dusk nodded. "On it Chef." He said, setting down his knife bag.

Weiss walked over to Perry. "I've got Ruby on a few prep projects. She's our new sous, answer any questions she may have." She gestured to Ruby. "Speaking of. Ruby, Perry. Perry, Ruby."

Perry nodded, his mouth twisted in a crooked smile. "We've met." He said, his voice low. Suggestive.

Weiss frowned. She looked at Ruby.

Ruby seemed unperturbed. She held out her elbow, not looking from the recipe book. "Heya Perry." She said, offhandedly. "I'm getting to know the recipes. I'll get with you if I have any questions."

He bowed his head. "Let me know if you require anything." He said.

Ruby nodded, glancing at him. "Sure thing." She said, shooting him a smile.

Perry, smug, went to clock in. Weiss waited until he left the line. She sidled next to Ruby. "You good?" She asked.

Ruby looked at Weiss. "Yes?" She said. "Why, is something wrong?"

Weiss watched the bar area. "I told you no one would give you that sort of trouble." If Weiss stood by while one of her employees not only proved her wrong, but did so overtly. . . "I intend to keep that promise." She said, her voice hard.

Ruby nudged Weiss with her elbow. "Thanks Chef." She whispered. "But I can handle a horny mess just fine." She whispered.

Weiss shrugged. If Ruby wanted to go solo, she was free to do so. Weiss walked off just as Perry returned. She busied herself with cleaning. Clearing the walk in shelves and hauling them out to the dumpsters, power washing them one by one. By shelf two, her sleeves were soaked. The hose head really needed to be replaced.

As Weiss cleaned the fourth shelf, her thoughts mingled with Ruby. Sure, she was talented, and worked in a tough kitchen. But her uncle ran the kitchen, so surely Ruby would have been safe there?

Weiss sighed. The girl was full of surprises. But nothing prepared you for leadership. No classes, no simulations, no drills. Weiss knew. She'd tried them all.

Weiss shut off the power washer. As the hum of spray calmed, Weiss' ears picked up a shout from inside.

Fucking fuck. Weiss set down the power washer. If a fight started, she was gonna fucking finish it. Not a damn day goes by before the fucking cavalry storms the house and breaks all the cups in the cabinet. She stormed through the back door. No one heard her, as the crew was hollering over each other. Weiss heard Sun yell something about Ruby, and three voices answer back. A chant rose up. "Perry! Perry! Perry!"

Weiss round the corner. A crowd had gathered around Ruby and Perry, both set up with five nine-pans, five onions, and their own cutting board. Sun looked over his shoulder, his manic energy at the center of it all.

"Ah! The perfect judge! Chef, step up!" Sun waved Weiss over. The entire back of house crew went quiet. Weiss, scowling, complied.

"What the fuck is going on?" She asked.

Sun snapped his fingers. "Competition!" He declared, gesturing to the participants. Ruby offered a shy wave.

Weiss raised her brow. So this was Ruby's play. Okay then. "Then I will judge the result of this competition. What are the rules?" She asked.

Sun shrugged. "Dice five onions from large dice to fine brunoise. The fastest and most accurate dice wins." He said simply.

Perry stood at his prep table, arms crossed, a massive grin on his face. "You're gonna be my bitch, girl." He said, his voice low.

Ruby shrugged. She grabbed her knife bag.

Weiss leaned in. "What are the stakes?" She whispered.

"Winner makes the other their personal slave for the day." Sun whispered back.

Weiss blinked. So if Ruby won, Perry would be humiliated. If Ruby lost. . . Fuck.

Ruby flipped her knife bag open. She unzipped the bag, and pulled out a small santoku style knife.

Perry scoffed. "You know how to use that?" He asked.

Ruby nodded. "I also know how to use this." She said, and pulled out an eight-inch cleaver. It made an audible thump on the table when Ruby set it down.

At the sight of the cleaver, Perry's posture shifted. His shoulders drew in, his arms crossed harder. And did Weiss spy a subtle gulp? He quickly recovered, scoffing. "As if. Look at my hands, girl." His fingers were crossed with lines of scars. "These are the hands that know what a knife feels like. You ain't got shit for scars, girl."

Weiss agreed. Ruby's hands were absent of scars. They looked, in fact, as if they'd never seen a day on the line. Why was that?

Ruby remained silent, staring Perry down.

Sun raised his hand. "Ready yourselves cooks!" He declared.

Perry rubbed his hands together, bouncing on his toes. He shook his arms from the tips of his fingers to the blades of his shoulders. Limber and relaxed, his mind slipped into the task in front of him. Weiss approved.

Ruby rolled up her sleeves to her elbows. One, then the other. This revealed a tapestry of scars running up her arm like oil on water. Burns, cuts, scrapes and bruises that gnarled and twisted the skin. Ruby finished revealing her battle scars, then folded her arms. There was a massive bruise on Ruby's right elbow.

She glanced at Perry, and caught him staring. She smiled. "You see this one?" She said, pointing to a nasty five-inch line of white along her arm. "My chef threw knives at me to train my focus. He used to be in the circus, and was pretty good at it. But that day he messed up. Stuck right to my bone." She said, her voice carrying no catch of emotion, no remorse. Just fact.

Perry looked deeply unsettled.

Weiss couldn't blame him, a sliver of discomfort coiling in her own belly. She knew Ruby was a cook, but Ruby had scars like the ones on Weiss' teachers. The kind of scars you get after years of work in a kitchen. The kind of scars that marked you as a cook to the bone.

Weiss shook her head. She held out her hand, quieting the whispers from her crew. "On my mark, we'll begin." She stated. Her voice was shaking. She cleared her throat. "Ready?" She said, asking both cooks.

Ruby nodded.

Perry hesitated. Weiss cocked her head. "Ready Perry?" She pressed. Perry jumped to attention and nodded vigorously.

"Begin." Weiss said, letting her hand fall.

Ruby zipped into action. She grabbed her massive cleaver and started separating the ends from her onions like a locomotive separates a desperate damsel. Ch-thunk, ch-thunk, ch-thunk, ch-thunk, ch-thunk.

