"Uh… Are you alright?"
Jaune registered the words and lifted his gaze from gray cobblestones to the young woman standing in front of him. He winced and blinked at the evening light which backlit the girl, who seemed to be looking at him with a mixture of amusement and genuine concern. She was... Tall. She fairly blocked out the sun.
Amazed that someone had actually walked up to him, Jaune was flustered for a moment as he stood up quickly, raking his fingers through his hair to give it what he hoped was a look of stylish ruggedness. Girls liked that, right? He wasn't going to let this moment to sway one of these girls pass him by. She must need some help finding something! I can totally just slide right in here and…
"Ah, right, I'm fine." He said lamely when he noticed that the expression on the girl's face was more one of concern than the bashful awe he had hoped for. Hoping to salvage the moment, he piped up with renewed vigor. "So, do you need my help for something? I'm new here too but I've got a pretty good sense of direction."
"No, actually. I thought you might be lost." The girl replied, shifting awkwardly in place before motioning around them. "Because everyone is supposed to be at the cafeteria for dinner." A pause. "That probably includes you."
"Wha- Really?" Jaune exclaimed, not catching the girl's raised eyebrows as he attempted to surreptitiously scan the environ for a building that might fit the bill.
"I don't think you can see it from here." The girl said, pulling a folded piece of paper from a pocket and opening it to show a map of Beacon. She held it up for Jaune to see, pointing from their location near some lecture buildings and tracing a line towards the dorms and building which housed this elusive eating establishment. "Do you want me to help you get there?"
Jaune almost immediately accepted because he honestly had no idea where he was right now. He found the monument at the front of the Academy after getting turned around, and when he moved to check his map it blew out of his fingers, and then he found out he had forgotten to charge his scroll. He was hooped, as they say, and he wore his relief on his sleeve. Someone had come and – not saved him! Jaune Arc didn't need any 'saving'.
He opened his mouth to say something and then hesitated. His pride, or maybe the erroneous thought that he still had a chance at wooing the stranger, prevented him from outright begging her. So closing his gob to prevent any bugs from flying into his mouth while he performed some mental jousting, he settled for what he thought was a curt nod.
Ruby herself seemed to hesitate at this point, which Jaune considered a point in his favor, misunderstanding it as her being intimidated by his coolness, as opposed to his painful-looking head bobbing.
The two started to walk, the girl taking the lead and walking at a somewhat slow pace, her eyes scanning over her surroundings. Jaune had his fill of the place, but he understood why people would be intrigued. Beacon had roads and buildings like a small town even though it was an Academy. Shops and cafes with closed signs and darkened windows gave an almost eerie atmosphere in the reddish light of the evening. The girl seemed to be content to observe her surroundings in silence, but one Mr. Arc wouldn't let that keep him from laying on the charm!
"So, I'm Jaune Arc." He began, giving the girl his best smile, trying to sound 'cool' and 'sorta distant but in a sexy way'. "Yourself?"
"Ruby." The girl replied, giving him a bright smile, attempting to ignore his somewhat corny advance. "I'm new to town."
"Really?" Jaune didn't even try to hide the excitement from his voice. "Maybe I can show you around sometime?" His excitement turned into hasty 'coolness' by the end, obviously intending to hide the fact he thought he scored by finding someone who didn't know the lay of the land. He coughed to clear is throat before continuing with what he hoped was a much less puppy-dog-ish tone. "I mean, I'm new to Beacon, I guess you already could tell that. But I've lived in Vale my entire life. I know all the coolest places in town."
Ruby turned her head to him and he tried to flash another dazzling smile, though it fell from his face when he saw that she appeared to be emanating waves of doubtfulness. He frowned a bit as Ruby shook her head, grumbling a bit when she elbowed him in the side.
"Is that how you sweep the ladies of their feet?" She chuckled. When he turned red she snorted, but the bright smile on her lips caused him to relax a bit. "Not the smoothest delivery I've ever heard."
"I guess I'll need to work on it…" Jaune murmured, scratching at the back of his head sheepishly. "So, uh, Ruby, where did you live before you came to Vale?"
The girl seemed to contemplate the question with a hum, and Jaune patiently waited for her to figure out her answer. As the two of them clacked along the brick tiling of the path Ruby seemed to hesitate more than once to answer. Jaune was about to apologize for prying when she opened up.
