Ruby sat at the workbench in her room, fiddling with a small object. Yesterday, she had signed her contract and had been formally employed by the Schnee Dust Company. Ruby, with the help of several of her new boss's Atlesian Knights, had spent most of the day ferrying things from her small home on the outskirts of the city of Atlas to the Schnee Manor and setting up shop in her new bedroom.
Now, it was getting late. The sky was just beginning to darken outside of the large window that dominated the far wall of the luxurious bedroom. Checking her watch, the ex-huntress saw that it was just about dinnertime. Deciding that the device she was tinkering with, which appeared to be a silver wristwatch, was complete, she opted to take it with her. She stood from her workbench, and walked over to the door to the hallway, slipping on a pair of comfortable tennis shoes on her way out. She was dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a loose fitting T-shirt, as well as her old jacket she had received upon graduating Beacon. The black leather hung comfortably on her shoulders, and she could feel the Beacon Emblem on her right bicep, and her own symbol above her left breast.
It seems she had timed her exit perfectly, as just a few seconds after Ruby left her room, her employer left hers. Ruby's eyebrows raised at the sight before her. Weiss Schnee was dressed in a formal looking outfit consisting of a short blue dress and a white bolero. Her long legs were accented by a pair of high heels, and her hair was done up in that odd sideways ponytail she always seemed to wear.
'Dust, she looks like she's on her way to a press conference, not dinner in her home,' Ruby thought, confused. "Um, are we having guests?" she asked.
Weiss gave her bodyguard a critical look. "Not that I am aware of, Miss Rose," she said shortly, before starting off down the hall.
Ruby was a bit off-put by her employer's dismissal, but but quickly matched her stride, walking down the long blue hallways towards the dining hall. "I hope I'm not, er, underdressed or anything," Ruby worries. She had never been particularly good at social interaction, doubly so when it came to high-classers like the woman next to her. She had hoped they could be more casual alone in the manor, but it seems her boss had other ideas.
Tone not inviting further conversation, Weiss said, "Wear what you like."
'Damn thats cold,' Ruby thought, feeling almost physically chilled. Deciding that pursuing further conversation wasn't worth it, she said simply, "Whatever you say, Miss Schnee."
They walked in an uncomfortable silence for the rest of the way, with the CEO forcing herself to maintain her same perfect posture and aloof attitude, while Ruby was a bit uncomfortable, not used to this kind of atmosphere, especially when not on the job. A few times as they walked along, Ruby opened her mouth to say something, anything, to break the silence, but ended up deciding against it.
The dining hall was massive, easily bigger than Ruby's previous home, and was dominated by a long, dark oak table populated with enough chairs to seat at least twenty people on a single side. Even so, only a pair of places were set: one at the head of the table, and one to it's immediate right. Weiss moved and sat herself down at the head, so Ruby moved to the remaining place.
Almost immediately, a man came from one of the several doors in the large room (the kitchen, if Ruby was remembering her brief tour of the mansion right), bearing a pair of bowls on a tray, along with a bottle of Cabernet and a pair of glasses. The man appeared to be older, perhaps in his mid-fifties, and expertly served the two women.
The meal appeared to be some sort of beef stew, and it smelled wonderful. For the first time since meeting her, Ruby saw her employer give a small, honest smile to the man, and Weiss said, "Thank you, Calvin."
The cleanly shaven cook smiled as well, saying with a subtle atlesian accent, "Ah, it is no problem," a spark of concern showed through his eyes briefly as he said, "Though, please do try and finish your meal. You need to eat, Miss Weiss."
This time, Weiss's smile didn't reach her eyes as she said, "I appreciate your concern, that will be all." The man nodded, knowing when he was dismissed, before he glanced at Ruby briefly, and left the table, not wanting to agitate his boss further.
All this Ruby watched quietly, observing the interaction with interest. Calvin was the first real person she had seen other than Weiss in the mansion, and he seemed genuinely concerned for his boss's health. Seeing he was leaving, she spoke up, "Excuse me, um, Calvin?"
