"Hey, so, Dad," Ruby leaned against the kitchen door frame, her fingers intertwined. She looked the picture perfect image of nervous little kid, but sometimes (and boy doesn't it break his heart just a little bit) she was the spitting image of Summer Rose. There was the stuff she didn't really do on purpose- the black hair, the grey eyes, how her mouth sets itself in the same straight line as Summer did when she got to concentrating. But there was the stuff she did- the hairdo, the red highlights, the boots. Tai, for a long while, hadn't known how to feel about that. Now, he decides that he's happy. He's very happy that Ruby Rose is who she is.
And right then, Ruby Rose was a shuffling, nervous wreck of his kid. Love, oh my love.
"Yeah, what's up kiddo," Tai replied as he scrubbed his plate with a sponge, getting it nice and soapy.
"I've kind of got like, a friend coming over tomorrow, if that's cool?" Ruby shrugged and gestured vaguely outward. Tai paused, then craned his neck to look at his daughter.
"You've got a friend coming over tomorrow," he repeated. Less disbelief and more coaxing, trying to get Ruby to rush over to the point. Ruby nodded.
"Yep, yeah. I invited a... friend. To our house. Tomorrow."
"Okay. That's fine with me. I guess," he rinsed the soapy plate, then dried his hands, wiping it off with a washcloth. "Is there something I should know about?"
"What? No. Nothing you should know about. We're just going to work on the history project that Oobleck assigned us," Ruby rolled her eyes at her dad, who remained wholly unconvinced. She had inherited his inability to lie. That much was obvious from when she was really young- she would break out in tears and confess anything that she and Yang had gotten up to, much to the chagrin of the older sister.
"Who is it?"
"Um," she tugged at the hem of her shirt and didn't meet her father's eyes. "It's the new transfer student. Weiss Schnee."
"Oh?" Taiyang leaned against the counter and eyed his youngest daughter. "Already made friends with the new transfer student huh? Good for you."
"We're not- I haven't made friends with her per se," Ruby shrugged.
"You don't like her?" Taiyang quirked his brow.
"No I like her, she's pretty cool," Ruby hummed in quiet contemplation before sighing. "Just- it's- don't worry about it, dad. She's just coming over tomorrow."
"Okay, well you do you, kiddo," Taiyang walked over to plant a kiss on his daughter's forehead. Ruby nodded to herself, brushing some hair behind her ear. She walked up to her room, mind wandering.
She did like Weiss. In a very abstract fashion. From the very start, the older girl had intrigued her. There was something more to her than the snooty rich girl persona everybody had already ascribed to her. Okay well, fair was fair, she did kind of enforce that idea, what with the public verbal lashing she gave Ruby not even a week ago, and her clothes and makeup and hair and sure it was a little unfair, but Weiss was pretty and that added to it. But she had seemed to calm down considerably. And Ruby was glad to have her as a friend, or acquaintance or project partner or whatever. She felt like, if she got to know Weiss, there would be something more than worthwhile in that relationship. Ruby was a prospective gold miner and Weiss was this one spot she swore up and down was full of the stuff. She didn't exactly know where this idea sprung from, but Ruby tended to trust her gut more often than not.
Ruby supposed that that was her rationale for her amazing blunder of an invitation for Weiss to come over. She could have smacked herself just thinking about it again. She interrupted Weiss, and she never did get back around to asking her what she was going to say. And just the stuttering, and floundering and it was a miracle against all miracles that Weiss said yes to it.
But that was exactly it. Weiss had said yes. Ruby didn't know why, but it was this great big pull, this insane gut feeling that she just had to follow up on. Like she had pricked herself on a flower, and the damned thing wouldn't stop bleeding no matter what Ruby did. Weiss was Ruby's theoretical hemophilia. Ruby frowned. She wasn't the best at analogies. But the sentiment was there nonetheless.
Besides, Weiss was also like, super pretty. Which, Ruby supposed wasn't supposed to matter much. But still.
Ruby stopped at the foot of her bed, then turned around to walk into Yang's room. The door was open, and Ruby stood at the threshold.
Yang's room was neat, it was always neat, and that was a little surprising to people, but Ruby knew Yang, and for how much she loved to make a mess, she hated keeping things a mess. Yang would always clean up her messes.
"Knock knock," she called out. Yang was lying down on her bed, using her phone. She put down her phone and sat up.
"What's up, Rubes?"
"Have you got a minute?"
Yang locked her phone and patted the space beside her. Ruby gladly got into bed, settling into her sister's side. She was as warm as always, a steadfast bulwark against the chill that always managed to seep its way into the house. Taiyang had told her before that Yang Xiao Long meant Sunny Little Dragon, and thinking about it now, Ruby couldn't believe that her dad was such a cheeseball. Though she was glad for it, always.
"What did you want to talk about?" Yang asked. Ruby bit her lip, then moved away to sit at the foot of the bed, cross legged.
"So you know how Weiss and I are like partners now," Ruby started, clearing her throat.
"For the project. Who could forget?" Yang giggled. "Ruby Rose and the Ice Queen, a pairing for the ages."
Ruby gaped at her. "Do people actually call her that?"
Yang smiled and shrugged. "Couple people I guess. Heard it around once or twice. Why? Is she giving you trouble? Is it time for big sister Yang to start laying a beatdown on a fool?"
"What?"
"You know I'm always ready to open up a can of whoop-ass on whichever sucka needs it."
"Yang, no."
"Bonesaw is ready, Ruby. 'sall I'm saying."
Ruby laughed, throwing her head back. "Oh my god, shut up Yang."