"I lived in a few places. Most recently I was traveling east of Vale, doing some work for caravan drivers who move goods between settlements out that-a way." She pointed a finger to their right, in the direction of what Jaune could only assume to be the east, and made a little circular motion with a fingernail. "It was… Well, fun might not be the best word for it, but I ate, and never broke any bones. Anyways, I guess you could say I lived in the Kingdom of Vale, but not the city."
Jaune made a sort of soft grunt of understanding, though in reality he hadn't seen much of the great wilds beyond the City's parapets himself. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"Not at all." Ruby stated with a deadpan. "Only kittens and puppies out that way. The only way to calm them is rubbing their little paws," she pantomimed massaging said tiny paw pads with the index finger and thumb on both hands, "else they turn into demons."
"Really." Jaune stated, incredulous. "I can't believe there's a place like that in the world…"
Ruby stopped, and Jaune took a few more steps before turning to face her and seeing her perplexed expression.
"Wait, you're lying?" He tried really, really hard for the words to sound accusatory, or like he didn't believe her in the first place and he was just playing along to be cool… Really anything that wasn't the embarrassed squeak he made. He coughed to cover it up. "B-but of course you are. That'd be ridiculous!"
"Jaune?"
"Yeah?"
"Too late to save that one."
Jaune grumbled and sighed, while Ruby patted him on the back. The young man didn't think she was being mean or anything, maybe just teasing. It was appreciated, however, that she wasn't actually making fun of him. The way that she kept smiling despite her ribbing dispelled most of his worries, even if he was sort of bummed that he wasn't able to make himself look cool. He decided that he might as well get to know this new friend a bit better.
"So, how old are you?" He started with, it seemed like an easy question, plodding along at a faster pace than before. He was standing on the street whilst Ruby walked along on the sidewalk, now standing a full foot taller than him.
"Nineteen." Came the reply. "Twenty in a few months."
"Oh, an older lady." Jaune said, sounding about as zesty as a sad lemon peel.
"Was that a compliment?" Ruby asked, her tone dubious. At her sidelong glance Jaune opened his mouth, and before he could say anything he'd regret, he snapped it shut again. "Good call."
"I'll stop." Jaune said meekly, finally coming to terms with the fact that he had lost his chance, though unbeknownst to him he didn't really have a shot in the first place. "I'm uh, seventeen myself."
"They let babies in here?!" Ruby exclaimed with visible shock, covering her mouth as if a scandal had transpired before her very eyes. "What if I hadn't come along to find you?" She sighed, as if offended by the nerve of it all. "You could've been hurt, put something you found on the ground in your mouth." A beat passed. "Like your own foot."
"Ha ha." Jaune grumbled, catching the barb. "Real funny."
"Aw c'mon man, I'm sure you'll find someone who thinks your advances are charming." Ruby cooed.
"But of course!" Jaune scoffed, puffing out his chest. "What woman can resist a name like Jaune Arc?" He leveled a cocky smile at Ruby. "I sound like an adventure."
The young woman didn't deign that with a response, and instead turned and took the steps up to the dining hall and approaching the door. From where she and Jaune were standing all could hear the general japery going on inside. It seemed like everyone had long-since arrived, as a haze of voices and laughter emanated from the very walls of the building and through the great oaken door.
"Well." Ruby murmured, suddenly sounding a bit sheepish. "Here we go…"
Opening the door and stepping through the duo was met with a blast of sound. Jaune could pick up the threads of people shouting and laughing now that they were no longer muddled, and he smiled. Stepping past Ruby, who stopped just inside the door, he scanned the room beaming. He was still a bit nervous, but seeing all these people having fun filled him with excitement. All these people…
"So, where should we sit?" He asked, turning to his new friend to see her with a perplexed expression. She looked extremely hesitant, scanning over the people with a tense face before glancing down at herself and letting out a shaky sigh. "Ruby?"
She seemed to snap out of it and blinked a couple times before nodding. "We should…" She coughed to clear her throat. "Let's get our food first."
Jaune frowned before nodding his agreement. He scanned over the room and spied the glass panes which lined the queue to the food and made his way over, occasionally stealing glances over to Ruby. He hadn't expected her to get suddenly shy, or whatever emotion she was currently doing a poor job of hiding. Outside she had been playful and teasing… The sudden transition was quite jarring.
"Um, are you alright?" He hazarded to ask.
"Just feeling a little self-conscious." Ruby replied easily, causing Jaune to arch his brows. "All these people with years of formal combat training and here I am, some bumpkin from outside the city, looking like a shrine to drabness."
