After a week of preparation, Weiss was ready. She'd regained her confidence by charming every person she came across, with predictable success. She'd made an actual list of Blake's favorite novels - the most PG ones. And she'd sworn that she wouldn't make as big of a fool of herself as last time.
Realistically, making such a fool of herself again would be borderline impossible. She'd practiced. She'd prepared. She was ready. All she had to do was make it out of Papercuts without mentioning another X-rated topic, and she would consider it a win.
The bar was remarkably low, but she should clear it without issue.
Too bad her father couldn't see her now. He would voluntarily fall into the next open manhole if he witnessed her inability to converse with someone being paid by the hour. Weiss Schnee...born and raised to lead one of the largest companies in the world...reduced to stutters by a retail employee.
By a very, very cute retail employee, who somehow short-circuited her normally-effortless ability to flatter and charm. That realization had led her to two possible conclusions - either they were soulmates, or she'd been duped by a pretty face and even-prettier smile.
The latter was something her father specifically warned her about; falling for beauty meant falling for a farce, as he would say. Of course, he was the one who taught her to use her looks as a weapon when she needed something, so what did he know? He couldn't even watch where he was walking when in an active construction zone.
Without more information, however, she couldn't decide which conclusion was correct. That led her to this moment, as she headed towards Papercuts with determination yet apprehension for what was to come. Spotting Ruby through the window was nearly enough to send her in the other direction, but she refused to back down from a challenge.
Not that this was a challenge. It was a temporary obstacle she'd yet to overcome, but that she would overcome because she was a Schnee and that's what Schnees did. So, after a deep breath and multiple prayers for divine intervention, she opened the door and walked inside.
She didn't see any other customers, which was perfect, and Ruby wasn't hard to find. Standing near the checkout counter, Ruby was arranging books on a display table while the other girl - the blonde one - pulled stacks of brand new hardcovers from boxes on the floor. It was in the midst of grabbing another stack that she noticed Weiss and smiled.
"Hey! It's birthday book girl!"
The name caught Ruby's attention, and she looked up, caught Weiss' gaze, and smiled. Weiss, however, was thrown by the greeting. Obviously, she made enough of an impression that Ruby talked about her, but was that a good or bad thing? What did she say? Did she think Weiss was funny? Attractive? Hopelessly tongue-tied?
"Hey Weiss!"
None of that mattered because her prayers were just answered - Ruby remembered her name.
"Hi Ruby," she replied while Ruby walked over to her.
"Back to pick out a book for Blake?"
When Ruby winked at the question, showing off that she remembered much more than Weiss' name, a blush heated Weiss' cheeks.
"I am. And this time I brought my list." Wishing the blush away, Weiss held up a folded piece of paper and watched Ruby's eyes move to it.
"Can I see?"
"By all means." Satisfied with how seamlessly that interaction went, Weiss handed over the list and watched Ruby scan it.
"'Do laundry, clean bathroom, buy -'"
Before Ruby read the last item aloud, Weiss snatched the page and wished for a missing manhole cover for herself. Unfortunately, Ruby's blush implied that she already saw far more than she should have.
What was happening? Was this store cursed? Did it exist in an alternate universe where social behaviors were the opposite of what Weiss had been taught? What else explained why her ability to behave like a normal person evaporated as soon as she stepped through the door?
She could recover. Possibly. She just needed the rest of this to go perfectly, and hope Ruby forgot what she just read.
"It's this one."
This time, Weiss checked the page before handing it over. Ruby, however, gave an amused smile while accepting it.
"You like that stuff?"
"I...don't mind it…" Weiss mumbled, looking anywhere but at Ruby while a fire raged across her cheeks.
Maybe this was her family's destiny. It wasn't wealth, power, or prestige - it was inglorious deaths. First, her father falls into a sewer - where he belonged, honestly, considering he was utter garbage. Then she passes away from humiliation in a store named Papercuts.
Death by Papercuts.