She set each onion on its newly bared flesh, and cut them in half down the root. Her nail dug under the skin and slipped it off in one smooth motion. Again and again, peeling all ten halves in a blur. She lined up each half, using her cleaver to scoop and shift the onion into neat lines.

Then Ruby picked up her santoku, and began dicing.

The large dice came out in a few taps. The medium dice in a few more. The small dice was faster still, and the brunoise went at breakneck speed. Each scooped into their respective pan, no onion wasted. The final dice, the fine brunoise, blurred the line between human and machine. Ruby shot the board with her blade, tiny cubes of onion skittering off her knife like nervous ants. She held no mercy. Only precision.

Weiss tried to follow Ruby's movements. But the faster Ruby moved, the more disoriented Weiss felt. Ruby hadn't gone nearly this fast when she made the Benedict. She had been holding back? Weiss' gut was roiling. Her ears were ringing. She felt like she was going to vomit.

Ruby scooped the last of her onion into the pan, wiped down her board and knives, and stepped back. A light sheen of sweat stuck to her brow. Her breath was quick. Ruby looked over at Perry's board, and Weiss did the same.

Perry had frozen at his second onion. His jaw was on the floor. Weiss felt like she needed to pick up her own. She felt dizzy. She'd never seen anyone cut onion that fast. Weiss reached into each nine-pan, feeling the size of each dice with her fingers.

Perfect. Fucking perfect. At a speed Weiss never knew existed. She wondered how many scars Ruby earned learning to be that fast.

Weiss blinked. Every eye in the kitchen was on her. A wave of emotion swelled inside Weiss. She bit it back. "Sous chef Rose is the winner." She declared, words thick in her throat.

Ruby held her hands up in victory. "Yay!" She said, jumping up and down, like a child. A scowl twisted Weiss' face.

Perry's shoulders sagged. "Shit." He said under his breath.

Ruby pointed at him. "You're mine Perry!" Ruby taunted. She gestured to the pile of onions nearby. "And you're cutting all those onions to start. I command it!" Ruby said, giggling. She pointed to the pile of onions Perry had started work on earlier.

Perry trudged over to his station, and began slicing.

Sun leaned in. "That was amazing." He breathed.

Weiss nodded, slowly. The rest of the crew was in agreement, murmurs of awe and praise washing through them. "Yes." Weiss choked out. "It was."

Sun's eyes snapped to Weiss. "You okay boss?" He whispered.

Weiss nodded. She cleared her throat. "I'm fine Sun."

Sun put his hand on Weiss' shoulder. "Are you sure? Because you sound-"

"I'm fucking fine Sun!" Weiss snapped.

Sun retreated, his hands high. Weiss looked around. Fuck. Every eye on her, again. Weiss pulled out her pack. "I need a cigarette." She said, her voice low. She pushed past Sun and went straight outside.

~0~

Ruby watched over Perry's work, arms crossed, face passive. Weiss had stormed out after she yelled at Sun. Ruby looked at Sun and only received a shrug and a shake of his head.

So Ruby got to work.

She watched Perry's technique, offering her feedback. His knife-skills weren't terrible, but he had a habit of holding his thumb to the side instead of arching it opposite his fingers. He was going to lose a thumb at this rate. Ruby explained this, and made him hold his thumb back. His speed improved.

Perry grumbled at one point, seething at his loss. Ruby, with a raised brow, asked him if he wanted her to get creative with her demands.

Perry fell silent. He cut the onions in front of him. Ruby watched, impassive, arms crossed. He started getting faster. Faster. Faster-

"Shit!" Perry exclaimed, holding up his thumb.

Ruby shook her head. "You let your thumb curl in." She stated.

Perry opened his mouth, no doubt to snap back, but Ruby shot Perry a look. He closed his mouth. "Yes chef." He grumbled.

Ruby beamed. "How about you show me where the first aid is, and we'll get you patched up?"

Perry gestured, and they started walking. They stopped near the back exit of the restaurant. Perry gestured to a white box on the wall.

Ruby nodded, and pulled it down. "Wash the cut in the hand sink please." Ruby said. Perry obliged. While he washed his cut, Ruby opened the first aid box and pulled out some alcohol pads, band-aids, a finger condom, and some aspirin. She pulled the packaging off the alcohol pad, and turned to Perry. "Alright, gimme the finger, Perry."

Perry snorted. He held out his clean cut. Ruby frowned. "That was your knife, right?" She asked.

Perry nodded. "Yeah?"

Ruby swabbed his finger. A hiss of pain escaped Perry's lips. "This cut is jagged, Mr. Winkle." Ruby sighed. She grabbed the band-aid, ripped off the package, and wrapped it around the cut. "Sharpen your knives, okay?" She said.

Perry looked away. "Yes Chef." He said quietly.

Ruby nodded. "Good." She smiled, and handed him the finger condom and two aspirins.

Perry looked at the painkillers in his hand. "How long have you been in food, chef?" Perry asked.

Ruby shrugged. "About eight years. Started in my uncle's kitchen at thirteen. He taught me everything I know."

Perry nodded, almost to himself. "You're good." He said. "Like, really good. Better than Chef Schee." Perry declared.

Ruby frowned. "I don't think it's comparable. . ." She said uneasily.

Perry shook his head. "You've got the battle scars, Chef. You know this life. Chef Schnee, she bought her way in. She's got skills, but she's not a lifer, you know? No attitude." Perry grinned. "You're a real chef." He said.

Ruby put her hands on her hips. She opened her mouth, about to dress Perry down, when Weiss stepped in from the open back door.

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed.

Weis stopped. She looked at Ruby, then at Perry. Her face was impenetrable. Her eyes swiveled back to Ruby. "In here, you call me Chef." She said, her voice frigid. Like ice cracking underfoot, with a cold death on the other side.

Ruby nodded. "Yes Chef." She answered.

Weiss' nose crinkled. With disgust? She left.

Ruby turned to Perry. She scowled. "Listen," She hissed. "Chef Schnee is a real cook. She has what it takes. Something I don't see in you."

Perry bristled. "What's it fucking take then?" He snapped. "Fifty tutors and a rich daddy?"

Ruby scowled. She stuck a finger in Perry's face. "Cooks make good food because they appreciate good food. They respect it. And they respect those who eat it. I don't see that in you. Not one bit."