Jaune felt a jab of sympathy for Ruby, as he himself was feeling more than a little stressed for what he might have to do. She looked strong though, the way she stood was all power and her exposed arms were corded with muscle, which gave him the impression she might be suffering from nerves. As for the clothing problem…
Well, he could see that. Ruby's crimson poncho was definitely nice, but her shirt and pants were very...Practical. Her cargo pants were all function with their heavy fabric and metal D-rings, and her boots were combat-style in that they were bulky, heavy, and well-worn. It was a shame, he thought, because she was pretty even with wearing her half-military getup.
Clapping an arm on her shoulder hesitantly, he smiled again. "Yeah, you do look sorta ugly."
That got a smile from her and she elbowed him in the ribs again, causing him to wince and keel over slightly. "Man, thanks. Receiving your pity for a moment there just… Snapped me out of that funk."
"You're welcome." Jaune wheezed, standing up straight again and rubbing his bruised side as he grabbed a tray from the stack. Handing it to Ruby and then grabbing one for himself, he put them both on the 'runway' that people were meant to slide theirs along on while they were grabbing their orders. "Just. Stop with the elbow. I need these ribs."
"Sure, sure." Ruby laughed, taking the trays from him and sliding them along so he didn't need to stretch too much. "You'll be fine. Whaddya want to drink?"
The pair went through the options and grabbed what they wanted, the two of them picking very different meals. Jaune, proving himself to be a man of refined tastes, grabbed a fairly hefty pile of chicken fingers and fries, with a veritable vat of ketchup on the side for seasoning. To drink? Water, as his mom told him when he was little that pop was bad for you. Ruby managed to keep her mouth shut about it, but only just.
Ruby herself went for a more balanced approach. Braised beef, asparagus, roasted carrots and potatoes. She was fairly salivating at the sight, and Jaune wasted no time making fun of her for it, though she ignored him in favor of imagining just how delicious the food would be. Her drink was water as well, if only because she didn't want to drink pop and ruin her chance at enjoying some really good grub. Grabbing a dinner roll on their way away from the food the two set about to find a table.
Most the people in the cafeteria had been there for a while, an hour at least, and had long-since finished eating. Jaune caught Ruby looking over the crowd inside the building and mumbling something to herself, before she started wandering off in a seemingly random direction. Jaune kept pace, trying to figure out where exactly she was headed, wondering if she knew any of the people here. It seemed unlikely but…
A burst of laughter at his side caught him off guard, as well as a blond girl swiveling on one of the benches and cutting him off. He let out a short yelp as he tried to make a quick step around the girl, but she continued to back up cutting off his escape plan. He silently cursed, realizing that the girl's mustard-colored jacket was about to get some ketchup highlights.
Before he could run into her, his tray was pulled from his grip sideways, leaving him with nothing to accidentally coat the girl with. It didn't stop the root of the problem, the imminent collision, and he blundered right into the blonde.
The yellow-haired girl barely moved, seemingly unaffected by Jaune charging into her, though she shot him a sour look. He didn't really get a chance to see it as he fairly bounced off of the girl and onto his rump, rocking against the ground as he regained his bearings. I thought I walked into a girl, not a wall!
"Sorry, sorry." Ruby said, and he looked up to see her holding both of their trays aloft, and well out of striking range of his recently flailing arms. "I didn't trust him with his own tray and here he goes walking into people."
"Ah, no, it's fine." The other girl replied, shaking her head, her expression still squarely on Jaune. She brushed off her front and fixed the lapels of her half-jacket which had been put in slight disarray by the collision. She leaned slightly over and offered a hand to Jaune, who was looking a little red in the face from watching Yang fix her shirt. "I should've been paying better attention."
Jaune stammered a 'whatever' or some other somewhat tactless response with a shy giggle. Before he could embarrass himself, and Ruby by extension, the girl said some parting remark to her friends and walked off briskly, this time unmolested. She glanced at Ruby, but didn't pause as she couldn't see the girl through the food she was carrying. Ruby was holding the trays aloft at shoulder height, blocking off the blonde's view, though Jaune could still see her just fine from where he was. He caught her gaze once the Blonde was a fair way off, and the hard look in her eyes seemed very out of place.