All Ruby had to do was add another word on the matter and Weiss would follow the path of her father. As fortune had it, however, Ruby didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, she read through the list of carefully-selected, purposefully-tame books and nodded at what she found.
"These are pretty great," she said once she reached the end, then smiled and waved the piece of paper through the air. "You have really cute handwriting."
"Oh. Um, thank you."
Weiss had received far more extensive compliments in the past, but the earnestness in Ruby's eyes made her want to cover her steaming cheeks and squeal like a schoolgirl.
"I have a great suggestion," Ruby added with another wave of the book list. "Want to check it out?"
"Of course. That's…that's what I came here for."
Honestly, Weiss came here to check out Ruby - buying a present for Blake was secondary at this point. If all else failed, meaning she left Papercuts with no gift and ample embarrassment, she would give Blake a gift card or something. Not exactly the most endearing display of friendship, but she didn't have much social capital to spare at the moment.
"It looks like your roommate likes adventures." Motioning Weiss after her, Ruby led the way to one of the aisles on the right-hand side of the store. "With a healthy dose of romance thrown in…" she added before stopping at one of the shelves, running her hand along the spines, and pulling out a book.
"How about this?"
"The Dust Chronicles?" Weiss read out loud before scoffing at the busty blonde adorning the cover. "Well, isn't she provocative."
When Ruby's brow rose at the poor word choice, she resisted the urge to groan.
"I mean provocative as in exciting," she tried to correct.
"Does that mean you're into blondes?" Ruby asked in return, confirming that Weiss only made it much, much worse. But in every crisis was an opportunity, and she could take advantage of it. At least, in most cases she could, but that probably didn't matter right now.
"Actually, no," she attempted anyway. "I mean, sure, she has some...enviable qualities." After glancing at the book - more specifically, the main character's ample bosom - she shook her head. "But hair color and...physical attributes...don't matter to me. Personality matters far more."
She...did it? She strung together several sentences without embarrassing herself?
"Of course, I'm more attracted to brunettes," she added. Because of course she had to ruin that perfect answer by divulging too much information. Why didn't she just describe exactly what type of person she was attracted to, down to what they were currently wearing?
Fortunately, Ruby only seemed amused by the response, and even ran a hand through her hair - an unfairly-tantalizing motion that sent Weiss' heart slamming against her ribcage.
"Guess I have a chance, huh?"
The accompanying smile reduced Weiss to sputters as she tried to sort out her thoughts while her interest spiked to unheard-of levels.
"I - um, would never - rule anyone out..." she mumbled before trailing off and leaving her response at that. Under ordinary circumstances, she wouldn't have any issue telling Ruby that yes, she had a very good chance, and maybe they should have dinner to discuss those chances.
Weiss missed those days of certainty...although this was exciting in its own way. Exciting and horrifying, but in an addictive way.
"I mean, thank you." When she raised the book to show what she was grateful for, she grimaced when she nearly hit Ruby's shoulder with it. "Sorry," she added before attempting her best smile. "But thank you for the recommendation. I'll get this for her."
"Awesome! You'll have to let me know how she likes it."
Faced with that comment and Ruby's friendly smile, Weiss couldn't help but imagine that Ruby wanted to talk to her. If that was true, then the feeling was mutual. Though Weiss was struggling to hold up her side of a conversation right now...
"I'll do that," she agreed before throwing out the first question that popped into her mind - anything to keep the conversation going. "Do you like reading?"
"I do! When it's slow, I check out the new stuff. Getting paid to read - pretty cool, right?"
"That sounds like Blake's dream job," Weiss replied with a small laugh. It was only when she saw Ruby's smile that she realized she just strung together two composed sentences in a row - a shameful accomplishment she would gladly accept.
"What about you?" Ruby asked while casually leading them back to the main portion of the store. "Want to get something for yourself?"
"What would you suggest?" Weiss asked in return, though what she really wanted from this store didn't come in paper form.
"Do you like romance?"
The moment Ruby turned those silver eyes Weiss' way, Weiss' heart jumped into her throat.