Ruby walked away from Perry. She shook out her anger as she walked. She looked down the line. Weiss was on line. Cooking. Huh.

Ruby blinked. She went to expo, just across the pass from Weiss. She opened her mouth and-

"Hey, Ruby, give me a hand with these plates." Sun said, holding a stack of plates next to Ruby.

Ruby, surprised, looked at the stack. "S-sure." She said. She grabbed a stack and put it in the hot pass.

Sun leaned in. "Give her space." He whispered, eyes glancing to Weiss. She had her head down, probably plating. "She needs time to simmer." He met Ruby's eyes. "Drinks after work."

Ruby looked at Weiss. Her eyes were cast in red hot iron, a glimmer of rage in black pupils. Ruby looked back at Sun, and nodded. She finished stacking plates in the pass, and returned to Perry.

~0~

Ruby went home, showered, and changed out of her cooking clothes. She hadn't worn her dress to impress kicks in a while, work kept her so busy. She opened her closet and pulled out her favorite number, a knee-length red skirt, sleek red button down blouse, and light pink stockings. She slipped into black buckle shoes and a red parka with a fluffy white fringe.

She took one look in the mirror and smiled. She's got it.

The world outside was snow and cones of orange streetlight, headlights speeding through the cold like the eyes of terrifying monsters. Ruby folded her arms as a breeze slid around her. The Carousing Cane was close.

Ruby walked into the bar, the wooden door squeaking slightly as it closed behind her. She shrugged off her coat, hanging it on a cane head screwed into the wall, and wipe the snow from her lashes.

"Hello gorgeous!" Neptune crowed, beckoning Ruby to the bar. Sun sat across from him, leaving a seat between them.

Ruby smirked. She rolled her eyes. "You only say that because I showed you the Mistrali Trainwreck!" She said, taking her seat.

Neptune shook his head. "What? Noooooooooo. You also paid for my Mistrali Trainwreck!" Neptune punched Ruby in the shoulder. "That's like losing your virginity and having an orgasm at the same time!"

Ruby cocked her head. "Are you suggesting you didn't?"

Neptune shook his head sadly. "Orgasm? Nope." He took a sip of his spirit. "My first time fucked me up badly."

Ruby blinked. "What? What happened?"

Neptune set his drink down. "I was traumatized. I can't go near water because of it." He said, his voice hollow. "I don't like to talk about it."

Sun giggled. "But I love talking about it!"

Neptune shrugged. "Alas, fate has blessed me with friends of foul natures." Neptune sighed dramatically.

Ruby turned to Sun. "I'm losing interest." She admitted. "It sounds like he was assaulted or something."

Sun shook his head gleefully. "No, the opposite! He fucked a jellyfish when he was eleven!" Sun started cackling. "It had no idea what hit it!"

Ruby's jaw dropped. "How? Why? Why?" She spluttered.

Neptune clutched his heart, his eyes wistful. "It looked soft, and warm." He crooned, commiting to the part. "Then I felt a feeling, a pleasurable numbness just wash through me. I thought I met god." The back of his hand went to his forehead, and Neptune sighed dramatically. "I almost died that day."

Ruby turned to the barkeep. She held up her hand. "Ozpin," Ruby greeted. "How are you?"

Ozpin bowed slightly. "I am well. How are you, Miss Rose?" He asked.

"Not gonna lie, I need to be wasted." Ruby replied. She grabbed Neptune by the ear, and pulled him in. "He says things I want to forget."

"Ow, oooow!" Neptune protested. "Watch the hair!"

Ozpin nodded. "A Mistrali Trainwreck?" He asked. Ruby nodded, releasing Neptune. He rubbed his tender ear. Ozpin ignored him. "In that case, may I offer a variant on that drink?"

Ruby nodded, smiling. "I'd love that. What are you thinking?" She asked.

Ozpin pulled off his glasses. He pulled out a small polishing cloth, and cleaned the lenses. "With some mint and chocolate, I can make a Greenland Cococachoo." Ozpin said, deadpan.

Sun choked on his drink. Neptune held in a laugh.

Ruby raised her hand to hide a smile. "What? Did you just make that up?"

Ozpin shook his head. "No, I invented it years ago. One of the many mistakes I've made. I grew bored of Mistrali Trainwrecks, and sought new flavor combinations. One night, I experimented with a fellow bartender, and we succeeded in making a new kind of Trainwreck.

"She wanted to name it the Green Mint, but I argued. It is a descendant of Mistrali Trainwreck. So the children must have a callback to their mother. The simple answer was a country or place combined with a word or phrase that inspired thoughts of trains. Thus, the Greenland Cococachoo. The Queensland Caboose. The Galilee Locomotive."

Ruby slapped the counter, standing up in excitement. "The Queensland Caboose? The Galilee Locomotive? What?" There were more of them? Perfection made anew? "Holy scamoley!" Ruby exclaimed. "I want to drink them all right now!"

Ozpin raised his hand. "No, Miss Rose. You may have one, tonight. For I have seen you on two." He put his glasses back on. "And that is a sight not worth repeating as of this time." He looked at the patched wall near the back, where a skinny elbow had slammed into it, barely missing her opponent at the time.

Ruby blushed. Neptune burst out laughing. Ruby sat back down. "Right. Um. Sorry about the wall." Ruby bit her lip. "And the table. And the chair." She squeaked out.

Sun looked between Ozpin and Neptune. "What? What happened?" He asked.

Ozpin smiled at Ruby. "You made amends. And I learn what people teach of themselves. You have taught me to give you one Trainwreck. One." Ozpin leveled his gaze. "A lesson I will not soon forget." He crouched, grabbed a pint of cream, a few sprigs of mint, half a bar chocolate, and went to the back to prepare the drink.

Ruby banged her head against the bar. "Darn iiiiiit." She groaned.

Neptune, laughing, slapped her back. "Damn! It took Ozpin six months before he gave me a hard limit like that!"

Ruby groaned.

Sun held up his hand. "Um, yeah, hi, what the fuck happened?" He asked.

Neptune was giggling. "You left, right? After we closed down karaoke?" Sun nodded. "Well, your new sous got into a fight!" He said, slapping Ruby's back.