He stopped, turning around. Weiss quirked her eyebrow as the bodyguard picked up her empty wine glass. "Could I have something non-alcoholic? I'm trying to avoid the stuff."
Smiling kindly, the man nodded once, saying, "Of course, Miss Rose," before walking back to the kitchen. After a moment or two, the chef returned, pitcher of water in his hand, and filled Ruby's glass. She thanked him, and the room fell into silence as he left.
Awkwardly, she went to her meal. Her eyebrows raised at the sheer number of cutlery before her. A small arsenal of knives, forks, and spoons surrounded her bowl. 'Why the hell would they put out knives when we're having soup?!' she wondered. At a loss, she cleared her throat, gaining the attention of her boss. Weiss halted with her spoon hovering halfway between her bowl and mouth, a single white eyebrow arched. Then Ruby motioned to her place setting and said, "I'm going to be honest here, fancy meals were a bit above my paygrade before, so, uh, what spoon am I supposed to use for this?"
Weiss's spoon went back into her bowl, silently mourning the delicious looking bite she almost had gotten to enjoy if not for the interruption from her, 'Let's say...uncultured...' bodyguard. She sighed, and made like she was about to berate the poor woman, frustrated as she is, before an image flashed through her mind. It was of the previous head of her company, her own father, who was legendary for his temper and tendency to overreact. She remembered vividly the dinners they had held for larger events
Stuffy and uncomfortable. They were necessary in the business environment, but doubly as unpleasant at home, where her father insisted they adhere to the same rules and regulations. She always found dinners at home rather stifling.
A small spark of rebellion, the same spark that drove her to tie her hair up crooked, began to burn and instead of berating her new bodyguard, she simply said, "Use whatever you like, I do not care."
Ruby was, of course, not privy to the inner machinations of her boss's mind, and only comprehended a brief pause followed by what seemed like a brush-off answer. She shrugged and said, "You're the boss," before scooping up a random spoon and beginning to eat the expensive meal. She almost purred in delight as the savoury stew poured across her tongue, lighting up her taste buds in that satisfying way she found only well-prepared beef could. Almost without meaning to, the redhead praised, "Wow, this stuff is amazing! I could get used to this."
Cold blue eyes slid over to the other occupant of the dining hall, studying her. "Yes, it is good," was all she had to say before returning to her meal.
Silence fell.
Awkwardly, Ruby resumed eating. Over the course of dinner, she would glance over at her boss, but the frosty woman continued to ignore her, only ever speaking when spoken to, and even then in short, one-word answers that didn't invite conversation. Eventually, Ruby gave up and focused on eating.
Weiss struggled to enjoy her food, finding the presence of the younger woman distracting. She wasn't unpleasant per say, but not pleasant either. Some part of her found the fact that another human being was sharing a meal with her in - relative - comfort to be refreshing, but another, louder part of herself longed for the calm that came with being alone. With Ruby here, there was an odd sort of anxiety that weighed on her. Formal events, she could handle, but Ruby Rose was a different animal all together. An unknown variable. She shifted in her seat, her feet aching from being in heels the entire day, and her dress seemed to weigh on her shoulders. Usually, at this point in the day when she was back in the manor and alone but for the skeleton crew of a staff she had and the atlesian knights that served as security, she would usually dress in something more comfortable and take this time to relax and unwind from her day.
Having another person here meant she had to keep up her appearance, which only added to her frustration. Still, though, she tempered that frustration. She promised Winter she would give this an honest try, and if nothing else she was a woman of her word.
Ruby, likewise, was struggling. The air as they ate quietly seemed thick and formal, and she longed for her home. Not her previous house, no, but the home that she no longer could return to. Unbidden, memories floated through her mind of the home her team once had lived in. She missed easy meals between missions. She missed laughing as she and her sister cooked food. She missed the three of them sitting down in the living room with a bowl of spaghetti in each of their hands, watching some cheesy movie as they ate.
