The Next Morning

The day started off like any other for Ruby Rose.

That was a boldfaced lie.

The day started off rather strangely for Ruby Rose, who awoke with a gasp, eyes darting around her environment panickedly. After a moment, her mind caught up with her body and remembered where she was and why she was awake at Seven A.M., and calmed down.

Today was her first day on the job.

After she drug herself out of the criminally comfortable (if glaringly white) bed, she set about getting ready for her day.

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The day started off like any other for Weiss Schnee.

No, really.

Okay, that was another bold faced lie.

Weiss awoke from a sleep almost as tired as when she had laid down. Her mind wavered, almost falling back into the turmoil she had been consumed by last night, but she remembered, 'today, there is work to be done.' This successfully grounded her in the moment, though it had the side effect of causing a small headache to form behind her eyes.

While she did enjoy that working occupied her mind and kept that damn cold yearning (that still perplexed her) at bay, she didn't find the menial day-to-day paperwork pleasant. In fact, she rather loathed it, but accepted it a necessary for her mental health.

Hopefully, her new assistant would help to lessen the load.

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After they had both prepared for the day and ate a good breakfast consisting of eggs and sausage, courtesy of Ruby's cooking skills and Weiss's surplus of food, they both walked out of the massive front doors of the manor. They descended the short few steps towards the driveway and the limousine that waited there.

Weiss wore a light blue dress with a white jacket thrown over it. It was held together in the front by a single black button, and those with keen eyes could see a flash of red that lined the inside of the coat. Ruby noticed this, and let a small smirk tug her lips, amused at the break in color scheme.

The huntress herself wore the same two-piece suit Weiss had given her on the day she signed her contract. It consisted of a pair of long black pants that were lightweight and flexible, along with an equally dark suit jacket that she opted to leave open. Beneath the jacket, she wore a dark red button-down shirt with a solid black tie hanging down the front. On the left side of the jacket was a steel pin bearing her name, the Schnee Symbol, and the phrase 'Personal Assistant and Security Detail to Weiss Schnee' in small print underneath her name. The clothes were soft and smooth, and flexible in all the right places. Ruby could tell they were expensive, and were very comfortable to wear (and it was a feat making formal dress feel comfortable to Ruby), but the real comfort to the redhead was the familiar weight of Rosebud resting in the shoulder holster beneath Ruby's left arm and her knife tucked inside of her right shoe.

Speaking of shoes, therein lied the one discrepancy in Ruby's dress that she refused to compromise on.

As they both stepped onto the pavement from the stairs, Weiss cringed as she asked, for the third time that morning, "And you insist on wearing combat boots?"

And for the fourth time that morning, Ruby looked her boss in the eye and said, "Yes, Miss Schnee. Dress shoes would be pretty useless if I actually had to guard your body. Seeing as how you hired me to be a bodyguard, I think this is a compromise."

The businesswoman sighed, annoyed but accepting. She started walking towards the vehicle and said, "Alright, well, I suppose I can live with that. Come on." She then thought, 'I suppose that with her having been a huntress, she can be afforded a few eccentricities.'

Wordlessly, the redhead followed her boss into the car. They climbed into the back seat of the limousine, and after a moment, they were on their way. It was a thirty minute drive to the SDC Building, as the manor was on the outskirts of the city and the headquarters was downtown, so Weiss decided that she should probably brief her newest employee on the way. "Miss Rose," she began, looking away from the window and towards her Personal Assistant.

Her eyebrows rose as she saw the other woman wholeheartedly paying attention to running her own hand over the plush seat she was sitting on. As if startled, the woman's silver eyes snapped up to meet Weiss's and an embarrassed chuckle rose from her lips. "Sorry, yes?"

Weiss let that hang in the air for a moment, gears turning in her head. She couldn't help but think of Ruby's fascination with the soft seats as strangely...innocent for the former warrior. Something in her that she wouldn't have recognized if not for the previous night shifted at that, but she very quickly stamped down on it, telling herself, 'No, this is your employee. She is not, and will not be, your friend. Be professional.' She cleared her throat, and began to explain, "Yes, well, once we arrive at the company building, I will show you the way to my office. I had some people move a secondary desk into the room for you, and that will be your normal workstation."