Sun leaned forward. "What?!" He prodded Ruby, still face down on the bar. "Tell me everything." He said.

Ruby groaned, ignoring Sun.

"Your Cococachoo is on me." Sun offered.

Ruby sat up, spine straight. "It was nothing special." She said, almost casually. "I just got in a fight with someone who beat up my sister pretty bad."

Sun's face twisted with confusion. "Your sister. Your pro-boxing sister?" He asked.

Ruby nodded. "The very same." She folded her arms. "Ozpin put a stop to it before anything serious happened."

Sun slammed his palm on the bar. "That's why you have a huge bruise!" He said, poking her elbow.

Ruby pulled away. "Sun! It's still tender."

Sun held up his hand. "Sorry, sorry." He paused. "So, who did you fight?"

"Neo." Neptune answered.

Sun blinked.

Ozpin arrived. "Behold. The Greenland Cococachoo." He set the drink down. "Would you like to close now?" He asked. "Or leave room for beer?"

Sun held out his card. "Her drink's on me." He said. Ozpin took the card and turned around. "Neo? Fucking Neo?" Sun asked. "How'd you last ten seconds?"

Ruby shifted in her chair. "Crazy uncle and boxing sister. I learned what they had to teach me." She grabbed her drink, stein in one hand, chocolate cream in the other. She took a sniff. Mint in the vodka. Mmm. She dropped the cream into the stein and started drinking.

Sun rubbed his head. "Nep, did you see the fight?" He asked.

Neptune nodded, smiling into his drink. "She cleared the length of the room in a few seconds and sunk her elbow into the wall next to Neo's head. Then-"

"Then she broke a bottle on my table," Ozpin cut in. "Wasting good scotch. She chased Neo, tripping her over a chair and broke its leg. I stopped the fight before Neo could retaliate." Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "And Ruby apologized by paying Neo's tab and patching the damage." Ozpin smiled, handing Sun his card back. "If you wish to dwell on the past, do not dwell on damage done to my bar. I will not appreciate it." He warned.

Ruby slammed her glass onto the bar, letting out a great big sigh. "THIS IS DELICIOUS!" She lifted the glass up. "I want more!"

Ozpin shook his head. "You will wait for more, Miss Rose. In here, or outside." His tone left no room for argument.

Ruby planted her butt on the barstool. "Heard that." She said.

Sun pocketed his card. "Won't bring up bad memories again, Oz." He promised. Ozpin acknowledged Sun with a nod, then got back to work. Sun turned to Ruby. "So, how about Chef today, huh?"

Ruby scowled. "How about Chef? How about Perry?" Ruby asked.

"Perry?" Sun cocked his head. "What about him?"

"He's the reason Weiss was in such a mood!" Ruby said.

Neptune shrugged. "She's always in a mood." He said, brushing it off.

Ruby pressed on. "No, Perry cut himself, like an idiot by the way, and while I was patching him up, he said Weiss wasn't a real chef! That she bought her way in!"

Sun slammed his glass on the bar. "What?!" He shouted. "That's totally crazy! She went and learned from the best, sure, but not by paying them! She worked her ass off!"

Neptune shook his head. "Perry. What a cocky bastard." He said sadly.

Ruby threw her hands up. "I know! Who does he think he is, Jordan Ramms? Perry can't even hold a claw properly, he's got no business offering his opinion." Ruby felt rage boiling in her gut. The Cococachoo was hitting her hard. "And the worst part, Weiss overheard the whole damn thing! And I dunno how to help her!" Ruby ran her hands through her hair.

Sun pursed his lips. "Hmm. Weiss was already pissed, and that was after the competition. Before Perry spewed his shit." Sun leaned back, arms folded. "If you ask me, something bigger than Perry is eating at Weiss. Something closer to home. . ." He smirked. "Twenty bucks she's halfway through a bottle of Crooked Gin right now." He said.
Neptune stood up. "You're on." He said. He downed the rest of his drink. "Let's go." He jabbed his thumb to the door.

Ruby swiveled. "What? Where?"

Sun got up, stretching. "Weiss' place." He said, also finishing his drink.

Ruby spluttered. She couldn't go to Weiss', she wasn't ready! "But, what, the bar? Talking? I need the talking!" She said. "I need to help Weiss!"

Neptune shrugged. "Her place is just down a few blocks." He said. "Easy walk. Sun and I could settle the bet and be back here in ten."

Ruby held her palms up. "How about you settle it after I leave?" She asked. With their energy, they don't need to find adventure. Adventure kicks down their door and steals their couch. "I actually have real questions. We can just get those out of the way first?" She pleaded.

Sun shook his head. "She'll be a third of the way through the bottle, and mean enough to take the money outright." Sun pinched his chin. "Also, easy twenty bucks." Sun caught Ozpin's eye. "We'll be back in fifteen, twenty tops." Sun said. Ozpin nodded his assent.

Ruby opened her mouth to protest. Neptune cut in. "And, if you come with us, you'll see Weiss outside of work." He spread his hands. "Might be informative. So you can help her." He smirked. "If you're scared, you can hide behind us and just listen. We won't be staying long." Neptune offered.

Ruby scowled. "You're a slippery jawbreaker Neptune." She said. "Let me get my coat." She grumbled.

She went to the door, Sun and Neptune following into the cold night.

~0~

Weiss got through the rest of service. Barely. She couldn't look Sun in the eye. And Ruby, she took one look at Weiss and didn't ask for anything the rest of the shift. Weiss watched her walk past expo, going from prep to dish and back again. She didn't so much look at Weiss.

Ruby didn't need anything from Weiss. Ruby was a cook. Weiss was just a fraud. Just a fucking fraud. Private tutors, fucking massive kitchens. Every piece of equipment a cook could use. Slicers, fryers, air fryers, big-tittied ice-cream machines Weiss could fuck with any night of the week.

Weiss had all of that, and Ruby was a better cook than her. In her uncle's kitchen, knives flying fucking. . . flying! To the bone!? To the fucking BONE!? And she had the most gentle nature. Oum her smile was warm, she never swore, she put her head down and took life by the titties!

Was everything she learned, everything she worked for, worthless? Her own restaurant was a tall tower in the middle of an ocean of opportunity. And try as she might, there's no making the leap.