She missed Yang.
She missed her team.
She missed her family.
She missed…
Her scar ached, and she rolled her shoulder to relieve the stiffness. It didn't help.
Only when her spoon clanked against the ceramic bottom of her bowl did Ruby realise she had finished eating. She set the utensil down and shoved her emotions back deep down below the surface of her mind.
Weiss, also finished, stood up and without further ado began to walk out of the dining hall.
Then, something clicked in the personal assistant's head, and she quickly stood and caught up with her employer. "Miss Schnee!" she called out, halting the woman.
She tried, oh she tried to not be annoyed, but all the CEO wanted to do was go to her room so she could finally just relax. Only barely restraining from snapping at her new employee, she all but hissed, "What do you want?"
"Here," Ruby began, pulling the item she had been working on before dinner out of her pocket and holding it out, "I made you this."
Weiss took the silver, analog wristwatch from the redhead, looking at it curiously. The entirety of the band was made of polished silver, and the face of the watch was a light blue, highlighted by black tick marks and hands to actually tell the time. "You don't need to give me any kind of gift, you know," she said, unsure how to react.
Ruby shook her head, a small smile working its way onto her face at the chance to talk shop, "It's not just a gift, though it is a nice watch, if I do say so myself. It's also for work."
"What do you mean?"
"As your bodyguard, I want you to try and wear this at all times, outside of the manor," Ruby explained.
Her rebellious side prickled at that "Why is that?" she asked suspiciously.
"In case of emergencies," the huntress began, demonstrating what she was saying by miming the motions over the watch, "If, for any reason, you need me and I'm not with you, you can click in the dial here twice, then twist the frame of the face 360 degrees, and it will vibrate quietly. Do it now, to see." Weiss did as her bodyguard said, and the watch rumbled silently in the CEO's hands. Then, an urgent sounding beeping emitted from Ruby's pocket, and the ex-huntress smiled, satisfied that her device worked. "It's like a kind of panic button. You do that, and it activates a tracker in the watch, and alerts me that you're in danger. Cool, huh?"
Weiss was impressed. She hadn't expected the outwardly flippant woman would go the second mile like that. "You don't start work until tomorrow, you didn't have to do this."
Ruby waved her hand dismissively, saying, "Nah, I know I'm not the picture of a professional, but I don't do things halfway. You can thank Professor Goodwitch for that." Then, she grinned, "Plus, I always enjoy making things. Also, I made sure it matches your style." She tapped the silver, just a bit proud of herself.
"Well then," the white-haired woman said, quietly impressed, "I suppose I should thank you. Is that all?"
"Yeah, I think so," Ruby responded.
The Schnee nodded, saying "Goodnight," before continuing on her way, wristwatch in hand.
'Well, that went about as well as expected,' Ruby thought, allowing herself to smile. She made her way back to her own bedroom, watching her boss's ponytail sway behind her, and listening to the clack of her heels on the tile that the house seemed to be covered in.
Soon enough, Weiss walked into her bedroom, and Ruby watched the door close, mild curiosity leading her to wonder why her boss had made such a point to forbid Ruby from entering her room. Dismissing it as nothing terribly important, Ruby went to her own room, looking to clean her pistol and maybe touch up her favourite knife, before settling down for an early rest.
One more day before her first day on the job would begin.
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Ruby awoke, several hours later, a pair of golden irises hovering in front of her eyes. She flung herself from the bed, the sheets tangling around her feet as she stood up, Rosebud already swiped up from her place on Ruby's nightstand.
Sweat clung to her forehead, spilling into her eyes as they frantically searched around the dark room. 'Something is wrong,' she thought. The smell in the air wasn't that of her bedroom, the carpet beneath her feet was too soft to be hers, and the air was too cold. She was in unfamiliar territory.
