I was rewatching the dance episodes from volume 2, and this idea came to me and wouldn't leave me alone. I definitely need to write some more nuts and dolts at some point, it's the ship that got me to watch the show in the first place. Anyway, this is set in the Dance Dance Infiltration episode with a slight canon divergence. Enjoy!
The stony faces of the Atlesian soldiers are intimidating as Ruby nervously approaches them, but Penny's overjoyed smile makes it all worth it. "Ruby!" she exclaims brightly. "It is so good to see you again, friend!"
"Hey, Penny," Ruby says with a grin. "It's great to see you too. Do you want to—can you hang out with me for a few minutes?"
"I would absolutely love to!" Penny replies, looking imploring at her guards imploringly. "May I go with my friend, just for a few minutes?"
"I suppose," one guard says reluctantly.
"Just don't be gone long," says the other, with a sigh. "And don't wander off too far."
"Of course!" Penny says, clasping her hands together in excitement. "I mean, yes sir!" she corrects herself with a salute.
Permission granted, Penny grabs Ruby's hand and drags her off in the direction of the dance floor, leaving the grumbling soldiers behind them. "I was so excited when I heard that the school would be hosting a dance. I've never been to an event like this before! Tonight has been absolutely sensational!"
"Well, I'm glad that you're having a good time," Ruby says fondly, marveling at Penny's endless enthusiasm.
"Me too! Have you been enjoying yourself, Ruby?"
"Ah, well," she hedges. "I'm not really much of a party girl, if I'm being honest. I'm just glad I got to see you."
"I'm very happy that we got to see each other as well, although I don't really understand what you mean by 'I'm not much of a party girl.'"
"Oh well, you know," Ruby stumbles over her words, trying to explain. "I mean, I don't really like fancy clothes and shoes and dancing, that sort of thing."
"Ah, I see. While I do enjoy getting a chance to wear a different outfit, I can understand your hesitancy about dancing."
Ruby thinks that she understood that sentence properly. Man, between Weiss and Penny, Ruby should really just start carrying a dictionary with her. "What do you mean? I thought you looked pretty good dancing earlier."
"Oh, thank you! I've been practicing for weeks!" Penny beams. "And although I feel that I have a pretty good grasp of the subject now, dancing is highly complicated to learn and very confusing. As a beginner, it hardly seems intuitive."
Yep, definitely getting that dictionary. "Well, you can definitely tell that all your practice paid off."
"Do you want me to teach you?" Penny asks. Ruby blinks, caught off guard.
"Teach me what?"
"How to dance, of course. You said that you don't really like dancing, but maybe you could enjoy it more if someone shows you how?"
Ruby bites her lip reluctantly, but Penny looks so excited that Ruby couldn't possibly turn her down. "Ok. Let's give it a try."
"Sensational!" Penny grabs Ruby's arm, tugging her onto the dance floor. "Now, just follow my lead."
It's painfully slow at first, and Ruby makes more missteps than she can count. But fortunately, Penny is a lot more patient than Weiss was with her earlier (and a lot more tolerant of Ruby stepping on her feet). But slowly, slowly, Ruby begins to get the hang of it, and she gradually finds her rhythm. Could she actually be having fun dancing at a party?
She opens her mouth to thank Penny, but before she can say anything, she spots Penny's guards at the edge of the dance floor. Penny glances over her shoulder and frowns, obviously having seen the soldiers as well. "I'm afraid that it is time for me to go," she says sadly. "Hopefully we can see each other again soon."
"Of course!" Ruby says eagerly. Penny reluctantly turns to leave. "Thanks for the dance!' she calls after the redhead, before sighing softly to herself.
With the magical spell of her first dance wearing off, the lights of the party seem overly bright, the pleasant chatter of guests overwhelming. Ruby decides that she could use some fresh air. Glancing around to make sure that no one is watching her, she makes her way over to the door. Well, it was nice while it lasted.
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