Weiss fingered the bottle of Crooked gin in her hand. Was it her third glass or her fourth? She didn't want to know, but it's a question. It showed up. If she keeps drinking she'll die. Wouldn't death be good? She might get away. There is freedom in that.

No, he'd use her body as fertilizer. Plant a plum tree. She hated plums. And he'd make plum juice with her fucking plums. Her very essence literally swallowed by her tormentor. She'd take his place with the rest of the betrayers and he'd laugh all the way to the bank.

Her doorbell rang. Weiss looked at the door. Then at her clothes. Panties and a tank top. Wasn't worth putting on pants. Fuck pants. She shuffled to the door, bottle in hand. One, two, one two, one two. A twist of the handle.

Sun and Neptune stood outside her apartment door. Neptune held a small package with a bow. Sun had two bottles of blue neon liquid. Weiss scowled. "Your care package is best left in the trash." She spat.

Neptune nodded, looking over at Sun. "You are spot on Sun." He said, handing him a twenty.

Sun bowed, graciously accepting the money. "Thank you Neptune." He said.

Weiss pointed the bottle at the two miscreants. "What's the fucking bet?" She asked.

Sun waved his palms. "Nothing to worry about Weiss."

"Fuck you." Weiss said, rolling her eyes. She stepped aside. "You coming in?"

Neptune held up a hand. "Normally, hell yes. But we've drunk, listened to, and consoled you through your alcoholic lows."

"And we've noticed a pattern." Sun said. "See, you tend to cry about your father, or you whine about some cute girl you'll never have, or you do both." Sun shuddered. "Those are disturbing times."

Weiss rubbed her eyes. "So you came here just to, what, watch me suffer?" Shit, she'd hit a new low. Not even her friends wanted to be around her.

Neptune laughed. "No, not just that! We brought you presents!" Neptune held out his tiny box. "For you, a small chocolate from my work!"

"And two sports drinks from the gas station." Sun said, pushing the drinks into Weiss hands. "To rehydrate."

Weiss immediately dropped the drinks. They rolled on the floor of her apartment. "Chocolate. Now." She said, holding out her hand.

Neptune set the gift in Weiss' palm. He paused. "And, one more thing." Neptune said.

Weiss' eye twitched. She tucked the chocolate in the hem of her panties. She'd eat it when these idiots were gone. "What?" She asked.

The pair stepped apart, revealing a blushing girl behind them, dressed in a red skirt and parka. Sun and Neptune each grabbed an arm. "Your other present!" They said, and flung the girl right at Weiss.

The pair went sprawling. Weiss hit the ground. It didn't hurt. Now. Later was a toss-up. Weiss groaned. Her gin. It survived the impact, but was out of reach, so long as she had a body on top of her. A warm body.

The apartment door slammed shut, laughter echoing down the hall.

The girl lifted herself up. "Weiss! Weiss! Oh my gosh are you okay?"

Ruby? "Fuuuuck." Weiss groaned. "Ruby?"

Ruby scrambled off of Weiss. "Weiss, I am so sorry!" She held out her arm, clad in a long-sleeve parka.

Weiss ignored the hand, crossing her arms over her waist. "Go get me a blanket!" She hissed. "And if your eyes wander at all Ruby Rose, your ass will be fed to the meat grinder and served in sausage links!"

Ruby covered her eyes. "Heard that!" She said. She looked around the room, in every direction except Weiss', and saw a blanket wrapped over the couch. She grabbed it and tossed it in Weiss' general direction.

Weiss snatched the thin blue blanket from the hair and stood up. She wrapped it around her waist and tucked it in like a towel. She crossed her arms. "You're free to look now." She grumbled.

Ruby cautiously looked Weiss' way. "You okay?" She asked.

Weiss rubbed her shoulder. "I'll be sore in the morning." She answered.

Ruby nodded. "And. . . How about today?" She asked.

Fucking damn it. "What about today?" Weiss asked, feigning nonchalance.

Ruby pressed her index fingers together. "I mean, you seemed upset, and I was wondering. . ."

"Wondering what?" Weiss growled. Ruby gulped. "I'm doing fine, sous." Weiss continued. "I'm the head fucking chef of a great restaurant. My crew respects me, and my new sous acts like a fucking child." She spat the last word.

Ruby looked like she'd been hit. Her eyes widened, her body shrank. She looked pathetic. Then her eyes narrowed, her shoulders squared. "Hey, just cause I'm young, doesn't mean I can't do the job!" She retorted, a finger in Weiss' face.

Weiss threw her hands up. "You act like you don't have a fucking care in the world! How am I supposed to know you care at all about this position!?"

Ruby bristled. "Are you kidding me? I'm committed Weiss, I thought I made that perfectly clear!" Her brow scrunched. "And you hate the food! Y-you told me yourself! And our crew isn't exactly showering you with praise!" Ruby snapped.

"Fuck you!" Weiss snarled. "You can't just waltz into my kitchen and just take over like that!" She yelled, spitting in Ruby's face.

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU ASKED ME TO DO!" Ruby screeched. "Come in, deal with the crew, inspire them! Well guess what Weiss, I inspired them. I helped them forget Neptune is gone. I did what you asked and now I'm getting yelled at for it!" Ruby crossed her arms. "I don't like getting yelled at for doing my job, Chef. So you better own up and tell me what's wrong or I'm fucking off to a kitchen that won't jerk me around!" Ruby stomped her foot.

A wave of sorrow crested in Weiss' chest. Her arms hugged her tight. She felt naked. Her arms were bare to the shoulder. She looked away from Ruby. "How is this so easy for you?" She choked out.

Ruby's eyes softened. Her body relaxed. "What?" She asked.

The room was blurry. "Perry was fucking right." She sighed. "I'm a failure. I'm a fucking fraud. I hadn't met someone who was as good as me, and I thought it was because I'm that good." Weiss offered Ruby a sad smile. "But it turns out, I didn't look hard enough." Weiss walked over to the couch and sat down. "I haven't worked hard enough."

Ruby sat next to her."Weiss, that's ridiculous." She pursed her lips. "You've got everything a good cook needs."

Weiss snorted. "I rolled my sleeves up today." She said.

Ruby cocked her head. "What?"