Ruby nodded along, listening intently.

"I will show you a few important areas on the way there, and then we will get to work. At four o'clock, I have arranged for you to meet with my head of security, Clara Herder, and she will give you a more comprehensive tour of the premises then. Any questions?" she asked. As she spoke, Ruby's eyes never moved from hers, the gunmetal grey absorbing her every word. It was interesting to see how quickly she could shift on a dime between carefree and business, and Weiss was curious to see how this would affect her work.

A polite smile graced Ruby's lips, and she said, "Just one, if I have any concerns about something security related, should I tell you or Miss Herder?"

Weiss waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, just go ahead and tell me. That goes for if you ever need anything either, I have more than enough funds to cover any business-related expenses you have, and a few non-business ones too if it is important."

Slowly, the sounds of the suburbs were beginning to be replaced with the noise of the city. Ruby nodded and said, "I'll remember that." With that, they fell into silence. Weiss busied herself by pulling out her scroll, going over a few recent updates about the state of affairs in Atlas, while Ruby was content with simply listening to the rumble of the engine.

Soon enough, the shadow of the Schnee Dust Company loomed over the two of them.

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The lobby of the building was a wide, opulent place. The tile floors were white and polished to be almost mirror like, and the wall were a more opaque white. At intervals of a few feet down the length of both of the lobby's walls were glass columns. Most of them were white, but every third column was a different color, matching that of a specific type of Dust At the end of the lobby was a long counter where four people sat behind computers, working on various tasks Ruby wasn't interested in. Next to them was several elevators that would lead up to the rest of the tower. Dominating the wall above the secretaries' heads was a giant, silver, twelve-pointed snowflake, with the deep blue words beneath reading "Schnee Dust Company"

The two women began walking through the lobby, the sound of their footsteps drowned out by the various people milling about the room. The room was populated with people, from workers dressed in business-attire filling into elevators, to people sightseeing and asking the counter-workers questions about the company, to reporters and journalists snapping pictures of the architecture and people. Even so, a odd hush permeated the lobby. It wasn't quiet by any means, but the room was absent of the cacophony of voices that one would expect to fill a room with so many people.

Once Ruby realized this, she took a closer look at the people in the room and found that many of them simply were not talking. There was no idle chatter between workers waiting for an elevator, or among tourist as the snapped pictures on their Scrolls. It all just seemed like the didn't say anything that didn't need to be said. Ruby couldn't decide if that was a positive or not.

As the walked towards the elevators, Weiss didn't spare a glance at anyone in the lobby, walking single-mindedly towards the elevators. Ruby, by her side, continued to absorb her surroundings. The next thing she noticed was that against the walls between each column was what looked like a steel cabinet with a glass window on the front face. Through that window, Ruby could see a single Atlesian Knight, one of the newer '200' models, in each case. 'That's some heavy security,' Ruby thought, before shaking her head. 'Well, with the White Fang as desperate as they are, I guess it makes sense.'

On the way to the elevators, the two women passed by a camera crew who stood in front of one of the blue 'Ice' colored columns. As they passed, Ruby overheard a Newswoman giving a report, "-Company's plans for a continued expansion of mining efforts in light of a recent drop in profits for the goliath corporation. This comes on the heels of Weiss Schnee's ascension to the head of the company, and our sources say that there are even talks of buying land in Menag-"

Ruby's brows furrowed after being pulled out of earshot by her boss's pace. Deciding that whatever information she had gleaned from the newswoman was unimportant, she continued on. As the two reached the elevators, Ruby stood up a bit taller. The workers there parted for the CEO and her Assistant without prompt. One of the elevators opened, and the Schnee stepped inside. Ruby followed quickly.

The elevator looked like it could hold at least nine more people, but not a single on of the office workers stepped forward. The door closed quietly, and the sound of the lobby was replaced by elevator music.

A sigh escaped Weiss, whose shoulders slumped just slightly. "Something wrong?" Ruby asked, feeling awkward in the big elevator.

