With a quick wave, Ruby turned away from the bullhead as it began its ascent back into the skies. Syndra quickly returned the gesture before quickly vanishing from sight, leaving her behind to the bustling streets of Vale. She had entered with a clear motive in mind, a small dress shop approaching on downtown. The roads of Vale were bustling with action, both people and faunus alike traveling inside their own little worlds, the constant bumping serving as a reminder of the ignorance of the populace.
The many colors of shops and merchants caught her eyes as she traveled, flashing her polite smiles as they gestured towards their wares. Even with her self discipline, she had a hard time resisting the delicacies and homemade pastries as she braved through. After only several minutes, she finally managed to capture a small and simple sign swaying in the evening breeze, displaying a picture of a beautiful dress with several small gemstones around it. She gently pushed the door open, immediately greeted by a small chime, signaling her entrance to everyone inside the store. Casting several quick glances around the store, she took in the sights of the many different styles and colors of cloth arranged neatly around the store. Clothing types for humans and faunus alike were arranged in perfect rows, with several small dressing rooms around the back.
The store looked rather underpopulated, with only several other customers around the store, employees hanging around them like the media to a celebrity. She continued to stand in the doorway as her eyes traced around the building, looking for something to catch her attention. She wanted a dress that would cause her to draw some attention, but something that would still cause her to look conservative. She wasn't looking to drag anyone home for the night like some people would be, and she wanted to make sure that that was clearly evident in her apparel. She slowly began to drag herself through the rows of fabric, occasionally dragging her fingers across some before continuing off to the next. A short time passed, and she was eventually greeted by a petite human female, sporting short, blonde hair and clothing bearing the companies logo.
"Is there anything I can help you with today"? The young worker asked after a quick hello, a cut and pasted smile across her face that she'd seen many times before. "Are you looking for a dress, or something more casual?" She continued, before glancing in the direction that the young student had been looking before she was asked.
"I'm just looking for something that I can wear to a dance. Nothing too fancy though." She answered clumsily, as though fumbling around for words to describe something that she'd never done before. Which was true, in a sense. This was never really her kind of thing. She never got that excited over dressing herself up like a doll she played with as a kid.
"You're going for 'trying to be cute, but not trying to be seductive' kinda look right?" She replied with a wiggle of her finger. "I know exactly what you're looking for. Follow me" she finished before turning around, turning around to make sure her customer was following her before leading her several rows over to where a large, dress rack was set up.
Many different designs were up, everything from the 'this isn't even clothing' to the 'I have enough clothing to survive a winter' and everything in between. She took in the designs for a while, spinning the rack around, taking in every design individually before settling on a couple different ones. She hailed back the woman who had assisted her, and informed her of her choices.
"I can see a few of these working on you, but some of these, just, don't look right." The blonde said as she held up a design in front of her eyes, overlaying it on the girl in front of her. "I like these three though" she replied quickly. "Just these two seem wrong for someone like you to be wearing." She continued with a hand wave towards two designs strewn over a nearby bench
Ruby was taken aback, and her facial expression must have expressed it as well, as the saleswoman quickly showed the back of one of the dresses to her, showing that it remained open until the very bottom of the back, and received a much more positive look from her customer before placing the design back on the display. She did the same with the next dress in question, revealing that the left leg stayed open until the hip, and earned yet another thumbs up for the dress to be tossed back. This left them with one, lonely dress left to test, which Ruby happily took.
After she exited the dressing room, she allowed herself to peer into a mirror. She looked like someone you would see in a princess movie. The way that the dress hug her body, but managed to hide up most of her skin, before fanning out and into a vibrant display of patterns at the bottom. The way that the bottom expanded as she moved fluidity that could only be expressed by the crashing of waves. She cast a quick look of approval towards the blonde, who simply replied with a look of astonishment, before giving a small, yet genuine, giggle.
"I think we have a fit" she replies before standing up and walking over to her customer. Her eyes can be seen tracing lines across her body, taking in the young girl in her entirety. It took her a small shake of her head to snap herself out of the fit. She quickly took the measurements of Ruby before asking her to head back to the change room and get back in her previous attire. The younger girl happily cooperated, returning back to the change room with an evident blush to her face. She had to admit, having someone look at her with that kind of expression was something that she never thought she would enjoy. She was never one that could pleasure in the gawking of another, but it was something she could spoil herself with every once in a while.