"I -" she began only to clear her throat and try again. "I, um, wouldn't call myself a very romantic person, but I'll definitely try if that's what you're looking for."
As soon as Ruby's brow rose, Weiss heard how that sounded out loud.
"I mean if you like romance nov- books! Romance books, of the not-mature variety. If you like them, I'm willing to...give them a try…"
Apparently, her record would remain at two composed sentences in a row, because that was just horrible.
"You know…" When Ruby lowered her voice and leaned forward, Weiss' heart nearly stopped. But Ruby stopped a polite distance away and let her gaze flick towards the back of the store. "I've snuck a few chapters too. But don't tell Yang! She'll never stop teasing me if she finds out."
With a laugh, Ruby backed away and playfully touched a finger to her lips. Weiss, meanwhile, tried to laugh too, but she couldn't hear it over her heart beating like a jackhammer in her ears.
She wanted to know which one Ruby read though. Or was it more than one? She couldn't ask. She shouldn't ask. No matter how much she wanted to know the answer, she should not ask what romance novels Ruby indulged in for fun. She shouldn't ask for the title, or the topic, or the situations or positions -
"I'll take this too," she blurted out in an effort to distract herself, and grabbed the first book her hand landed upon. When she looked at the cover, however, she discovered that she just traded one embarrassing subject for another.
"Dog breeding?" Ruby asked while a smile tugged at her lips.
"Um...yes."
What was Weiss thinking? She didn't even have a dog.
"Do you breed dogs?"
"No….I just have a...passing curiosity...about how they're bred."
Who had a 'passing curiosity' on dog breeding? This was worse than asking what kinky things Ruby was into. At least that deathly embarrassment would elicit information that Weiss would gladly use in the future if presented with the opportunity.
"That's cool." Regardless of how ridiculous Weiss' response was, Ruby grinned. "I love dogs."
"I do too!"
Thank god they found common ground, allowing Weiss to escape the conversation with some dignity intact.
"Yeah?" Even Ruby was excited now, which made her gorgeous silver eyes sparkle and her smile warm Weiss' heart. "Do you have one?"
"Oh. Well...no, I don't. I just...really like to pet them when I see them."
Maybe it was time for Weiss to accept that she wasn't leaving this place with any dignity at all.
"Oh," Ruby replied before a giggle slipped through her lips. "Then do you have any favorite breeds?"
"Sure, I like…" Dammit. She couldn't think of a single dog breed. "I like fluffy ones," she finally said. "And ones with four legs," she added, because why shouldn't she make this worse. "I really like their fuzzy ears and...cute noses…"
She just needed to stop talking.
"That's like all of them!" Ruby replied with a happy smile. "So you really just like all dogs?"
"Yes." It felt like Ruby was throwing her lifelines, and Weiss couldn't be more grateful for it. "I like all dogs."
"Yang and I have a dog, you know."
When Ruby nodded towards the blonde, who winked at them before carrying on with her work, Weiss had a horrible realization.
"Oh, I didn't realize you two -"
Unable to say the words aloud, Weiss motioned between Yang and Ruby. Ruby, however, looked briefly confused before breaking into laughter.
"Ew, no. We're sisters!" Reading Weiss' surprise, Ruby nodded. "Different moms. That's why we look nothing alike."
"Oh...that's good then."
"Good that we're sisters or good that we're not dating?"
If Weiss stopped saying stupid things, she wouldn't have to answer questions like this.
"...both," she replied, hoping that was the least revealing answer. It seemed to work too, as Ruby just nodded and carried on the conversation.
"Want to see him?"
"Yes, of course."
Thank god, Weiss thought to herself while Ruby raced around the checkout counter and grabbed her phone. Once she found a photo, she held out the screen so Weiss could see.
"His name's Zwei," she explained while Weiss looked at the adorable, happy, grey-and-white fluff ball.
"Cuteness must run in the family."
Weiss blushed as soon as the words slipped out, and even more when Ruby gave the picture a confused glance.