Weiss held out her arm. "Look ma, no scars." She sang softly. "Barely a few knicks on my fingers. I could leave this life and you couldn't tell I was ever in it." She whispered.

Ruby glanced at her own arms. She shrugged off her parka. Underneath she wore a long-sleeve red top. She rolled one sleeve up to the elbow, baring her battle-scars. "I used to be proud of these." Ruby said.

Weiss cocked her head, looking at the mosaic of marred skin. "Used to?" She asked.

Ruby nodded. She gently traced a starburst scar halfway up her forearm. Probably a fryer splash. "This life has left its mark on me in its own way." Ruby whispered. "Each one of these has a memory. They're like tattoos. I know the grill and the pans and the heat, the hurt they all have. Some of my roughest days are on these arms." Ruby smiled softly. "But plenty of people get cut, get burned. It's not the scars that mark me as a cook."

Weiss frowned. "Are scars not the marks of a cook?"

Ruby shook her head. "They're the most obvious." She met Weiss' eyes. "You have your marks too." Ruby said.

Weiss frowned. "None that matter." She huffed.

Ruby frowned. "Right. Okay. Your organization is some of the best I've ever seen." Ruby looked around the apartment. "And if I saw this place, without knowing you, I'd know this was a cooks house." She said.

Weiss raised her brow. "How?" She asked. Ruby pointed. Weiss followed her finger. A chef's knife hung on the wall. Weiss' first knife, with a massive gap of metal in the meat of the blade. Weiss scoffed. "Sure, it tells you I like knives." She said.

Ruby shook her head. "That's a position of honor, over the fireplace. And showing off a broken knife?" Ruby tsked, shaking her head. "Everyone's a sap for their first."

Weiss shrugged. "I'm not convinced." She said.

Ruby shrugged. She stood up. 'Kitchen's through there?" She asked, nodding at the entryway.

Weiss nodded, slowly. "Why?" She asked.

Ruby walked into the kitchen. By the sound of it, she was opening random drawers and cabinets. She started calling out what she saw. "Two kinds of salt, kosher and sea salt, nice. A bottle of genuine olive oil. Stick blender, full sheet pans, and a six gallon mixing bowl, nice!" A clatter of dishes. "I'm not seeing any uni-taaaaskers!" She sang.

Weiss struggled to rise. "Are you just naming the shit in my kitchen? Because that doesn't prove anything!"

Ruby laughed. "You've got a legal-to-trade scale in here! It measures to two grams!" She said.

Weiss flushed. "How do you know what that fucking is?" She asked, finally freeing herself of the couch. She stumbled towards the kitchen.

Ruby poked her head out. "I've got the same model." She said simply.

Weiss clapped her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Anyone with money could buy those things." She said, pointing her other finger at Ruby's face. "Your argument is fucking moot. Invalid."

Ruby looked at the hand on her shoulder. "Really?" She said.

Weiss' grip tightened. "I'm no cook." She whispered, her voice breaking.

Ruby's hand slid up her torso, wrapping around Weiss' hand. She pulled Weiss' hand from her shoulder. Her fingers felt like petals. Ruby turned Weiss' hand in her own. A single finger ran down the meat of the thumb. "Your skin is tough. Right here where the thumb pushes against the spine of the knife." She turned Weiss' fingers towards her. "Your fingernails are clean, trimmed short." She twisted it back. "Looks like the hand of a cook to me." Ruby said.

Weiss felt her eyes well up. She jerked her hand back. "Don't you fuck with me Ruby."

Ruby smiled softly. "I'm not, Weiss. You've got the attitude, the equipment, the mise, the moves, the drive, the love, the standards." Ruby spread her arms wide. "If it looks like a cook, acts like a cook," Ruby paused, pursing her lips. She smirked. "And swears like a cook, then it's. . ." Ruby trailed off.

"Then it's a cook." Weiss finished lamely. Her eyes went to her own hand. Her fingernails were trimmed. And the meat of the thumb, it had a callous. It was small. It was rough.

It was hers.

The tears came slowly, accompanied by silence. No thrashing sobs, no hiccups, no convulsions. Weiss sat on her knees and watched her tears fall to the floor, her arms holding her belly tight. A gentle hand settled on her shoulder.

Where did this come from? She hated that Ruby was better than her. Her! Weiss Schnee! With all the training, all the money, all the freedom in-

Wait. No, that's not right. That's not right at all.

"I fucking hate my father." Weiss choked out. "I hate him so much. No matter how much I try to make something mine he comes in with his money and his voice. It feels like I'm being dipped in cold oil every time he speaks and I can't do this. I can't do this anymore Ruby. He took my singing and made it his. I sang at every party, every function, he always had VIP and there was nothing I could do to take it from him." Weiss hiccupped.

"I hurt myself Ruby. I took a battery and I cut into it and I swallowed it. It burned a hole in my stomach and it killed the soprano in me. I didn't want to do it, but I thought if I made myself useless to him, he'd let me go. And now I'm right back where I started. And I can't kill the cook without taking myself with it." Weiss pulled her knees, wrapping her arms around her calves. "I'm trapped in a twisted mirror of a life I would love to lead, and if I leave for something else, he would find me and he would drag me back."

Ruby was silent.

Weiss heard the words that just spilled out of her mouth. She clapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry Ruby. I-It just came out. I wasn-"

"I don't remember my mother too well." Ruby said quietly.

Weiss shut her damn mouth. She looked up at Ruby, still standing above her.

Ruby pulled away. She leaned back, and slid down the kitchen entryway, her skirt fluffing up on the floor. She stretched her legs out, getting comfortable. She continued. "When she died, I was young. I don't remember her. I don't remember her holding me. It was always Yang." Ruby exhaled. "About two years ago, dad called me Summer. I show up to visit and he drops the glass he's holding. And he says her name."

Ruby looked at the gin by the door. She got up, and grabbed it off the floor. She unscrewed the cap, and took a big swig. She wiped her mouth. "If I drink enough, I look in the mirror, and I see her face in mine. Just like the photographs. So when I smile, it looks like she's smiling. When I laugh, she's laughing." Another swig. "And when I miss her, it looks like she's missing me." Ruby finished softly, sitting back down across from Weiss.

