Hello! I don't have much to say about this one, other than it was inspired by a Hammock song of the same name. I'll let the story speak for itself. On that note, I'll try and update this as I have time. Expect it at least once a week for the forseeable future. Stay safe!

The plaza of Vale was everything she expected and more. A tall and majestic marble fountain sat pristine in the center, its motif of four maidens pouring water from wide bowls into it a very beautiful sight. The way the afternoon sun bounced off the shaped stone was heavenly, and it caused Ruby's heart to melt in a strange way. Perhaps it was a sign to her then, that things were getting better. Afterall, Yang was there with her this time.

"It's been awhile since I've seen something so gorgeous." Yang said behind Ruby. She felt her chair shift as Yang leaned on it. Blonde locks trailed into her vision and tickled her face, to which the young rose brushed away in protest.

"Yaaaang, stop it!"

"What? You mean this?" She leaned further forward, purposely letting her hair loose on the now giggling girl.

Ruby's heart sang. If this what the rest of her days would be like, she'd be happy.

When the sisters finally quit teasing one another, Yang took her own seat on the bench next to Ruby. She let out a sigh of content.

"I hope Blake doesn't screw up my order again," she joked, "euck, pistachio."

"It's the thought that counts!" She beamed at her older sibling. "I thought it was really nice of Weiss to offer to buy me ice cream, she doesn't really even know me."

A moment of silence drifted between them then. Ruby was right, but by all accounts, Yang was the most surprised by Weiss' sudden kindness. She was known at Beacon for being the ice queen, and even more so in the public eye under the Schnee Dust Company. Weiss Schnee was, by media standards, haughty, arrogant, and downright rude. But she was the Heiress to the richest company on Remnant so…

"She has her moments. Speaking of which-" Yang jumped up off the bench with her arms raised in the air. "Blakey!"

Ruby held up a polite hand and waved to the Heiress. "Hi Weiss!"

"Hey you two," Blake said with a smile on her own face, "and yes, Yang, I did get your triple fudge explosion cocoa caramel drizzle sundae, just like you asked."

Yang beamed and rocketed towards the faunus, scooping her up in a hug.

"Awww!"

"Yang, you're gonna make me drop it!"

Yang gently lowered the faunus to the ground by her waist, opting to not waste her sudden treat. While they continued to have what Ruby amounted to an exchange of awkward flirting, Weiss was on track with Ruby's ice cream.

The heiress took a knee, meeting her at eye level, and gave her a warm smile.

"And for you," she held it up in both hands, "strawberry sunrise, with a cookie."

Ruby's eyes couldn't be wider. She never knew ice cream could be so pretty!

"Th-thank you, Weiss, I- I really appreciate it." She felt like she could tear up. Something about Weiss had begun to worm its way into her heart, but having just met her today, she found that strange.

"It's no problem, Ruby."

Ruby gently grasped the cup in her hands. She took a small spoonful and eagerly went for a taste. The world in her head began spinning in notes of pink and vanilla, the taste of strawberry powerful enough to knock her into a new dimension.

"How did you know?" She asked while seemingly melting into her seat.

"Had a hunch." Weiss winked and stood, leaving Ruby to wonder just how much the Heiress knew about her. Ruby might not have known anyone much outside of Yang, but that didn't mean she was stupid, far from it. As she enjoyed her ice cream, Ruby could only think of what might come next, whatever it may be.

She looked at Blake who was nursing her ice cream slowly. It was mint green with little chips in it. Another of Ruby's favorites, but the fact that it was a single scoop spoke about the kind of person Blake might be. Strange, Ruby thought, that she was comparing people to ice cream. But what really caught Ruby off guard, was what Weiss was eating.

Two scoops of plain, vanilla, ice cream.

And something pained her with that thought.

Each of them were unique in their own ways.

They could be a team of four, like the team of three standing in front of her. If the situation was different maybe. Afterall, she couldn't bring herself to stand beside them no matter how hard she would try. And maybe, just maybe, Weiss felt bad for her. Maybe she was the one playing nice, just because. Whatever the case, a pang of mistrust suddenly emerged in her chest.

A Schnee, helping someone like Ruby?

Was there any big company that did so?

And suddenly the complex flavors of her ice cream didn't taste so good. The cookie, half wedged into one of the three scoops, appeared blatantly as damage control. Playing on her, manipulating her likes and dislikes.

When the silence had finally come in the group, Yang noticed Ruby's smile had faded. Ruby looked up at her older sister with a pout. Yang raised an eyebrow, but Ruby looked away and refused to meet her gaze. Still, Yang smiled through what she felt inside. Something was wrong, and Ruby counted on her older sister's sense to make a move.

"Hey guys, I need to talk with Ruby for a sec. Did you still want to meet us by the stands later?"

"Oh, sure," Blake said, "Weiss and I will try and get some coins for the arcade too. See you then."

And with that, the other members of the quad continued in their own direction, content talking between themselves. It was only when Weiss looked back, if only for a split second, that Ruby wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Ruby, what's wrong?" Yang asked.

"I just… I don't know Yang, Weiss kinda freaks me out a bit."

Yang blinked and waved the thought away.

"Ruby, that's silly. Why does she freak you out?"

Ruby's thoughts were rambling in her own head. She had so many questions, assumptions, and conclusions floating around.

"She just seems like she knows so much and… what if she's only acting like she likes me?" Her mercury eyes began to wet with fresh tears. She couldn't help feeling like something was wrong, like it always had been. The questions of 'what if' had spiraled so far already.

Yang took a knee and set both of her hands on Ruby's thighs.

"Ruby, I know the stories of Weiss might set your mind in a million different directions, but believe me, when she first heard about you, she had so many questions. There wasn't any indication of malice, or prejudice, or evil. Just...genuine curiosity."

"Is t-that why s-she knows so much ab-bout me?"

The realization suddenly sunk in. Yang's brain froze, and not because of the ice cream. She took a deep breath.

"She doesn't know much beyond what happened a couple of years ago. I'm honestly not sure how she knew about the ice cream, even that one startles me a bit. But Ruby, give her a chance. If you'll let me, I'll tell you about the way we first met some day. Right now, try and have a good time. I haven't seen you in so long, and we're here, together, with real friends. Dad was so happy when he learned I was taking you to the Vytal festival. I'm sure he would want you to be happy and let your anxieties go for a day."

What Yang was saying made sense. Maybe she could give Weiss a chance, but the seeds of mistrust still echoed within her. But Yang was right about Dad, too.

"He did say he was excited you were coming home, and he said you had a lot planned for me."

"See? Everything will be fine, Rubes. Now, let's go catch up with the others, and you just sit back and relax. I heard the balloons they're releasing today will be massive."

Ruby nodded resolutely at her big sister.

Even though she wouldn't say it, the entire reason for Ruby's mistrust was the one person who now pushed her along in her wheelchair.