The pair then continued their walk, and Jaune soon found himself seated at an empty table that was a fair distance away from the other Huntsmen and Huntresses to-be. Ruby's countenance still hadn't softened, she was looking pensively towards the doors while her jaw seemed tight. He looked to Ruby with a little bit of a question in his eyes and she shrugged before nudging his tray with her own from across the table. The emotion had passed, and she was focused on him once more.
"If you want to sit with someone else you can." She offered, nodding her chin towards a few occupied tables around them. "I'm trying to keep an eye out for a friend of mine, a shortish girl with black hair and a bow?" Her tone indicated a question as to if Jaune had seen any girls that fit the bill, and he shook his head. "Figures. Well, she's the sort of person that probably doesn't like people. At all. So if I'm going to force her to eat with me I sort of have to stack the deck in my favor."
"How so?"
"First," Ruby eyed her food with the wistfulness of a maiden seeing her lover to sea before holding up a finger. "Choose a table far away from others." Jaune nodded, as that part was obvious. "Second, have someone who will drive away others in case someone tries to be friendly." Jaune looked confused at that. "That's you. Any girls you try and pick up will probably run for it. If it's a guy, well, I've got an axe for that."
He was going to defend himself from Ruby's ribbing, but deflated since he didn't really have a good retort waiting in the wings. He paled a bit with the girl's implication that she would be handling the guys with an axe, but the playful glint in her eyes took some of the edge off of his worries.
The meal went by with little conversation, at least for a while. Ruby was attacking her meal with vigor that Jaune had never seen before, rapidly consuming one part of her meal before moving onto the next with zeal. It was quite the spectacle, enough so that he paused in his chicken strips to watch when she started dissecting her beef and shoving forkfuls in her mouth.
Her knife scratched against the plate with a loud squeal causing her to stop her gorging and look around sheepishly. Mumbling an apology into the air she was about to dig right back in when she caught sight of Jaune eying her with equal parts of fascination and apprehension.
"Wha?" She mumbled, her voice somewhat distorted by the combined forces of bread, meat, and sauce which she was munching on. Realizing how she sounded she swallowed the food in her mouth before repeating herself. "Sorry, what?"
"You look like you're enjoying your food." Jaune said flatly, taking the moment to motion at Ruby's nearly cleaned plate with a piece of chicken. "I mean, you're almost wearing it."
Ruby didn't get his hint and her brows narrowed, looking at him quizzically. Really? Jaune hesitated for a moment before pointing to his own face with one of his tenders and making a sort of circular motion. She didn't look any more aware of what he was talking and he grumbled, poking himself in the corner of the mouth. She shook her head in an 'I don't get it fashion' and throwing a glance over his shoulder. His lips pursed for a moment before he closed his eyes. Mom always said not to embarrass people if they don't deserve it.
"I think someone's watching you do that." Ruby murmured under her breath, looking to the side as if she was embarrassed to be seen with Jaune. I'm not the one who has au jus on her mouth! Or whatever chefs call that beef stuff. Boyabas? Buoy-bas? Shaking his head of the confusing condiments of cow meat, Jaune rotated in his chair in an attempt to stare down anyone who was making fun of him and Ruby… Only to see nobody. In fact, while the two had been eating most of the cafeteria had wound up clearing out, leaving only a smattering of students, and a girl who could be heard arguing with kitchen staff from across the room. Turning around confused, Jaune saw Ruby, looking quite nonchalant, her mouth no longer marred with brown sauce, her hands clasped in front of her face with her thumbs holding up her chin. When she saw Jaune glaring at her in accusation her expression turned to comical surprise, one of her eyebrows climbing its way up her forehead to make a break for her hairline. She opened her mouth and the corners turned up in a bit of a smile, her voice under strain to keep from laughing. "O-whatever could be the problem dear Jaune?"
Jaune himself could maintain his straight face until Ruby made a challenging 'hmm' which came out more like a giggle, and her other brow started climbing heavenwards. He could feel some laughter rising in his chest before he raised his own challenging brow. "Oh what might you have in your hands Ruby?"
The girl shrugged, her expression cracking a bit more as she fidgeted with her hands, seemingly considering her options. Then, she started opening her hands, but as she did so she threw the scrunched up ball of paper napkin at Jaune, where it bounced from between his eyes and landed right on top of his bowl of Ketchup.
This finally caused Ruby to crack, and she cackled loud and unabashed at the look of abject horror on Jaune's face as he spied the paper. He made a disgusted noise which sounded equal parts offended and horrified. "You ruined it!"