Weiss wiped her eyes. "That's. . . I don't know what to say."

Ruby held out the bottle. Weiss took it. "Well," Ruby started. "How about 'Ruby, I'm sorry I was a hypocritical gumbo and being mean to you.'"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "What the fuck is a hypocritical gumbo?" She asked.

Ruby shrugged. "Gumbo with no umbo?" She suggested.

Weiss snorted. "So it's just Guh?" She deadpanned. She took a swig of Crooked.

Ruby giggled. "You need to say it." She said.

Weiss arched a brow. "Say what? I'm sorry I was mean to you?"

Ruby put her hands on her hips. "Almost. Pretend it's not a question."

Weiss threw her hands up. "I am sorry I was a hypocritical gumbo and I was mean to you."

Ruby smiled. "Seventy percent correct! You pass!"

Weiss bristled. "Seventy percent? I've never been below a 94! What did I miss?" She demanded.

"You said 'hippo critical.'" Ruby pointed her finger at the ceiling. "Which sounds the same, but is not the same, as hypocritical." She drawled.

Weiss threw her hands in exasperation. "It's a homophone! And you docked me 30%? What kind of math is that!?" She yelled, taking a swig from the gin.

Ruby was giggling. "Homo-phone." She said.

Weiss' eye twitched. "Homo phone?" She asked.

Ruby started cackling. "Do you have a gay phone Weiss?"

Weiss shrugged. "My phone's personal life is not my business." She said, holding a stiff upper lip.

Ruby giggled. "Then what about you?" She asked.

Weiss frowned. "What about me?"

Ruby rubbed her knees together. "What's your personal life like?" She asked.

Weiss gestured to the apartment. "You're looking at it. I work, I go to the Cane, and I come home." Weiss set the gin down and smoothed out her blanket. She felt a lump in her panties. She reached in and fished it out. The chocolate Neptune gifted her earlier. "And sometimes strange suitors come to my door, offering me gifts." She said, unwrapping the candy.

Ruby smiled. "So, no girlfriend then?" She asked. "That's a bummer."

Weiss cracked the chocolate in half. She offered a piece to Ruby. "Why's that?" She asked.

Ruby shrugged. "My uncle once said, 'no one has any business being a chef if they can't get laid.'" Ruby said, popping the chocolate in her mouth, a twinkle in her eye. Her eyes closed and she let out a moan. "Oh, this is good."

Weiss flushed. "That has nothing to do with being a chef!" She protested, her chocolate still in hand.

Ruby raised a brow. "True. And we already know you're a cook." She admitted.

Weiss hmphed. "That's right. So what if I don't get laid?" She rolled her eyes.

Ruby held her palms up. "It's not about getting laid. It's about relaxing, and relieving stress." Ruby said. "A warm body happens to be really good for that."

Weiss smirked. "Then what about you, sous chef? Got any warm bodies on your mind?" She brought the piece of chocolate to her lips, and slipped it into her mouth. It was good. It tasted like lavender and pistachio. She moaned.

Ruby blushed, as red as her namesake. "N-no." She stammered. "I haven't had any time either."

Weiss licked the bits of melted chocolate off her fingers, slowly shaking her head. "Then what business do you have being a chef?" She asked.

Ruby thunked her ankle on the floor. Her arms folded hard across her chest, like a rubber band squeezing her torso. Squeezing it out, Weiss noticed. Ruby pursed her lips in annoyance. "I had a girlfriend in Mistral, thank you very much!" She said.

Weiss' brow lifted. "Oh? And what happened to this girlfriend?"

Ruby shrugged. "She died." She said simply.

Weiss froze. "Fuck Ruby, is there anyone in your life who hasn't died?" She asked.

Ruby burst out laughing. "What, you want a list or something?" She asked.

Weiss nodded. "Only so I don't put my foot in my mouth. Again." She said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Ruby straightened her back. "Well, my girlfriend was Penny. She was sweet, dorky, and smelled like oranges. She died at a ski resort. She was about to get on the lift, and the cable snapped." Ruby slapped her hands together, then pulled them apart. "Tore her in half. They had a closed casket."

Weiss' shoulders sagged. "I'm so sorry Ruby." She said.

Ruby folded her hands in her lap. "Yeah. It was hard. But when she was here, it was . . ." Ruby closed her eyes, a soft smile on her lips. "I used to make her lunches. She was an engineer, and couldn't cook to save her life." Ruby opened her eyes. She held her hand out for the bottle of gin. Weiss complied. Ruby took a swig. "She was so grateful. Like, I'd given her the greatest gift she'd ever had."

Ruby took another swig. Her eyes shimmered. "Then there was Pyrrha. My friend, Pyrrha. She was, like, an Olympic level athlete."

Weiss blinked. "Pyrrha? Pyrrha Nikos?" She asked.

Ruby nodded. "Yup."

Weiss looked away from Ruby. "Damn." She said. "I heard about her. She was an inspiration."

Ruby smiled. "Champion of track, champion against faunus exploitation. And as one of her best friends, I can tell you she was as good a person as she appeared to be." Ruby set the bottle between them. "When she died, the whole world lost a hero." She whispered.

Weiss nodded. "Wow."

"And that's my tragedies." Ruby said. She jolted. "Oh, I almost forgot! My sister lost her arm defending her girlfriend from her crazy ex-boyfriend." Ruby sliced her hand down, like a knife. "He used a genuine katana."

Weiss' eyes widened. "Holy fuck Ruby. Is she okay?" She asked.

Ruby threw a few mock punches. "She's a pro boxer with a state of the art prosthetic. It matches the strength of her other arm exactly, so she can't cheat." Ruby smiled. "I'm proud of her."

Weiss pinched her nose. "Holy fuck." Weiss whispered. "Why are you a cook? You could write for tv and make millions." Weiss threw her hands up. "More to the point, how the fucking fuck are you so positive?! I've heard you swear literally once, and your energy is all bubbles and charm!" Weiss crossed her arm across her chest, rubbing her bicep. "And I'm over here, complaining about my life, when I've never lost a thing." She whispered.

Ruby frowned. "I'm sorry, didn't you just say you burned a hole in your gut to get away from your father?" Ruby crossed her arms. "I don't think our situations are comparable."