Every muscle in her body tensed. She closed her eyes, as they were useless in the lightless environment. He ears strained, listening in the room for anything - anything - that sounded like a threat. After a moment, when all she heard was the quiet thrumming of an air conditioner, the adrenaline began to leave her bloodstream, and her bowstring-tight muscles relaxed as her facilities came back to her.
Her right hand, holding Rosebud, lowered. 'Oh, right, Schnee stuff…' she thought, wiping the sweat from her face with a groan. She had completely forgot that she had moved into the manor in the rush of adrenaline. It had been a while since she had a truly restful sleep, but nothing like this had happened in a long time. She clicked the safety on her pistol, and set it back down on the nightstand.
After swapping out her tank top for one decidedly less sweaty and moving the covers from the floor back onto the bed, she attempted to fall back asleep. Almost an hour later, she succeeded, slipping into unconsciousness. She would not wake until morning.
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This time, the bodyguard was roused by the sun spilling through the curtains on the massive window in her room. Despite having her sleep interrupted, and what sleep she got being fairly restless, Ruby shrugged her grogginess off easily enough. She had done much more difficult things than eat breakfast and familiarize herself with her new living space on much less sleep.
Going through her usual daily ritual of brushing her teeth, getting dressed (opting to leave the sweatpants she slept in on), throwing on her Huntsman's Jacket, and strapping one of her several holsters to her hip with Rosebud secured there, she stepped into a pair of slippers and out into the hallway. She patted her hand against the textured grip of her favourite sidearm (though not her favourite weapon) and it brought a bit of comfort to her. 'Never leave home without it,' she mimicked the tone of an infomercial in her head, almost laughing at her own dumb joke.
She walked the path she knew led to the kitchen, tapping a beat on the grip of her sidearm, entirely unaware of how bizarre it was for someone to be walking through a house - massive or not, the manor was still a house - wearing both sweatpants and slippers, as well as a holster with a loaded weapon. She whistled along with the beat, a cheery tune, the likes of which this house had not heard in decades. 'Carry on my wayward son...there'll be peace when you are done…' she thought along with her tune.
After a time, she passed though the foyer, once more marvelling at the sheer scale of it. She spent a moment wondering about that giant suit of scarred armor, before the rumbling in her belly brought her mind back to more urgent matters, and she continued on her way.
The manor was almost eerily quiet the whole walk through. The only sound she could hear other than her own humming and whistling was the air rushing through the vents and the muffled tapping of her feet on the carpet. She wondered how Weiss had lived in this place for so long.
When she arrived in the dining hall, she found it empty, save for the quiet noise of a faucet in the kitchen. She checked her watch, noting the time was nine AM. She continued staring at the watch, a memory taking her attention.
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Tears filled the man's blue eyes as he gazed upon his daughter, the little girl he had watched grow into a fine woman. They were almost equal in height now, and she grinned wildly. They were celebrating his daughters' team's graduation from Beacon Academy, and he had pulled her aside. Choking on his own emotions, he croaked out, "You're mother would have been so proud."
And she would have, and he was too, Ruby could see it in his eyes. She could see the way his eyes lingered on the 'Huntress' patch on her chest,where she wore her rank with pride. "I know, dad...She would have been proud of you, too."
At that, Taiyang chuckled, even through his tears. He sniffed and said, "I got you something."
He held out a small box, which the newly-minted huntress looked at curiously. Taking it, she slipped the lid off. Her eyes widening at the object. It was a digital wristwatch. It was made of a kind of black metal with red highlights around the face, and managed to be low profile while still looking like it was built like a tank. It felt heavy in her hands, and she grinned.
"I saw this a while ago, and thought of you," the father began, "I know you like your gear weighty, so I thought you'd appreciate this."
She smiled, touched, "I love it, Dad."
He leaned forward, cupping her cheeks in his hands, the same way he did when she was just a child, and smiled that odd sad-happy smile that only a parent could smile. He looked into her silver eyes, the same ones her mother had once upon a time, and said, "I love you, my little rosebud. You make me so proud." He leaned in, and laid a gentle kiss on his daughter's forehead.
