For once, Ruby's attention was focused on her notebook during class. She scribbled away, pencil moving continuously. But she only wrote one thing over and over again: Clark Ozpin Clark Ozpin Clark Ozpin Clark Ozpin Clark Ozpin... She was trying to get used to it. To both names. It wasn't until the bell rang that she closed her notebook up. But she'd only just stepped out of the classroom when Yang grabbed her by the shoulder. "Hey, we need to talk," she said. She pulled her aside, where her whole team gathered.

"What about?" Ruby asked.

"You've been acting pretty strange lately," Weiss said. "And then I remembered, your tattoo." Ruby grabbed at her arm automatically. "Right. It's been a little while since it turned orange, so, you must've discovered your soulmate by now. That's gotta be why you've been acting strange, right? I mean, it's basically impossible for anyone's tattoo to remain orange for more than a week."

She looked away. "Uh...yeah. I met my soulmate." I'm sorry, Ozpin.

"Why didn't you say something?" Yang asked, and leaned over, trying to peer into her face. "Who are they? Can you show us your tattoo?"

Her grip tightened on her arm. "I'd rather not show it to you guys, ever. It's complicated," Ruby said.

"Aw, did your soulmate turn out to be some jerk?" Weiss asked, giving her a sympathetic look.

"Don't worry about it too much," Blake said. "You don't have to get together with your soulmate, after all. Especially if they're someone you don't like."

"No, it's not that," Ruby said, shaking her head. "He's not a jerk, and I don't dislike him. But... I don't know. I can't really talk about it."

Yang frowned. "Why not? You know we're here for you, no matter what, right?" she told her.

"I know. But I'd rather handle this on my own. I think it's better that way, you know?" Her teammates exchanged looks. "C'mon, let's hurry before all the good seats in class are taken." She walked past them down the hall, holding her notebook close.

She found him waiting in the plaza in front of the museum. "Hey there," she called, waving.

He greeted her with a smile. "Good timing. I just got here myself."

"Awesome, man. Let's get to it." She lead the way into the museum. "This place is the best, Dad used to take me and Yang here when we were little."

"I look forward to it, in that case," Ozpin said, paying for their admission at a kiosk.

She glanced at the screen on the wall, a map and directory highlighted in blue and white. "Okay, the new weapons exhibit is that-a-way." She pointed down the large hall, and practically skipped down it, Ozpin trailing behind her. In the main room, Ruby stood and oohed and awed at it all. Massive, archaic, transforming ballistas hung from the ceiling. Swords of every shape and size, some taller and wider than a man, were hung on the walls. Some traditional, some with accouterments for unique abilities. Axes with blades that detached on a chain, collapsible spears, shields with hidden blades that could be fired off.

Rusty old guns with legends attached, and spiked gauntlets that glittered like gold, empty gun belts dangling from them. The people milled about, observing the displays. Light streamed from massive skylights and windows high above. Gargantuan flags from ancient kingdoms past were draped across the gaps, tinting and changing the color of the light where it passed through. A tour guide lead a group of children to a small table, where they could examine the individual parts of an early sniper-scythe.

"Look, look over there!" she said, pointing. She waited until Ozpin caught up before bolting for a closer look at a tank. "This is one of the first models they made that relied more on concentrated pulses of Dust rather than the standard Dust artillery rounds. Look." She gestured at the pattern on the barrel. "This one could fire lightning, fire, and plasma blasts!"

"You are... certainly well read on the subject."

"Of course." She stood up straight, squared her shoulders, and put her hands on her hips. "I would consider the history of weaponry and their uses to be as important as the history of humanity. We'd never have been able to get this far without them."

"In a manner of speaking."

She relaxed her stance. She looked around, turning on the spot. "Oh, look at that one!" She tugged on his sleeve, and lead him deeper into the exhibit. In a display case stood a glass glaive, veins of dust making intricate patterns throughout it, old and stained. "It says here that they had to get special permission to put this one on display, and that it traveled halfway around the world to get to this museum," she read off of the plaque. "Pretty cool, huh?"

He adjusted his glasses. "It looks too delicate to be a weapon."

"It is now because it's so old, but back in its prime, it was tough as nails." She flexed her small biceps for emphasis.

"Uhuh."