Once she exited the room, she could see that her clerk was back towards the cash register a tablet of sort, fingers dancing with purpose, and she could even hear the audible clicking sound as she got closer. Her deep eyebrows were angled with the common sign of concentration, eyes dashing around the illuminated display. Eventually, she lifted her head, jolting back slightly at the moderate proximity of the other girl.
"I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there" came a quick apology as she quickly darted her eyes back to her tablet, her fingers entering a quick set of commands before she turned the tablet around, displaying the aforementioned dress, hanging from invisible hooks. "This is the one that you wanted, correct?" And was met with a quick head nod and a smile to reinforce it. "And have you decided exactly what color you wanted?"
The crimson leader took a second to falsely contemplate it, before quickly replying with "can I see your shades of red? Something a bit darker would be nice" as she tapped her fingers against the glass display of the counter in anticipation. She was beginning to understand how someone could take pleasure in something like this. Learning to appreciate what you looked like could never really hurt you, could it? Before the clerk managed to turn the tablet around once more, another voice came from behind her.
"I'd say that she'd look much better with some vibrant orange at the bottom. Something that screams 'hey everyone, don't you wish your girlfriend looked like me?'" Answered the very feminine voice. It was very soft, like a voice that would animate a child's show. Even through her suggestion against her own preference, her voice couldn't raise any form of negative emotion.
Ruby quickly spun on her heel, turning to face the interruption. In front of her stood some form of faunus, a secondary set of miniature ears cresting the top of her head. Caramel skin accompanied her cerulean eyes, a very definitive smile only adding to her friendly ambiance. She stood at a little over 5'5 and didn't look a day over 22. This was accompanied by a very slim figure, her curves managing to remain prominent even through her conservative choice in clothing. She was dressed in a white hoodie and jeans, the hood tucked behind her long brown hair that made its way down her lower back.
"I feel like red just gives off this, feeling of 'I just want to be left alone' and if you're going to find a dress that suits you so well, it should have the punch behind it. If you find something that makes you look that attractive, you need to flaunt it" she continued as she approached the counter, coming to rest her arm against the counter. She looked at the quizzical face of the customer, then back to the clerk. "Can you at least show us a basic intertwine of colors? I know that it'll suit her."
The clerk quickly looked to her previous customer, and after receiving a swift nod of approval, began to tap against the tablet. A short while later, the tablet was reversed, revealing a gorgeous display of oranges, reds and yellows, giving the dress an appearance of heat. The faunus was right. The dress was a perfect blend of attraction and denial, a dress that spoke stories without needing to know the wearer. The very thought of it gave the team leader a sense of pride, a sense of wanting. Being shy was alright, but the thought of the looks she would get, it gave her a tingling sensation in her chest.
She pointed towards the tablet with a heartwarming smile. "That's the one, that's what I want it to look like" before looking back to the other customer with the same smile. It was met with an equally excited look, an invisible fire being lit behind the cerulean orbs.
"I told you that you'd look great in it. A perfect mix of 'innocent daddies girl' and 'come and get it'. You'll drive them all mad" explained the faunus, whose smile grew even more as the watched the features of the other woman in utter content.
"And I assume that you're here for a pickup ma'am?" Interrupted the cashier, placing her other tablet against the counter as she spun her seat around to a larger, bulkier piece of hardware. Once more, her fingers smashed against the holographic buttons, before speaking again. "Last name please?"
"Lariel" the faunus answered, tearing her eyes away from her new found friend.
"Melanine?" The cashier replied, audible clicking noises following suite.
"Last time I checked"
"Ah yes, we have your order right here for you. Give me a few minutes to go to the back and get it." Replied the blonde haired employee before skirting away beyond the depths of the employee only doors.
"So, Melanie, are you a fashion adviser or something?" Asked Ruby, her best attempt at both quelling her rising curiosity and to fill the void of silence that was awkwardly filling the room.
"The complete opposite. I'm training to be a huntress, actually" Melanie replied with a giggle, brushing her luscious brown bangs away from her eyes, tucking them away behind her ear. "I'm set to go to beacon next year. I'm actually passing with honors right now."
"Congratulations! We can always use more huntresses in this world" came the enthusiastic response of the other conversationalist, glad to so see someone else in her line of work. People who strived to be hunters and huntresses were a rare sight. With the definition of lucky being able to celebrate your thirty-fifth, the reasons against it were evident.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. You're..?"
"I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose."
"And what brings you to get such a pretty dress Miss Rose? You're too young to be getting married." Her eyes danced around as her thoughts began to coagulate. "You're going to a dance, aren't you?" She continued, a small look of accomplishment across her features.