The shorter woman shook her head, and answered, "I wish they wouldn't do that."

Ever curious, Ruby asked, "Do what?"

Weiss made a vague motion at the door of the elevator, "That. They act like I'm some kind of- that I would- ugh." She shook her head again, her off-center ponytail swished behind her back, "It doesn't matter."

Ruby was tempted to continue their conversation, but Weiss stepped forward and held her scroll against the scanner on the elevator's control panel. After a moment, an automated voice said, "Welcome, Miss Schnee." Wordlessly, Weiss pushed the button for the top floor, and the elevator began moving.

All was silent save for the elevator music as they ascended up the tower. Ruby was a bit curious as to what they needed so many floor for, but reasoned, 'They have like a quarter of Remnant's Lien, I doubt the floor numbers were a problem.'

With a soft ding the elevator came to a stop, and the automated voice said, "Fiftieth Floor: Board Room and CEO Office," as the doors slip open with a quiet hiss.

Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at the white and blue decor, Ruby stepped into the floor.

"This is the top floor of the building, and, in turn, the smallest. This is where we will spend most of our time during the work day," she began to explain, her heels clicking on the polished white tiles. This floor was arranged like a wide hallway. The wall to their left held five portraits, and the wall to their right was bare, holding only a few opaque windows and a brown wooden door. At the end of the hallway was another door, this one of solid white steel bearing the Schnee logo on the front and a frosted window at head height with the letters "Chief Executive Officer" cast in silver underneath.

The first portrait they passed as they walked was of an old man. His body was big, burly. He had a medium sized beard that covered the lower half of his face, and a small smile graced his face. His eyes were a cold blue that matched his short cropped white hair, but shined with a kind of pride. Most people would've left it at that, but Ruby saw something else. The portrait was exceptionally well painted, and Ruby could make out the pale lines along his cheek as scars half-hidden by facial hair and the weary, is happy, look in his eyes. He was a fighter, and Ruby could see that as if he were standing right in front of her. The plaque beneath the frame read "Nicholas Schnee".

Weiss noticed Ruby's staring, and startled the woman by saying, "That was my grandfather."

Ruby figured as much, but nodded and replied, "He seems like a good guy from what I've heard of him." The next painting had the same man, along with another woman and a small girl. Weiss's Grandfather in this picture was smiling a happy smile, and had one hand wrapped around the woman, and the other laying on the girl's shoulder. The woman was pretty, but definitely no supermodel. She, unlike the man next to her, had brown hair that fell to her shoulders and an equally as kind look in her green eyes.

The girl, though, was much more animated. She couldn't have been more than eight years old, and wore a bright, innocent smile. It reminded Ruby of the picture she had of her and Yang's childhood. It brought a quirk to her lips. "They look happy," she said simply.

There was an agreeing hum next to her before Weiss said, "Yes, they do."

The next picture, however, was different. It was a portrait of a thin man with close-cropped black hair. He sported a bushy mustache that Ruby almost giggled at. His eyes were a cold blue, the same blue Ruby saw in her employer. There was something odd about this man, though. Even in the painting, his lips were pressed into a thin line, and his eyes were stern. 'He looks very...proud,' the ex-huntress decided, but it wasn't the same pride that the previous Schnee had shown. Beneath his portrait read "Jacques Schnee."

"That's your father?" Ruby asked, a hand absently fiddling with her black tie.

Weiss was silent for just a fraction of a second, but Ruby noticed her brief hesitation, "...Yes."

A part of the younger woman wanted to ask Weiss about that, but she decided it would probably be better for her to not destroy what little progress she had made so far with the Schnee she was hoping to befriend. Silently, she moved to the next portrait, the second to last one.

This one had another family, though once more it was different to the Nicholas's version. This painting showed five people. There was Weiss's father, who's face had not changed from that stern, prideful look that was starting to get on Ruby's nerves (though she didn't know why), but what caught her attention was the other woman in the picture. Weiss's mother had a weathered, tired look on her face. She looked far older than she should have, and Ruby couldn't help but look back to the painting of the small woman as a grinning child. ' Such a difference...in all the pictures I have of mom, she looks so happy. Oum, what could have happened to Weiss's mom…?'