Ruby smiled, bright and happy, and rested her left hand easily against his on her cheek, and said, "I know, I love you too, Dad."
Before anything else could be said a third voice, this one from the living room of the main house, cried out, "Dad! Ruby! Come on already, this food smells delicious!"
Then, another, smoother female voice rang out, "You two better hurry, Yang might not leave any wings for you."
Spell broken somewhat, Tai laughed, "That's quite the team you have there, Rubes."
A fond smile spread across her face, "Yeah, I know. We're gonna do great things, dad, I just know it."
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Ruby shook her head, finding tears beginning to rise up behind her eyes. She bit back the bitter nostalgia, her weakness, and refused to let a single tear fall. It had been four years since then, and she hadn't thought about that day in forever. She let the bittersweet memory leave her mind and moved on to the kitchen.
Inside, she found an older man at a sink, scrubbing at a pan. She recognized him from dinner the previous day. 'Gah, what was his name? I remember it had something to do with underwear…' at a loss, and frustrated with her horrid ability to memorize most names, she cleared her throat to catch the man's attention.
He turned from the sink, locking eyes with the huntress, confused at first, then a polite smile grew on his face. He set the pan down before addressing the new bodyguard, "Hello, Miss Rose. What may I do for you?"
He was an older man, Ruby derived that from his moderately wrinkled skin and greying hair, though she wouldn't exactly call him elderly, yet. 'Oh, Calvin! That's what it was!' "I'd just like to know where the breakfast food is. Maybe some coffee, too."
"Ah, well I could make just about anything you want me to! Any requests?" he asked, his hands folded politely in front of him.
"Just coffee and whatever We-er, miss Schnee had," Ruby asked a little sheepishly.
He chuckled at her little vocal misstep, and said, "Omelette it is then," before going about setting up one of the many stoves in the huge kitchen. "Have a seat, ma'am," he said as he motioned towards a chair near the door.
She sat down, and watched as the cook began to make her food. Figuring he could give her a bit of information, she asked, "So, who else works here?"
He frowned at that, saying, "There used to be a small army here at the manor when the whole family was in residence. Now, I'm afraid it is just you, me, miss Schnee, and the cleaning service she has hired to come through while she is at work."
Well, that was odd. Ruby's curiosity - which had managed to avoid withering up and dying as she got older - perked up, and she asked, "I noticed that there wasn't much staff, but can I ask why?"
He sighed an odd sort of sigh, one that wasn't really sad or nostalgic, but not happy either. "Like I said, when the whole family resided here, Jacques, Miss Weiss's father, made a point to keep the manor immaculate. He enjoyed showing his money off, thus," he motioned vaguely around the absurdly large kitchen, "all of this. When miss Weiss took over the estate and company, well, she wasn't like her father in that regard. Most of the security and labor forces were replaced by the robots you see dispersed around, and everyone else who was in excess was let off."
Ruby's brows furrowed. She didn't even notice the hissing of egg meeting heated butter on the pan. "She just...fired them?"
He clicked his tongue, "Not exactly. She went out of her way to ensure that they all received healthy pensions. Unlike her father, miss Weiss rarely spends her money on extravagant things, and had accumulated quite the wealth in the short time she had been CEO before all this happened. She made sure they would be well funded for long enough that they could secure a new job."
"Ah," Ruby said, her sense of justice satisfied in knowing that the workers weren't just thrown to the wayside.
Calvin went on, however, not withholding any details, "Like that, she let off almost the entire mansion's staff. The few that remained would end up leaving for various reasons over time," his voice gained a sad sort of inflection, "Now, all that is left is me, and you."
The omelette was slid onto a plate for the huntress, and that plate slid onto a tray along with a few slices of toast that Ruby hadn't noticed the man make. Calvin then moved on to begin making her coffee. The kitchen was silent for a time, before Calvin spoke up once more, his voice gentle, the kind of voice you'd expect from a grandparent of some sort, "Miss Weiss is not a simple person, Miss Rose, and seeing as how you walked into my kitchen with a gun strapped to your sweatpants, I don't think you are either. She finds adapting to new situations and people...difficult. How do you take your coffee?"