Weiss looked away. "You lost your mother, Ruby. You lost your friends." She whispered.

Ruby smirked. "You never had a father in the first place. And I'm guessing most of your friends wanted what you looked like. Not who you are." She said.

Weiss felt her gut constrict. She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. She put her face in her knees, tears flowing.

"Am I right?" Ruby asked. Her knee bumped against Weiss' foot.

Weiss nodded. "Yes." She choked out. "When I was singing, I only had time for people who ran in my father's circle. Those people were so. . . Fuck Ruby, I never felt like myself until I got into the kitchen."

Ruby nodded. "My uncle says the kitchen is home to the broken and the damned." She sighed. "We're both pretty broken, aren't we?" She asked.

Weiss lifted her head, a sad laugh ringing from her throat. "We are. We are so broken." She said, laughing.

The pair laughed together in Weiss' kitchen entryway. Weiss hadn't laughed this hard in years. She hadn't told anyone about the battery, ever, and yet with Ruby, it just slipped out. And it was okay. She wasn't running, she wasn't going to Jacques. She simply let it be.

The laughter subsided. They met each other's eyes. Striking silver and deep blue, meeting like a ship against the ocean.

Ruby pursed her lips in thought. She leaned in. "Hey, I got an idea." She said.

Weiss rested her head against her knee, this time looking at Ruby. "What is it?" She asked.

"What if we make a new menu for the Gele Gloxinia?" Ruby asked.

Weiss burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard her legs slid back to the floor, giving her belly room to move. The sheer audacity! "You must be kidding." She said between guffaws.

"I'm dead serious." Ruby said. "We could get away with it too."

Weiss wiped a tear from her eye. "And how would we do that?" She asked, giggles subsiding.

"We tell the guests it was all Jacques idea." Ruby said simply. "When they love the food, they'll shower him with praise." Ruby put her hands behind her head. "We won't get credit, buuut, we get to make good food, Weiss. Real, honest, fucking good food." Ruby's silver eyes bore straight into apprehensive blue. "Come on. Let's make something we can be proud of."

The gears were twisting in Weiss' head. Make food, give Jacques credit. Of course she wanted credit, but if it was one or the other, she'd choose food. Guests were pretentious anyways, their praise mattered little to her. A chance to cook good food, real food? That was tantalizing.

A chance to cook with Ruby. . .

"All right, let's do it." Weiss said, holding out her hand. "Let's make a menu."

Ruby clasped her hand with Weiss' "Yes! Let's start right now!" Ruby declared, shaking Weiss' hand.

Weiss looked at the clock. "Let's not." She said, nodding at the time.

Ruby looked at the clock. "Let's start tomorrow!" She declared, twice as excited. She let Weiss' hand go, and Weiss almost reached out to grab it again. Almost.

Ruby stood up, patting down her skirt, her knees eye-level with Weiss. "I think I'll head home now." She said.

Weiss scrambled to her feet. "N-n-nonsense!" She said. "It's cold out, and the middle of the night."

Ruby shrugged. "You offering your couch?" She asked.

"I'm offering my bed." Weiss said. Then she blushed at the implication. "I-I-I'll take the couch." She stammered out.

Ruby shook her head. "I couldn't impose like that. It's your bed, you need your rest." She said.

Weiss stomped her foot. "And you need yours!" Weiss crossed her arms. "You're not going out in the cold, and you're not sleeping on the couch. Period." Weiss started shooing Ruby towards her bedroom. "Come on. I'll grab you some pajamas and I have an unused toothbrush you can have." She said, pushing against Ruby's shoulders.

Ruby held her hands up. "Okay, okay! I'll sleep in your bed if you want me to so badly." She said.

Weiss spluttered. "It's not that I want you to!" She said. "I'm merely being a good host!"

Ruby nodded. "Suuuure." She teased.

Weiss pushed Ruby through her bedroom door. She went to her dresser and pulled out white silk pajamas and a blue slip. "Here's a pair you can borrow." She said, shoving them into Ruby's arms. "Bathroom is over here." She said, walking over to the door. She opened the medicine cabinet, pulling out a packaged toothbrush. "And here's a toothbrush. You're free to shower, use soap and shampoo, and any of my towels. Please don't sleep in my bed wet."

"That might be hard to do. . ." Ruby whispered to herself.

Weiss cocked her ear. "What was that?" She asked.

Ruby shook her head. "Nothing! Nothing at all." She looked around. "This bathroom is huge." She whispered.

Weiss looked at the bathroom. It seemed normal to her. Six-foot counter with a three-panel mirror, each on hinges to hide the cabinet behind them. A regular sized bathtub, it could fit at least three of her in there, and a regular toilet. "Is it big?" Weiss asked.

Ruby nodded. "Definitely." She gestured to the counter. "Do you want to brush your teeth and shower and all that too?" She asked.

Weiss held her hands up. "Guests go first."

Ruby shook her head. "No reason we can't do it together."

Weiss flushed, images of the pair in her tile-heated shower, soap running with water in the crevice of sharp shoulder blades, the smell of roses and peppermint-

Ruby, blushing again, waved her hands back and forth. "I-I mean brushing our teeth. Not the other stuff. Brushing our teeth. The counter is big enough for two." She said.

Weiss looked at it. She and Ruby could both lay on top of it, but the faucet would definitely make it uncomfortable. The kitchen counter on the other han- "I'll be fine! J-just take care of yourself, I'll be outside if you need anything." Weiss rushed out, slamming the door behind her. She leaned against it, taking a deep breath.

It's official, she's had waaaaaay too much to drink.

She stumbled out of the room to the kitchen. She grabbed two glasses and filled them with water. On her way back to the room, she spied the sports drinks Sun had left. Weiss, tucking a glass in the crook of her elbow, holding it against her chest, leaned down shakily and grabbed one of the bottles. She set the drink and one glass of water on the nightstand in her room. In case Ruby needed to hydrate in the morning.

She heard the shower running, and got out of the room before her thoughts had a chance to wander.

She downed her glass of water, then another, and took a few sips of her sports drink. She took some sheets and a blanket from the linen closet, set up her couch, fluffed the pillow, and took the blanket off of her waist. She settled under the two blankets, and sighed.

What a day.