Special Thanks

Xlyra from AO3 helped with storyline development and was one of the people

who helped inspire this story! Thank you so much for the help!

Mikotizini from FF.N helped with the editing of the final draft for chapter 1 and was the other

person whose work inspired me! Thank you as well!

Sky has helped with editing and proofreading the final draft of this chapter!

(Sky is not a fanfiction author)

Give their works a look! They are truly amazing!

A Painting in the Park

Chapter 3

'Ruby… Ruby Rose… a nice name for a nice girl…'

Weiss was once again thinking about her encounter at the park a month and a half ago. That was happening a lot, and quite frankly it was starting to annoy her. Although she also didn't mind it too much, when she popped into her head.

Ruby was only a bit taller than her own short stature and had short, choppy raven hair that was dyed crimson at the tips. She had been wearing simple jeans accompanied by a red and black t-shirt, and she looked good in it. However, the most memorable thing about the girl was her eyes. Her eyes were a startling silver color that Weiss had never seen before.

The most annoying thing though was the fact that the second she showed up, she had forgotten about her task to keep an eye out for the sculptor, which was her whole purpose for being there! And then there's the whole painting thing…

She let out a sigh.

'Why did I agree to let her paint me again? What if father, or someone close to him were to find it? I will have to leave Vale! And I am actually quite enjoying it here…'

Despite the fact that she could possibly be tracked through it, she didn't regret it whatsoever. The happiness that was apparent in this 'Ruby' girl's eyes had made it well worth it. She just couldn't fathom why she had actually agreed to it!

'Well, it could possibly have to do with the fact that you find her quite attractive… And that is NOT helping right now.' Weiss let out another sigh.

"You know that I'm still here right, 'Snow'?" She flinched at the words. Blake. She was with Blake still.

"Sorry Blake, I was just… thinking about things I guess."

"You've been doing that a lot lately. You doing alright?" Blake seemed to be genuinely concerned for her. It was sweet but she had already done so much for her and Weiss really didn't want to make her worry.

'After all, there is nothing for her to worry about. I hope.'

"Yes I am doing just fine, thank you for asking though. Just need something to keep me from stressing out about work and all that."

"Well, you know that girl I've been mentioning lately?"

"The BMX Star?"

"Yes, that one."

"I seriously don't know how you deal with someone so loud." Weiss shakes her head in wonder. Blake is so quiet and reserved and yet she'd been befriended by a big ball of yellow energy.

"Don't ask me, I'm still trying to figure it out. Especially since… well since she asked me out."

Weiss wasn't shocked or surprised per say, but she still wasn't expecting it. She had known that Blake was bi, which was actually one of the reasons they got along so well. Blake was able to understand her attraction to other females. And although Blake had been talking about the girl more and more lately, she still didn't expect them to become a thing. Or at least not so soon.

She quickly regained her composure.

"That's great! When is the big day? And what are you going to be doing?"

"I'm not quite sure what the plan is yet. She wanted it to be a surprise. Or she hadn't thought that far ahead. Either way, it's this Friday."

"Well, that makes things more difficult. Do you know what you are going to wear or anything like that?"

"No, I'm not sure how formal I should dress."

"Ask?" A simple solution, but if what she's heard so far is any indication…

"No that wouldn't work. She'll probably wait until last minute before letting me know what kind of outfit to wear."

"So what are you going to do? I know you enjoy having your outfit picked out and ready before it's time to wear it. Especially so for more important events like a date."

Blake was thoughtful for a little while before a spark went through her eyes.

"Her sister. If I ask her to find that out for me, then Yang won't have much choice but to spill about her plans. She kind of has a sweet spot for the girl. And not a small one at that." Blake had a happy smile plastered all over her face as she dialed up the sister mentioned earlier.

'It must be nice for the two sisters to be so close. I wish Winter and I would be as close.'

"Hey there Ru-" Blake had obviously been cut off.

'Turns out both sisters enjoy talking. Who knew?' Weiss rolled her eyes at her own question as she waited. After a minute or two Blake finally got some words of her own into the conversation.

"I would love to. And I think I actually have the perfect person to go with me as my plus one. But first things first. Could you figure out what kind of outfit I'm supposed to wear on Friday? Ask your sister and let me know, please… thank you."

Blake hung up the phone and smiled at Weiss.

"What is it…?" She was curious about the whole plus one thing, as those were only present for RSVP events.

"So, how would you like to go to the opening of the new art exhibit in two weeks?"