Thrown off by the sudden question, Ruby took a moment to respond, "Uh, with cream. Add a bit more sugar that you would in a normal cup."
He nodded, and continued on with his speech even as he fixed her coffee, "I know she may seem distant now, but please, I ask you, be patient with her. She truly does desire to be a good person, and you will come to know that in time."
A bit of Ruby bristled at that. She had learned long ago that there was no truly good or bad people. It was not an easy lesson, but she had learned it. Still though, she let Calvin continue.
"My wife, she is not in perfect health," that got Ruby's attention, "I do not know how much longer I can stay here, so you may be the one who has to stand by Miss Weiss's side. Be kind to her, and help her. Be there for her, that is all I ask. Will you do that for me, Miss Rose?" He paused what he was doing, giving her a meaningful look.
Ruby was not expecting anything like this when she woke up this morning. Still though, she could hear the concern in his voice, and was touched. She stood from her seat, and walked over to meet him. He set her coffee cup on the tray, and met her gaze with his own. The huntress then said, "Don't worry, Calvin, I will. You can call me Ruby."
He smiled, a weight seeming to lift from his old shoulders, and said, "Thank you, Miss Ruby" his demeanor quickly changed back to cheery, and he exclaimed, "Now! Off you go, you must eat before the food grows cold!" He shoved the small tray into her hands, and shooed her into the dining room.
She allowed a small grin to play over her features, happy that she had at least made one friend here. She always did have trouble with making friends, especially when she was younger. Even if her one friend in Atlas did appear older than her own father, 'That's one friend. Boss-lady still won't use my first name, but oh well. Calvin said she would open up eventually, so I guess there's still hope. Now, though, definitely not a friend.'
She began to dig into her delicious food, her stomach rumbling in a pleased manner as her taste buds lit up at what was definitely the best thing she had tasted since she moved to Atlas months ago, or at least a close second if last night's meal was considered. All while she enjoyed her omelette, she occupied her mind with thoughts of friends. 'Well, if last night was anything to go by, Weiss really doesn't like me yet. Hell, Weiss may even count as a negative friend. Is that a thing? Negative friends? That would make my friend-coun equal zero.' She thought for a few more seconds, before taking a swig from her mug and deciding, 'Nah.'
The thoughts distracted her, kept her from thinking about the heavier, darker things that lurked in her psyche. She had found that it worked infinitely better than any kind of liquor she could find. After she had finished with her meal, she decided she would do a bit of exploring. After a few minutes wandering aimlessly around the white and blue hallways and occupying her mind with little, inconsequential thoughts, she passed by the area she remembered as the study, just a few doors down from where their bedrooms were. Out of curiosity, she knocked on the door.
From inside, a voice she recognized as her new employer asked, "Yes?"
Her mind flashed back to her previous conversation with the house cook, and decided that maybe getting in a little bit more time with her new housemate/employer could be a good idea. "May I come in?" she asked back.
An obviously annoyed voice answered back, "You may."
Ruby pushed open the unexpectedly heavy door, and stepped into the study. Even after having visited the study a few days prior, during their first meeting, Ruby still marveled at just how different this room was from every other one in the mansion. The decor was decidedly darker than anywhere else. Most of the room was made of dark brown oak wood, from the bookshelves that lined the two side walls and were stuffed full of books, maps, and small statuettes, to the hardwood floors. The desk at the end of the long room was also dark wood, and immediately behind it on the wall sat two picture frames, both bearing exquisitely painted pictures of the Atlas coast. Oddly enough, Ruby noticed that there was an area between them on the wall that was ever so slightly lighter that the wall around it. 'Huh, looks like someone took a picture down. Wonder why.' Ruby walked along the blue rug on the floor, which ran the length of the room, passing a small sitting area consisting of a couch and two lounge chairs, with a coffee table between them on her way. On that coffee table sat an old chessboard. 'Always liked chess. Maybe when Weiss opens up a bit, if she ever does, I could talk her into playing a game with me.'