She lowered her arms. "Oh, but check that out!" And on and on she lead him through the exhibit, at any of the variety of the weapons on display. Each time she would try to point out something different with each of them, some tidbit of trivia that she hoped would engage him. But his eyes always slid off of the weapons, or he simply looked at them as if he was staring at a rock, or a uniquely colored rock. She sometimes caught his gaze drifting off to other exhibits in the museum. She had the distinct impression that he didn't care at all about weapons, and felt that he was merely chaperoning her.

A chaperone. She was watching her feet now, one foot in front of the other over beige and white tiles. Did he even really care about any of this? From the way he spoke sometimes, it sounded like it was just a great burden to him to date her. Even if he didn't hate her, there's a wide spectrum between 'like' and hate. If she hadn't asked him directly, wouldn't he have just kept on ignoring her? Was he simply humoring her, all the while waiting for her to grow tired of him and break up? She didn't want to break up over something as trivial as that...

She looked up, and across the way she could see the museum cafe, a short line at the counter. "Hey, you wanna get a drink?" she asked, looking back at him and jerking her head towards the cafe.

"Sure." They went and got in line, only waiting a moment until they could place their orders.

"A large strawberry milkshake, please." She held up a finger for emphasis.

Ozpin smirked. "A milkshake, in this weather?"

"A milkshake is good in all weather, I'll have you know."

He didn't reply, simply turning to the cashier. "I'll just have a medium hot chocolate." He handled the purchasing and received their order number, and they both took a seat at one of the tables near the large glass windows that overlooked the street. Outside, the world went on with its merry ways. One girl who under-dressed walked with her arms wrapped around herself, her teeth chattering visibly. A man walked without seeing where he was going, eyes glued to his scroll. A mother walk by with her child, who was dressed like a dinosaur.

When their number was called, Ozpin got up and fetched their drinks, setting hers in front of her with a straw and spoon and napkin. She picked up the spoon and looked it over as she popped off the lid from her drink. "Do you want to do something else?" she asked, finally.

He looked up, the narrow opening in the lid of his hot chocolate right by his mouth. "Something else?"

She churned her milkshake with the straw. "We could go do something else, if you want. We don't have to be at the museum, if you don't want to be."

He lowered his drink. "Why would we do that?"

She ate a spoonful of flavored ice and milk and fruit chunks before answering. "It's just that you don't really seem like you're having a lot of fun. You seem kind of bored by all of this, honestly." She looked down at the faint glare of light reflecting in the window. "You don't have to put up with things just to make me happy, you know? I thought we could be, like, happy together, but if you're not enjoying yourself, then, I don't know."

He didn't say anything, studying her. Then he turned his gaze outside, and sipped at his cocoa. The sounds of the other cafe patrons were oddly ambient, in that great open hall. "Is it wrong to do things that make you happy?" he asked quietly.

"It's not wrong," she amended quickly. "I just want you to be happy too, and even if you don't hate any of this, I can't help but feel guilty if I'm just dragging you along." She sat back, taking a quick slurp of her shake. "I don't know. I'm not really making a lot of sense. Forget it." He shrugged, his face still in profile to her. She stirred her milkshake, watching the bits of strawberry and seeds sink and rise in the pink swirls. This isn't really working out like I'd hoped. Could it be that sometimes soulmates just aren't really meant for each other? It sounded contradictory, but maybe it was for the best. Clark Ozpin. She imagined she could feel the letters against her arm, that same tingly, electrifying, almost painful feeling when they first revealed themselves to her in a golden splash.

There's just no way true love isn't real... right? When they finished their drinks, she gestured and lead him down the corridors of the museum to some of the more permanent exhibits. They walked until she stood proud and smiling in front of a large dome structure, half of it sticking out of the wall into the museum, while the other half presumably sat outside. Two large doorways were set next to each other, closed off only by some curtains, and separated from each other by some cloth railed. A young supervisor stood at a podium between the Entrance and Exit. Above, in large blue letters, PLANETARIUMAZE was emblazoned on the side of the dome.

"What is this?" Ozpin asked.

"It's the Planetariumaze, ta-da!" She did jazz-hands.

"I can see that, but what does that mean?"

"It's a planetarium and a maze combined." She approached the doorway marked Entrance. "This was always the best part of the museum when me and Yang came as kids."

"Howdy folks. Would you like a map for the Planetariumaze?" the supervisor greeted.

Ruby held up a hand and walked past her. "No thanks. It's more authentic to do it on your own." Ozpin followed her.