Once Ruby had recovered from her laughing fit, she took a moment to take it in. She and Yang had been through everything together, and Ruby wouldn't pass up the opportunity to be grateful for her older sister. Even though their mom was gone, it was the nicest thing to know that their family was still strong together.
"I think she's kind of cool," Ruby said, after a small moment's pause. She started to fidget again with the hem of her skirt.
"Even after she blew up at you?" Yang tilted her head in question.
"Yes, even after she blew up at me," Ruby shrugged and smiled. "There's just something about her, I guess. I think she's cool. I want to get to know her more."
Yang rested her chin in her hands. "Awfully positive take from someone whose interactions with her have been terrible at worst and cordial at best."
Ruby blew at a raspberry at Yang. "We met up just now, after my shop class. To talk about the history project."
"Ooh," Yang waggled her eyebrows. "And?"
Ruby reached over to shove the blonde. "And nothing. She was kind of nice, and it was kind of cool. So I invited her over tomorrow to do more on the history project."
"Ooh la la, someone's got a friend crush," Yang giggled, then gasped. "Or is it a crush-crush!"
"Uh. No," Ruby shook her head with a quizzical look. "Friend crush. I think. That sounds kind of right."
Yang hummed, studying her younger sister. Then she shrugged. "Okay then. If you say so, Rubes."
"I do say so. Anyway, shouldn't you be getting started on the project with Blake too?"
Yang smiled at the mere mention of the other girl's name. Ruby almost rolled her eyes.
"Agh, yeah I guess so," Yang shrugged, then got her phone out. "Guess I should at least ask her about it."
Ruby took that as her cue to exit, closing the door behind her as she stepped into her own room. She paused at the window, looking out at the dusk. The orange-yellow, purple sunset was all encompassing: brilliant vibrant hues even as the gloomy grey skies threatened to overtake it. Ruby brushed some hair from her face, watching the snowflakes drift down onto the street. She reached over into her desk and pulled out a sketchbook, and she started drawing.
She wouldn't notice until later that some of her sketches looked a little bit like Weiss.
Morning came quick, and Ruby felt like she was already stepping into school before she even woke up. It was like she'd been transported from her bed straight into homeroom. Blake greeted her and Yang sleepily, and it actually felt great to share that same dead-eyed, lethargic energy with someone else. Yang meanwhile, flicked both of their foreheads.
"It's Friday. Shake it off," she told them blithely. Ruby weakly swatted her away as she stifled a yawn.
Then Weiss walked into the class, and all the edges of sleep melted away from Ruby almost instantly. She took a small, sharp breath in her nose. She sat up a little straighter. Weiss turned and locked eyes with her. She looked a little more alive as soon as she did. Ruby smiled at her as she walked towards her.
"Don't forget to text me your address," Weiss said as she stopped next to her desk. Ruby turned her body slightly to face Weiss. "I'll come by as soon as my last class is finished."
"I won't forget. Promise," Ruby replied. Weiss nodded once, turned, then nodded to herself again as she walked away. Ruby watched her as she got to her own desk, seated next to Pyrrha.
"Wow, so you're really going through with it, Ruby?" Blake quirked her brow at her. Ruby shrugged.
"Yeah. We need to work on the project, so…" she trailed off. Blake looked at her, then briefly looked towards Weiss.
"Just be careful," she murmured, low under her breath. Ruby caught the slightest twitch under her bow. "You do know who the Schnees are right?"
"Oh," Ruby blanched. "The Schnees are someone?"
She supposed that thought should have occurred to her sooner. After all, she knew Weiss was all big time, and rich and stuff. Stands to reason that maybe she really was famous. Like famous, but not super famous. Ruby hadn't really investigated much into Weiss social media presence, if she had any at all. All she had to go by was Weiss' behaviour and personality. So far, Ruby was more than content to know her just based on that.
But with that serious look in Blake's eyes, Ruby felt a little apprehensive. Was there something she ought to have known about Weiss Schnee? Was her family like some sort of famous family? A reality TV show family? Or some sort of politician family?
"Schnee. As in, Schnee Dust Company. The coal and oil mining company that provides fuel for billions of homes around the world? Whose business is built on the backs of underpaid, overworked faunus employees. Weiss Schnee is the second in line to succeed that throne. The heiress to a fortune of blood money," she hissed that last part with venom. Ruby gaped at her. Yang pursed her lips and crossed her arms in quiet contemplation.
"Oh. I didn't…" Ruby trailed off again. Blake shook her head and sighed.
"I'm not telling you to not give her a shot. After all, the family you have isn't the one you choose. All she's guilty of so far is being born into a rich and powerful one. But just… be careful, okay?" Blake reached over to place a hand over Ruby's. "Anyway, I'm going to be over at your guys' place tonight too, so I promise I'll give her the benefit of the doubt."
Ruby nodded mutely, then withdrew into herself. Yang squeezed her shoulder. Ruby saw her other hand slide into Blake's, though they didn't look at each other.
Ruby thought a lot about what Blake said throughout the day. As she sidled into shop class and settled into her seat, she just thumbed over her newest sculpture, deep in her thoughts.
Schnee Dust Company. Weiss Schnee. Rich and powerful and now in Beacon Academy. Terrible and malevolent and exploitative. A fortune at the expense of those less fortunate.
Ruby put aside the half-formed rose, stuffing it into her drawer. She got her sketchbook out. Snowflakes. That was the majority of what she'd been sketching the night before. She took out her pencil and started marking a new block of wood out.
Weiss wasn't the Schnee Dust Company. Weiss was kind of stuffy and irritated. Weiss was genuine, sometimes. Weiss was a sharp mystery, a dark path in a garden that she was heading into.
You didn't get to choose your family. Ruby knew that much.
She started carving out the first outlines of the snowflake.