She made her way up to the desk, where her charge sat scrawling something or another on a sheet of paper. Once Ruby halted in front of the desk though, the frosty woman set down her pen and gave Ruby her attention, "Is there something you needed?"
Ruby shook her head, "No real reason, I was just walking around the manor, and got curious." She made a small show of glancing around the place. It was cozier than any other part of the house, but at the same time, held a certain chill that the rest of the manor didn't.
"Oh," Weiss blinked, finding the idea of someone doing something without any actual purpose or motivation a bit odd, "Well, alright then."
After a beat of silence, the ex-huntress spoke up, "It's odd how this room is so different from all the other ones."
Deciding that she may as well humor her, Weiss asked, "How so?"
Ruby shrugged, "The colors, I guess. The rest of the house is mostly either white, or light blue. In here, it's, well, not."
Weiss glanced around the study as if seeing it for the first time. She had seen this room so many times growing up (mostly for either scoldings, orders, or, rarely, a game of chess), that she had never really even noticed it. "I see what you mean," she said. After a moment, she elaborated, "My grandfather built the house initially, but my father expanded it greatly when he became CEO. This was one of the rooms he had built. "
Ruby chuckled at that, saying, "I guess some change in color was a good idea. Looking at that much white for that long is bound to give anyone a headache. Then again, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Jacques, like, dye his hair white?"
"I think he did, actually," Weiss said. Trying to be polite was beginning to grate on her nerves, however, and she was busy. Still, though, she pushed on, saying simply, "Sadly, though, the atmosphere doesn't do very much when the headaches come from paperwork."
"Ha! Yeah, I know how that feels. After-action reports were...ah, were very frustrating to deal with," her cheeks heated a bit after almost cursing in front of someone who was technically her superior.
"Hm, I'm sure they were," Weiss said simply, trying to stay somewhat nice while still dissuading any further conversation.
Not having a response to that, Ruby felt the conversation die off, and began to feel awkward. "Well, nice speaking to you, Miss Schnee, I'll leave you to whatever you were doing."
"Thank you, that would be nice," Weiss said, trying to keep her voice as polite as possible.
Ruby began to leave, walking back towards the door, when something caught her attention. On the coffee table was that same chessboard that she had noticed earlier, but her eyes locked on a single piece. A white knight stood discarded on the side of the board, lying helplessly on its side.
'How about a cute little pony!'
The memory rang out, unbidden, and in a voice entirely not hers. Her feet ground to a halt there, and her vision tunneled onto that one single chess piece. A wave of emotion hit her all at once, the likes of which she hadn't felt in months. The unwanted memory dug deep, and drug up everything from her previous life, the life she lost, like it was a fresh wound.
Her scar ached.
"Is there something else?" Weiss asked, not glancing up from her paperwork.
Ruby felt like she had been hit in the chest by and ursa, and her throat felt like she had been hung. "No, nothing," she said, forcing her voice level, before rushing out of the room without another word.
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A/N
Buenos dias, cockbites, guess who's back.
Jokes aside, I have resurrected this story from the limbo that is 'hiatus', and have gotten back into my writing groove. Hopefully, the updates will come out in a vaguely regular schedule, but no promises. I have a very busy life (one which, very pointedly, does not know about my writing hobby), so finding time to write is difficult.
Enough excuses, though! I have rediscovered my muse for this story, and it is back! I couldn't leave it for too long, after all. I have WAY too much planned for this story to hang it out to dry, and let me tell you, it will be full of homosexual undertones! And gunfire, too. And don't forget the plot!
Seriously though, I am back, and the next chapter will be out as soon as humanly possible.
Until then, this is the Order, signing off.
-Order
Update (7/1/18): Grammar and phrasing changes.