"Lucky guess" came a the joking response. "Are you doing the same?" Came the curious inquiry of the younger girl, happily continuing the conversation. She was met with the lifted hand of the other girl, shaking her hand side to side to bounce the light off a graciously sized diamond.
"I'm hitched" she replied happily, her posture becoming more upright as the mood in the conversation lightened even more.
"Wow. He must be one lucky man to get someone like you as a bride" congratulated Ruby, suddenly making sense of her knowledge of colors. She had most likely looked over every color in the visible spectrum.
"I'm pretty sure she thinks the same" corrected Melanie, showing no signs of anger at the mispronunciation of her fiancé. She actually seemed somewhat amused, until she observed the transforming expression of the previously bubbly girl.
"Wait, you're marrying another woman? You're not marrying a man?" She was confused. This woman wasn't flirting with her, she wasn't trying to preach her about the benefits of being gay. This girl was completely normal. This wasn't how she always envisioned gay people.
"Unless I've been lied to for the last 4 years, then yeah, I'm pretty sure she's a woman." It was followed up by a half nervous, half confused laugh. "I'm sorry if that offends you. I didn't really let you know beforehand."
Ruby leaned back and gave the other girl a double and triple take. There was nothing about this girl that gave any indication of difference. She looked like any other girl, she talked like any other girl, she acted like any other girl. This wasn't how she envisioned a lesbian to look like. They were always portrayed as animals, worse than the grimm. They were as bad as the grimm.
But she wasn't. She was an upbeat woman who had just helped her pick out a dress. She didn't want to convert Ruby over. She wasn't trying to destroy her way of life. This was just a regular person.
"Are you being serious? You're... gay?"
"I'm about as gay as they come, yeah" she replied with another giggle.
"But you guys, I was always told that you guys were villians! You're defying our way of life because you want society to collapse!"
"Nope. I'm just trying to marry someone who actually makes me happy. Someone who I can laugh with, who I can live my life with. I just want to be grow old with the person I was meant to be with."
"So what all those protesters say about you guys..?"
"Completely fake."
"What about the propaganda?
"A bunch of sheltered people who don't know where the door is to the outside."
How was this possible? Everything that she'd been taught about these people, the view that all of society had, this 'monster' was just a regular person with regular ambitions.
"How did you know that you wanted to marry her? Why didn't you just find a guy that you liked instead?"
"Ruby, you're acting like I'm just like this because I want to. You're not in control of who you like. You don't have to have reasons to love. You just do. I'm not attracted to her because I want to. I'm attracted to her because that's who I am as a person." Her voice was beginning to rise, some frustration seeping through. "I tried it with men, I tried to date them. And it always felt wrong. I always felt like I was only with them because what I was really feeling was wrong. Those thoughts belonged to the grimm. Only beasts could do such a thing. After all, we're compatible to create children. If you can't create children, why would you do it! You're just wasting your time! Something is wrong with you! But I would always find myself eyeing the female figure. Men always failed to understand me, they never seemed to care about what I wanted. And then one day, I came across this girl. She was just... wow." Her voice dropped on the last sentence, her eyes closing shut and her smile found its way back. "She was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen. She made me feel things that I'd never felt before! She seemed like she really cared about who I was. She was after something more than my ability to reproduce. She was after the real Melanie. And that's how I found out. I understood that what I was feeling was alright. I'd been lied to my whole life. And now that reckless, sometimes arrogant, beautiful huntress is going to be mine until death comes to claim me. "
"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation girls, but I've got your dress right here Ma'am." declared the clerk as she slid a large package in a bag over the counter. "Can I do anything else for you tonight?"
"That's going to be all for me tonight. I've gotta go Ruby. Don't want to leave her hanging. It was great chatting with you!" Melanie dismissed with a small wave over her shoulder as she exited the store, vanishing quickly into the evening.
Left behind in awe, Ruby managed to complete her request for her dress before also leaving the store. She thought back to Melanie and the confidence she had with the words she spoke. How proud she was with who she was. And despite all the emotions that were flowing through her head at the time, one stuck out like a light in the dark.
Respect.
Well, that was a bit of a break. Didn't know what I wanted to do with it, and just kinda had to roll with it. I think I've got what I want to do with it in mind, as well as what I want to do with a sequel, but that's too far in the future for me right now.
Overall, I'm happy with how the chapter turned out, and I hope you are too. No promises on constant uploads, but I'll try.
Thank you to everyone that stuck around with me through this, and I hope it's up to your standards.
Anyways, have a great morning, day, evening, night, and take it easy.