His undignified howl sent Ruby into further howls of laughter, falling sideways out of sight with a giggle. There was a heavy thud and Jaune winced, though he was still mad when Ruby stood and brushed herself off, still snickering. Trying not to look at Jaune she collected herself, breathing deeply and trying to force her lips into a thin and expressionless line.
"I'll…" Her voice cracked and she had to take a deep breath. "I'll get you some more."
Jaune huffed and crossed his arms indignantly, pointing up his nose as Ruby sidled away, trying and mostly succeeding in keeping her laughter to herself.
"What do you mean you don't know the vitamin breakdown?" Growled Weiss as the man working behind the counter at the cafeteria eyed her warily. She had been trying to get a straight answer from the man for the past ten minutes, and she was slowly but surely starting to get the impression the man didn't know anything. "We're Huntsmen, and our diet is what keeps us going when we're fighting, and you're telling me you don't know what the salt content of this pork confit is?"
"Again, ma'am." Weiss appreciated the deference, but her frown remained as she had received the selfsame excuse over and over again from this bumbling fool for far too long. "My-"
"Right," Weiss hissed, cutting him off. "You're just behind the counter, you don't know when the food staff will return for the late evening, blah, blah." She heard a dull squeak behind her and ignored it, continuing with her tirade. "But that's unacceptable. Beacon is a prestigious combat academy that you should be proud to be a part of," Squeak, "not dancing around questions like this is some fast food joint on the boardwalk."
"Look, there's a salad bar, over near that young lady. I guarantee there is nothing out of place in the spinach." The man grumbled, much to Weiss chagrin. She tossed a glance over her shoulder to see a young woman pumping what seemed to be an over-generous portion of ketchup into a shallow bowl. The girl lifted her eyes to the heiress and shrugged, before turning back to her work, leaving Weiss with a sour look on her face. Disgusting.
"I assure you," Weiss began with venom before she was cut off by the shrill sound of ketchup dispenser. Her face flushed red with embarrassment, 'realizing' that the impudent girl behind her was making a mockery of the heiress. She grit her teeth menacingly, causing the man behind the counter to pale and scurry away, making Weiss' already poor temper to flare at the sight of someone trying to escape her due wrath. It wasn't her fault they were incompetent! She whirled on a heel to confront the – empty space near the ketchup pump.
Scanning the mostly empty dining hall she saw the eye-catching red poncho of the young woman and stomped a trail to catch up to this… Imbecile. Though the black-haired girl had her back to Weiss, she seemed to be able to tell that she was being followed, and sped up her pace accordingly. The white-haired girl wouldn't dare show any desperation by jogging or shouting after her to close the distance. Such an act would be below Weiss, and far from proper conduct. She wouldn't let this girl get the best of her.
And so, Weiss stalked the girl from an increasing distance, her glare boring imaginary holes in the back of the other girl's head. The brunette reached her table and seated herself about ten seconds before Weiss got within an adequate range to begin her deconstruction of character. The girl said something to the moping blonde sitting at her table, and he brightened considerably, reaching out to take that bowl of ketchup from her and dunking some fried meat… thing into it.
"Excuse me." Weiss began, placing her hands on her hips, her face falling into her trademark scowl. The blonde at the table glanced at her with some ketchup dripping out the corner of his mouth. She felt her lips curl in disgust as he wiped it away with the back of his hand and smiled. "But who exactly are you?"
"Jaune, this is your cue." The girl sighed, jabbing her thumb in the direction of Weiss before waving her hand dismissively. Weiss felt her scowl worsen, if that was at all possible, and opened her mouth to continue when the girl cut her off again. "Secret admirer. Very shy, was watching you from across the hall."
Before the heiress could even think to say anything, the blonde's eyes lit up with such brilliance she felt horror creep up her spine. He looked so excited and expectant and… Yuck. Jaune stood from his seat and tousled his hair so that it stood at odd angles before giving Weiss a toothy grin. Even if he had been attractive, which at this juncture Weiss could say with some objectivity that he was not, the attempt at a charming display was still somewhat marred by the streak of ketchup along his mouth.
"Well, hey." He said, in a tone which came off a bit flakey. "No need to be shy. The Arc genes have that effect on people."
Before Weiss could manage a gag, the girl chirped up.
"Of course. Dizziness? Dryness of the mouth? Trouble breathing?" Jaune nodded at each of the symptoms, a smile on his lips. "Fever? Inability to articulate full sentences?" The boy winked at this point, causing Weiss to cringe. "Nausea?"