She wasn't given any time to ponder this, though, as her boss didn't stop with her here. Weiss marched right past, not so much as glancing at the painting. Ruby spared the painting another look, taking in the three other people in an instant. There was the two Schnee daughters sitting with a younger boy between the two. On that boy's face was the only smile in the family.

The final painting, which Weiss also seemed resolute in not looking at, is what really caught Ruby's eye, however. It, like the previous odd numbered paintings, showed a single person's face. This one was of a woman with deep blue eyes and a sharp face. Her hair was white as the mountains of Atlas, and her skin was flawless save for a single scar running across her left eye. The painting was masterfully painted, and Ruby's could have marveled at any particular piece of it, but what really caught her attention was the eyes.

Unlike the other two portraits, this woman didn't seem to beam with pride. No, to Ruby's surprise, she looked almost…

'Sad…'

The plaque beneath the portrait read, "Weiss Schnee"

Ruby shook her head, and turned back to Weiss, who was standing by the first door in the hallway with her arms crossed, seemingly impatient. Ruby spared one more glance at the wall of portraits, noting a bit strangely that the space next to Weiss's portrait, where the previous ones held the picture of the CEO's family, was left blank. The rest of the wall leading down to the door to Weiss's office was also blank, leaving room for the future Schnee's as well.

"Are you planning on spending your first day staring at my portrait?" Weiss said with some measure of ice in her voice.

Ruby felt her ears warm in embarrassment. Trying to play it off, she let a smile slip onto her lips and said, "Sorry, this was the first picture without a moustache in it. I was kinda throwed off for a second."

Weiss said nothing, but Ruby saw her lips quirk shoulders shake a bit with repressed laughter. Seeing that as a victory, the bodyguard pulled away from the paintings and walked over to her boss.

When Ruby caught up with her boss, Weiss cleared her throat and said, "Well, if you're done admiring the art, I can actually give you a tour of this floor." When Ruby didn't immediately respond, the woman continued speaking, an icy tone to her voice, "This is the main conference room. Any large or important meetings will be held here." She motioned to the frosted windows, "These can become clear or opaque, depending on the nature of the conference inside."

Ruby nodded, saying simply, "Neat."

Weiss seemed to bristle a bit at the oversimple answer, before forcing a breath out through her nose to calm herself. She turned on her heel, and her ponytail swished across the Schnee Sigil on her back. The Schnee's heels clacked along the tile floor, and Ruby's boots were a near-silent whisper of rubber-on-ceramic.

As they got close, Ruby noticed that there was no knob on the door. Instead, Weiss placed her palm flat on the door where the knob would usually be located. After a moment, a small ping sounded from the door, along with a female voice announcing, "Welcome, Miss Schnee." Miss Schnee, however, did not move her hand, and after a moment, the previously invisible scanner turned orange. Weiss punched a numerical code into the device before the voice spoke again, "New user registry enabled, please place your hand on the scanner."

Weiss stepped to the side, and motioned her new employee forward. "Go on, Miss Rose. The lock needs your biometrics to log you in."

Ruby nodded, suddenly feeling the urge to gulp. It was inane that she felt a little twinge of fear at what she was about to do, but in a way, Ruby guessed, this was symbolic. Once she did this, her new life as Weiss Schnee's personal assistant would begin. "Okay," she said simply.

Ruby stilled her shaking hand, and pressed it against the scanner. The door hummed quietly for a moment before saying "Please state your name."

"Ruby Rose."

"Welcome, Miss Rose."

The door opened.

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A/N

A bit of a shorter chapter here for you guys, but the writing has been coming slow and I felt this was a good stopping point! With end-of-semester stuff going on, my schedule is going to be right fucked for the next week, so I thought that this was a good stopping point. Give you guys something to chew on, right? I hope you enjoyed, the next chapter is gonna be a fun one.

Bonus points to anyone who can guess where I got the name "Clara Herder" from. I'll give you a hint: the last name is a clue.