The two weeks until the art exhibit passed by quickly. The first week was full of preparations and making sure she'd be set to go. She didn't want to be to easily identified if someone who knew her father happened to attend this. After all, at this point, her father didn't care about having her back. He just cared about how she had disobeyed him to such an extreme extent.

Weiss shook the thoughts of her father and what would happen if she was found out of her head. She was going to see the new art exhibit! This was something she'd enjoy doing, she was sure of it. If she was lucky she might even find a sculpture or two from the mystery sculptor from the park. She knew they had been working on something big but didn't know much else than that.

Frankly, she only knew that much because early last week they had left a note inscribed in a block, yes inscribed like in ancient times. It had just mentioned that they had a big project that they were working on and that they apologize for not leaving sculptures for people to enjoy.

At the bottom, it had specifically thanked her for the notes of encouragement she had left! Or as close to specifically thanking her as one could get when they didn't know who left the notes. So after seeing that, she had decided to postpone her mission until they started leaving behind sculptures again.

Meanwhile, she was now focusing on Blake and Yang. The two were growing quite close quite quickly. Usually, when Weiss visited Blake, Yang was almost always there. She had always been on her way out and so they hadn't really met. But Weiss knew she was there quite often. They hadn't necessarily gotten physical yet, and thank goodness for that. Because based off of some of the books Blake reads, physical intimacy could get quite awkward for anyone they were going to be around.

But she was happy for her. Blake was a good friend, no she was an amazing friend, and she rightly deserved to be happy. When Weiss was at her lowest and when she had nothing, Blake was the one she could turn to in order to get back onto her feet. And for that, Weiss couldn't thank her enough.

She could try though. And so, when Blake's date had come around, Weiss had helped her get ready and had helped to keep her calm. Who knew that the famous Blake, master of indifference, could get so nervous?

"Hey Ice queen, you almost ready?" Blake asked and knocked at the same time.

"Sorry, I will be right out. Sometimes these things can be of a pain." She was wearing a light purple dress and had dyed her hair for the night. She refused to permanently dye her hair but for the night it would be a brunette color. She was too well known for having white hair to be able to go around at this event comfortably without the risk of being noticed.

Sadly she also couldn't wear her normal outfits, seeing as any light blue or white colors being worn would draw attention to her in general. And attention isn't something she wanted right now.

"It's all good. If you need some help, just let me know."

"Thank you, but I think I will be good. I am already almost done as it is." Weiss looked in the mirror one last time, debating whether or not to put her hair into an off-kilter ponytail. She finally decided against it, she had started putting her hair up less and less since she had departed from her family.

After putting on her heels and a purple jacket that matched her dress, Weiss was walking out the door. Blake was waiting down the hall and looked over upon hearing the closing door.

"You look great. The hair is a little unsettling though."

"I'm going to have to agree with you on that. Now let us get going. After all, the sooner we get this over and done with, I can wash out this horrendous dye." Weiss feigned annoyance at the whole ordeal, although Blake already knew how excited she really was for this.

Blake only hummed in response and started walking towards the lobby and then to her car, as Weiss followed close behind. Weiss was wearing a small smile as she entered into the passenger side. She had no clue who this sister of Yang's was, but either she was well off or she had connections allowing her to get tickets. Either way, it was a bit nerve-wracking that someone with that level of power was now so close to her life.

But tonight was a night to enjoy herself, not one to worry about possibilities.

"So how is the new girlfriend?" Blake blushed a bit at the question. She was obviously not quite used to this still.

"She… well, we are actually doing quite well, I suppose. I'm planning to go and see one of her performances tomorrow night actually."

"You have never really been into that style of entertainment." Weiss noted this in a matter-of-fact way that wasn't meant to be hurtful, and thankfully Blake already knew this.

"You're right, I wasn't ever into it. I'm still not really into it, but I will admit that she looks hot in her outfit." Oh, Oum, Blake had that dreamy-eyed face again.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Now watch where you're driving! I don't want to end up like last week's road kill." Weiss poked fun at Blake, who in turn blinked rapidly a few times and sported a light blush.

The rest of the drive was spent in content silence. They had been friends for so long that they didn't need to talk in order to be comfortable around each other. There had never really been much talking as they were both equally quiet people. Which is one of the reasons as to why it was such a surprise that Blake had ended up with Yang, who seemed to be the exact opposite of the quiet author.