"Enjoy yourselves!" they heard the supervisor say before the black curtains closed behind them. For a moment, they stood in complete darkness, unable to even see each other. Then, gentle lights appeared all around them, swirling and merging into galaxies, nebulas, and clouds of stars. Ruby couldn't suppress an awe of appreciation, and waved her hand through one of the nearby stars, it passing right through her flesh. She peeked up at Ozpin, and could see a smile on his face, his dark eyes sparkling in the light. She silently pumped her fist in victory.

A narrator's voice started playing, giving that usual speech about space and its endless and mysterious wonders. Ozpin tapped at a star below him with his cane, and a brief description was suddenly given about that particular star. The two started to move forward, listening to the fount of information the narrator had to give them as they passed through a galaxy. They both were looking away and around at the other stars, only pausing for a moment when they suddenly ran into an invisible wall. Regaining her balance, Ruby's wide eyes landed on some constellations of swords, and walked towards them, hand outstretched. Adjusting his glasses, Ozpin heard the narrator go on to talk about some massive sun in a galaxy, saw it swirling in front of him, and walked in the opposite direction from Ruby.

After that first run-in with the wall, Ozpin was more cautious. He kept tapping and feeling around with his cane, listening closely to the narrator. Though he didn't walk into an invisible wall again, he did walk down two dead ends, and had to backtrack as the narrator carried on. He once briefly encountered someone else who had entered the maze after him, and directed them away from the dead-end he had just escaped. But before he knew it, he could see slivers of bright light ahead of him, making the stars and planets near it seem faded. He approached, and blinked and squinted in the light as he pushed the curtain aside and exited the planetariumaze.

"Did you have fun?" the supervisor asked as he moved a little out of the way, trying to get his bearings.

"Yes, it was truly enjoyable... Ruby?" He spun on the spot, just now noticing that she wasn't by his side anymore. He stopped and looked to the supervisor. "Did a young lady wearing a red hood exit from here earlier?"

She shook her head. "Not that I saw. She's probably still navigating the maze."

"Hm." His eyes traveled up to those neon blue letters marking the dome. "I'll just have to wait for her, then." He went and sat on a nearby bench, set against the wall opposite the Planetariumaze. At first he looked at nothing in particular, observing the design of the lights, the trim on the walls, the sheen and slight reflectiveness of the tiles. Then he started to count the ticks on his watch, and take note of the people walking up and down the halls. He saw a couple of boys enter the maze, and then witnessed the person he had directed earlier exit the maze. He checked the time. Ruby still hadn't come out.

More people entered the maze, and the two boys from earlier exited. Ozpin started to pace. "She's got to be near the exit now," the supervisor offered, her smile starting to look nervous. "I mean, it's pretty unusual for someone to take so long. I'm sure she's about to step out right now." Another few minutes passed, and it seemed the sunny weather outside had turned gray and cold.

He stopped in his pacing. "Is there anything I should know about this Planetariumaze?" he asked.

"Oh no, we haven't had an accident in, uh, I mean, never. It's perfectly safe." She beared her teeth in something resembling a grin.

He looked her directly in the eyes. "...Really." She nodded. He glanced back up at the sign and down to her. He walked to the entrance. "I'm going to look for her." He didn't pause this time when he was enveloped in darkness. He ignored the pretty holograms and the soothing narrator's voice, and took out his scroll from his pocket. He started walking, accessing the web from his scroll and doing a general search on the Planetariumaze. A variety of links came up, first and foremost to the museum's website. He narrowed his search to news articles.

He didn't even get past the first page when a headline caught his eye. A couple of years ago, a child had wandered into a restricted section of the maze. They fell through a gap in the catwalk, and was killed in the machinery below. An image suddenly flashed through his mind's eye of Ruby getting churned up in massive cogs, her body broken and her cape shredded. He shook his head. She's not a child, she's not foolish enough to just mindlessly explore the backstage area of this maze. Unbeknownst to him, he had started to walk a little bit faster.

He kept scrolling, and came across another article, reading part of it in the link summary. Not too long ago, a child is suspected of having been kidnapped from the Planetariumaze, when they entered but was never seen to have exited. According to the news story, that child is still declared missing, with information at the bottom on how to contact the child's parents and the local police department should any reader posses information on the child's whereabouts. A sudden shiver went down Ozpin's spine when he imagined a hulking figure sneaking up behind Ruby and pressing a chloroform rag to her mouth. But that was ridiculous. She once beat up an entire group of armed gangsters, no sweat. But she doesn't have her weapon with her... she didn't arm herself for our date. He consciously walked even faster.