"I never met his family," she said before giggling. "I bet they were cute though!"
That's what happened when Weiss tried to flirt - she complimented Ruby's dog. Really, if the floor opened up and swallowed her right now, she would gladly accept the escape from this unending embarrassment. At this point, she deserved a headline-making demise.
"Here, let me ring those up for you," Ruby added while motioning for the books in Weiss' hands.
After handing them over, Weiss searched for her credit card while Ruby rang up the purchases. It felt like their time together was drawing to a close, which was far more disappointing than relieving. Even though she was making a fool of herself, she was...also having fun?
"Alright, it's thirteen-fifty." Once Weiss handed over her card, Ruby swiped it and quickly bundled everything in a bag. "I hope your roommate likes the book," she added while returning Weiss' card and sticking the receipt in the bag. "And that you like your book too!"
"I'm sure she will, and I will." Holding up the bag, Weiss stepped away from the counter and smiled. "Thank you for the help."
"You're welcome! And, uh, maybe I'll see you around sometime?"
"Definitely."
Ruby's smile at the affirmative response only made it more certain that Weiss would be back, regardless of the embarrassment.
Holding onto that smile as long as possible, Weiss backed away from the counter and promptly knocked into one of the tables. The resulting thud nearly sent the display crashing to the floor, but she managed to lunge forward and steady it in time. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.
"Are you ok?"
Ruby was already rushing over to help, but Weiss shook her head and flashed a smile.
"I'm fine," she said even though her cheeks were reaching catastrophic new levels of hot. "That was just...really clumsy of me. I'm sorry."
Thankfully, the books hadn't fallen over. Because that was the most embarrassing thing that could have happened. As if sharing her to-do list and complimenting Ruby's dog weren't embarrassing enough.
"Maybe I should, like, walk you home or something," Ruby suggested. "Make sure you get there alright. Those sidewalks are pretty uneven, you know?"
The offer sounded heavenly, but Weiss wasn't sure if it was a joke or not. Considering Ruby probably couldn't leave while in the midst of working, it had to be a joke. So Weiss forced a smile and shook her head.
"I'll be alright." This time, she looked where she was going before backing away. "I made it here just fine, didn't I?"
"That's true," Ruby replied with another cute smile. "I'll see you later then!"
"Of course." Hoping to avoid another embarrassment, Weiss memorized as much of that smile as possible before hurrying outside. Only when the door fell shut behind her did she sigh and shake her head.
At least she got Blake's birthday gift. That offered some measure of solace as she set off...only to immediately stub her toe on the sidewalk and nearly go sprawling onto the ground. Fortunately, if fortune existed in her life anymore, she 'only' stumbled forward, flailed her arms a bit, and eventually caught her balance.
Another crisis averted. Except when she turned and confirmed that Ruby just witnessed the entire failure through the window. Reading Ruby's concern even from there, Weiss flashed a big smile and a thumbs-up before hurrying away as quickly and safely as possible.
There was embarrassment, then there was humiliation. If she had to rate how that interaction just went…
At least she got Blake's birthday present. The book on dog breeding could be a good gag gift too, considering how little Blake liked dogs. It only cost Weiss all of her remaining dignity and…
Suddenly frowning, she paused and searched through the bag of books. Thirteen-fifty seemed too cheap for two hardcovers...a suspicion she confirmed by looking at the receipt and realizing that Ruby had given her an employee discount.
"And you didn't even notice?" she scolded herself before dropping the receipt back into the bag, shaking her head, and heading home.
That store was a cursed domain funneling away all of her charm and charisma. Without those traits, she was left with nothing but sputters, stumbles, and the unenviable ability to stick her foot in her mouth. She would prevail in the end, most likely...but her certainty wasn't quite what it used to be.
She just wanted to take Ruby on a date. It didn't have to be fancy or extravagant; they could just sit, talk, and share some food outside of Papercuts. Maybe then she could hold a conversation without mortally embarrassing herself...