They emerged from Blake's car after parking near the museum and Weiss was ready to be inside already. She couldn't explain how much she loved art and, frankly, it was one of the few things she missed about being part of the Schnee family. She had access to any and all pieces of art in existence and that had been one of the sole reasons she had stayed there for so long.

Weiss' hand hovered over her covered scar as she thought about the reason she had left her family when she did. Blake noticed it and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. This broke Weiss out of her thoughts and she threw a small smile Blake's way. She reciprocated the smile before heading towards the museum and Weiss was more than happy to follow.

It took them but a few minutes to reach the door to the museum and join the small assembly of people making their way inside. Upon entering, they showed their RSVP and were granted entrance to the new exhibit. And the first thing she saw shocked her.

It wasn't even the first display, nor was it the second. In fact, it was almost near the end of the exhibit. But there it was, drawing her eyes towards it the instant she walked in. Blake noticed where she was staring and started to quickly walk towards it, gently pulling Weiss along.

"Well this is one beautiful piece of work, I do have to admit." Blake nonchalantly commented.

"It is… A real shame too." Weiss still couldn't get over it. This painting may have been beautiful, but it was not something she wanted to see here. Because if her father saw it, then he would know that she was somewhere in Vale.

It was the painting that Ruby girl had painted of her in the park. Weiss sat there with a small smile gracing her face as she sat on the lush grass of the park. Except in the picture, the grass wasn't lush. In fact, nothing was vibrant in color except her. All the color drained out of everything the further it got from her, with most of the picture being strictly monochromatic.

"This painter seemed to have quite the theme in mind when producing this." There was a man commenting on the painting to a friend off to her right that she couldn't help but overhear.

"Hmm, yes I see what you mean. The quickly fading color seems to showcase the fact that the girl's life is devoid of color." The friend was commenting back. What they were saying definitely peaked her interest now.

"Ah yes, and I would dare say that it would mean that she is not horribly happy. Maybe not sad or in pain, but unfulfilled or lonely maybe?" At that, she stopped paying attention again.

'Am I lonely? Am I unfulfilled? Lonely… probably. But I did not feel that way when talking to Ruby, so how would she know? And I suppose I might feel a bit unfulfilled too.'

Weiss feels a twinge of sadness and pain at the thought of the truth. Then she notices something familiar about the painting. In the bottom right corner, there was a familiar symbol. A rosebud in full bloom, just like on the sculptures in the park.

'Could it be that Ruby Rose is the sculptor I have wanted to meet?! Her last name certainly does make sense considering the symbol she's put down onto all her works…'

Blake seemed to have noticed her change in attitude and gave her a curious look. She was worried about what this could mean, but she wouldn't let that worry show while out in public. Weiss, on the other hand, was sure that her expression had remained a constant mask of awe. That is until she noticed the rosebud. Now she just looked shocked.

"Let's go look at the other pieces of art and then head home White." Blake made an attempt to break through to her, and it worked.

"That sounds like a delightful plan Blake."

And so they spent the next few hours going through the pieces of work and admiring them. Although none held the skill of a certain red-headed girl that Weiss recalled meeting. And she wasn't just saying that because the painting held her in it, but because of the transition between styles. There was more than just one painting style, more than just two or three in fact. And yet despite all that, they all blended into each other in order to create a masterpiece.

Weiss was definitely not happy with this turn of events, in fact, she was quite livid that her life was going to be uprooted. And while she was upset with Ruby for putting the painting here, she was even more unhappy with herself for allowing this entire thing to happen in the first place. However, she was going to do her best to try and enjoy her evening with Blake.

It was just such a shame that it would probably lead her father right to her, and possibly ruin the life she had built up for herself. Weiss couldn't run either. If father caught even the smallest scent of her, she would be hunted and he would never stop. So it was best to just wait here and enjoy the life she has until it ended.

Eventually, Weiss and Blake went back to their separate homes. Supposedly they were both heading to bed to get a good night's sleep, but Weiss had other plans. If she only had a small amount of time left then she wanted to find out what she could about Ruby and hopefully be able to tell her how much it meant to meet her. Maybe she could even have the chance to do so in person.

Sadly, her search ended in vain. It looked like she wouldn't be able to do much, other than leaving a note in the usual place. And for all she knows, she wouldn't be around to see what happened next.

A/N:

So I'd just like to say that it's been a

pleasure to write this

and I'll enjoy continuing to do so!

And also I might've been a little

distracted this week by the release of

RWBY volume 6…

ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUBY!

WE LOVE YOU!

(Especially Weiss ;) )

Let me know what you

think of the chapter!