On the second page of results, he found his throat going dry. Another article described how once the Dust used in the machinations of the Planetariumaze malfunctioned, and electrocuted someone to death who had reached out to touch a star. He vividly remembered Ruby cooing at the lights, mindlessly waving her hand through a red dwarf. He closed his scroll with a click, and returned it to his pocket. He was jogging now, just managing to catch himself from slamming into the various walls as he wandered. "Ruby!" he called. This is ridiculous. I'm over-thinking this. A couple of people gave him a deer-in-the-headlights look as he ran past them, making noise. She can take care of herself. When he saw he was nearing the end again, he turned and backtracked. It's just a silly maze, made to entertain kids.

But the maze it seemed was much more winding than he could have ever imagined, and no amount of droning from the narrator about the vastness of space could have made him felt it more than he did then, wandering through the black with only the scattered light of projected stars to light his way. But the stars offered no guidance, the narrator had no wisdom to share, and his voice seemed like it was being swallowed up by the images of black holes. He tried his best not to dwell on any of the articles, or whatever new horrors his mind conjured. She's fine, she's safe, she's not hurt, she doesn't need my help, she's not upset, she's not afraid, she's fine, she's fine, she's fine-

He swung around a corner and collided with someone. They cried out, and they both lost their balance, falling over. They lay side-by-side. Ozpin stared up at the ceiling, glasses askew, trying to catch his breath. Ruby sat up beside him. "Clark, what is with you?! Why are you so freaked out?" He didn't answer. He simply stared at her, heart hammering in his chest. She quirked a brow, the corner of her mouth turning up. "What, are you having an existential crisis or something?"

And he laughed. A breathy, shaky laugh, more relieved than anything else. See? You were just being silly. She was fine the whole time. She laughed with him, the two of them giggling in the dark, surrounded by a thousand holographic stars. He eventually sat up, fixing his glasses. "I think that's enough natural science and history for one day," he said. Using his cane for support, he got to his feet, and offered a hand to Ruby to help her up. He personally guided her through the maze, not wasting time to explore any of the offshoots.

Back in the light of day they kept walking, Ruby with a shy little smile on her face. She looked down. Clark still hadn't let go of her hand, even though they had left the maze. She looked back up at him, an easy expression on his face as he quickly read the directional signs posted occasionally and lead them to the main exit of the museum. She dared not move her fingers, lest he remember and break the contact. Instead she kept smiling her almost-secret smile, keeping pace with him.

It was such a nice change. His hand's so warm. He had such an easy laugh too, so throaty and cheerful-sounding, as if there was nothing wrong in the world when he laughed. She'd never noticed it before, but his eyes seemed to have a curious melting quality, so kind when they weren't piercing into her soul. And his hand was warm. He was warm. He was so, so warm, and it felt like she was looking at someone brand new. She desperately resisted the urge to tighten her grip on his hand, lest this mysterious man slip away forever.

Eventually Clark had lead them back to the main entrance area of the museum, and they walked out of the front door together. They walked through the little plaza, down the street. A chilly wind blew, and it wasn't until then that Clark noticed that only one of his hands felt cold in that wind. He looked down, following his arm to the hand that betrayed him and still held Ruby's hand. He let go. "Oh, sorry."

She frowned for a moment, the cold stinging against where his hand once was. But then she simply shrugged and smiled at Ozpin. "It's okay, I don't think anybody gave us any funny looks." He gave a curt nod, and turned and kept walking, and Ruby moved beside him.

Just like that, and she cursed herself for not gripping his hand tighter. Just like that, and those icy walls were back, his face as wintry as his hair. His eyes were frozen solid, and he moved and acted with all those detached mannerisms that he was so well-known for. And people call Weiss the Ice Queen... 'Snow King' seemed apt. But she peered up at him from the corner of her eye. It might have just been the autumn chill, but his cheeks seemed ever so faintly flushed.

Her secret smile returned. Her hand still remembered the warmth of his, her ears still tickled with his laugh. She held her hands behind her back, humming. Ozpin glanced at her, then looked ahead again, his expression relaxing a little. I knew it. No way could she let someone as warm as him escape, now that she's seen him thaw. No way could she give up now. No way was he just humoring her. People didn't let their guard down like that for just anyone, even she knew that. One of these days, I'll get you to understand you can always relax around me. And then he would be warm, warm, warm.

And perhaps that day wasn't as far off as she had initially thought.