"Uh, Ruby?" The blonde said, his expression turning a bit confused. "Is that really a selling point?"
Said Ruby seemed to contemplate the question while Weiss tried to keep up. Have they rehearsed this entire act? Weiss thought, blinking.
"I'm not sure." Ruby admitted, scratching her chin. "I forgot halfway through. Am I describing your effect on girls, flu on people, or both?"
Weiss, despite herself, turned her head to look at Jaune, who seemed puzzled by the retort. "I was talking about me."
"So both." Weiss' head turned again, this time to Ruby.
"No, no!" Jaune's voice raised, and he lifted a fried meat bit to shake at the girl and shook it in a nearly menacing way. "I am attractive to ladies I'll have you know. It's not my fault you're immune to my charms."
"Wait, wait!" Weiss piped up, tired of being… Made fun of? Ruby was definitely having fun at Jaune's expense, and as they continued to talk the white-haired girl was starting to feel like she was party to the humiliation. "I'm not here to listen to you flirt," She jabbed a finger in Jaune's direction, and the shock on his face almost made up for the past twentyish seconds. "and as for you," She returned her hands to her hips to try and regain the composure which might have been slightly shaken by their display. "who do you think you are?"
There was a drawn out pause, and the two seated at the table exchanged a glance. Jaune looked crestfallen at the confirmation that Weiss wasn't there for him, and Ruby looked somewhat confused. The girl turned in her seat to finally fully face Weiss and cocked a brow. "I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm Ruby but I don't know who you are."
"Well I'm Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee dust company." Weiss had barely waited for Ruby to finish her sentence before launching into her best most indignant tirade. "I've had the best private tutoring available in Atlas, and frankly I'm overqualified for this silly little kingdom and it's quaint Academy. In fact, I wouldn't even be here if the one and only Pyrrha Nikos wasn't here." Weiss' eyes closed in consternation as she crossed her arms and spread her feet to shoulder's width. "And I must say that even now I'm starting to think this was a mistake given the state of my fellow students."
There was a pause, filled with gravity, Weiss' lips almost curling into a smile from how devious her deconstruction was. How biting her critique! How could they recover.
"So are you gonna eat that chicken strip or what?"
What?! Weiss' eyes flashed open as she stared down at the pair, who had apparently quite swiftly licked their wounds and moved on. She watched as the blonde handed the brunette an admittedly chintzy looking piece of fried meat that the girl accepted with a nod of thanks. Ruby then turned to look at Weiss with the meat held up between her thumb and forefinger, pointing it directly at the heiress.
"Look, I may not be the most sociable gal in this town but even I know that an introduction like that is pretty rude." Ruby rolled her eyes, as if chiding a young kid. "If you wanna make friends you're going to have to work on being a little less prickly." Straightening her back she straightened her shoulders, closed her eyes and raised one hand to hold the chicken strip vertically. "I'm Weiss Schnee, I'm very rich, I come from Atlas, and I came here to follow my idol and role model. I'm also going to relentlessly remind you of these three facts as often as I can, it's nice to meet you."
Ruby opened her eyes, and Weiss was left a bit bereft of what to say. The serene pose the other girl had managed while imitating her was... Pretty good. Not that she'd say so, but... She could be impressed without expressing it.
This left Weiss in the awkward situation where she couldn't exactly refute what was said, but she did dislike the way it was delivered. She also had to contemplate what to do about the fried chicken morsel she was being offered and very much so did not want. Why was she here again?
Much to Weiss' relief, Ruby seemed just as uncomfortable with her lack of reply as the heiress did, so she turned to Jaune and shrugged. The young man seemed like he was also feeling awkward silence and cleared his throat before speaking up.
"So, uh." He began, letting out a small 'eep' when Weiss shot him a sharp glare, Ruby snorting at the boy's timid response. "Would you like to sit with us?"
"Of course not!" The girl said, loudly enough that it could have been called a yell if someone had the balls to actually point it out. She faltered on what to do next, however, before backing up slightly. "Have a good evening!"
She hastily beat a path back towards the salad bar, intent on finding a balsamic dressing to pair with their salad mix just to avoid another run-in with the useless waitstaff. She did note, quietly, that she doesn't normally tell people to 'have a good evening'.
AN: I might have to come back to this to edit some awkward phrasing as I was editing this between bouts of homework. Next chapter will probably be on Sunday!