Chapter 2: First Encounter

"I want you by my side
So that I never feel alone again
They've always been so kind
But now they've brought you away from here"

- Stolen Dance by Milky Chance -

Ruby hummed to herself as she straightened clothes on the racks of The Lotus retail store. Her short, red-tipped, brunette hair swayed as she subtly bounced to the tune. The green apron that identified her as a sales associate hung around her waist and covered part of her uniform polo shirt. It was around midnight, and Ruby had just begun her shift not too long ago.

Ren's monotone voice broke the relative silence of the store. His voice on the intercom intoned, Ruby Rose, please come to the register, Ruby Rose to the register. Thank you. Ruby yawned as she walked towards her manager at the register.

Ruby liked Ren. Granted, Ruby tended to like most people, but she found spending time with Ren to be both enjoyable and relaxing. His cool attitude was a contrasting compliment to Nora, his girlfriend and fellow manager. His calm demeanor and knowledge of the store made him a valuable asset for dealing with difficult customers (he seemed convinced that she dumped all the bad customers on him, but he would never be able to prove it). He also tended to work the night shift like her, so they wound up spending quite a bit of time together.

The line at the only open register in the store contained about a half dozen customers, along with a rather beautiful brunette woman who stood off the side with crossed arms.

"Hiya Ren!" Ruby greeted Ren, who returned the greeting with a quiet smile and wave.

"Would you mind helping this customer," Ren gestured politely to the woman, "while I work with the others? She's been having some problems that I need your help with," Ren explained.

With a nod, Ruby turned to the woman and asked how she could be of assistance. The woman replied with a smirk, "Yes, I could not find my size in some things I found here. Is it possible for you to look for them on the computer?"

Ruby glanced at the stack of twenty or so shirts, jackets, and jeans and bit down a groan. I swear to Oum, Ren. If this is revenge for last week's customer, I will tell Nora you said she could mess with your hair.

Ruby could see Ren smiling wide at the next customer out of the corner of her eye.

Ruby groaned as she gathered her things in the break room. It had been a long shift and the stack of homework in her backpack had largely been left untouched. She had planned to work on it during her lunch break but had ultimately been too tired to. After all, she had had school and practice earlier today before going to work and was long overdue for a nap.

The night shift at The Lotus was a deadly combination of long and boring for Ruby. The main reason that she kept the night shift instead of an earlier, more exciting one was because of how well it paid. The money that she and her sister made from their jobs went directly into maintaining costs for their home, paying debts, saving for college, long-term saving, etc. They lived on their own and had to work extra hard to keep up with the expenses that brought with it. That determination was what had gotten her hired at The Lotus despite being only 17.

Ruby pushed open the door of the break room in the 'employees only' section of the store and walked towards the exit. That woman's order had soured Ruby's good mood. She had asked for Ruby to look in the back, asked to look in the catalog, asked for different colors, changed her mind, complained about prices, and then left without buying anything. The worst part was the way she smirked whenever she caught Ruby staring at her… voluptuous … boobs. By the end of the ordeal, she could practically feel sympathy wafting off Ren and the other customers.

Ruby waved to Nora, who waved back enthusiastically from behind the customer service counter. Although Ruby did not consistently spend much time with her, Ruby knew that Nora had a very exuberant attitude. It was always interesting to spend time with Nora.

The automatic doors opened for Ruby as she exited the store. Ruby pulled her jacket tighter against herself when a strong gust of cool, damp air blasted her. Vale's autumnal climate was approaching, signaling the end of warm summer air and weekend beach trips. Ruby could see her breath as she climbed the steps of the parking garage to the top level where she had parked her car.

A practically empty lot greeted her after ascending the stairs. Her well-used Toyota Corolla waited patiently for her not too far from the stairs. Its white paint job had chips in a few places and there were dents in the bumpers. Nevertheless, it was the best Ruby and her sister Yang could do because auto insurance was insane for people their age.

Ruby paused when she noticed a fuzzy black lump placed on the concrete wall not far from where she had parked. Ruby hummed as she approached the blob with curiosity. When she was close enough, she could see pointy ears and a long, sleek tail. The black cat lay on its side, facing away from Ruby and towards the rising sun.

It's so adorable~, she fawned over the small animal internally. Its soft but slightly damp fur gently shifted back and forth by the wind. It looked so peaceful and content. Ruby hummed and cooed as she gently rubbed the cat's cheek. She was rather surprised that it was not really resisting. She had expected it to jolt to attention, maybe even take a swipe at Ruby. Its silence was creating a growing feeling of unease in Ruby.

Testing her limits, she carefully pulled the animal away from the ledge and picked it up. It was so cold that goosebumps sprouted all over Ruby's arms despite the fact that her jacket sleeves covered them. Ruby anxiously placed her ear on the cat's cold chest, searching for any signs of life. She could barely feel its chest rise and fall its breathing was so shallow. It was still alive, but just barely.

Ruby's motherly instincts kicked in. She knew she had to save this black cat. She zipped open her jacket, slipped the cat inside, and shivered from the cold contact. She kept the jacket partially unzipped at the top so that its head could stick out for breath. Ruby giggled a bit as the cat's fuzzy head tickled her chin.

She ran to her car and started it as fast as she could. By the time she was on the highway to get home, she was planning how to save the cat. Although she was anxious, she could not let failure enter her mind. It would distract her and she could not afford to lose another pet.

"Come on, kitten. I'm not going to give up on you, so you better not either."

The twenty-minute car ride seemed to stretch on for hours to Ruby. Her heart wildly pounded in her chest as she worried like a mother hen over the weak cat. After parking her car, Ruby dashed for her apartment on the second floor of the apartment building. She frantically pulled out her keys and scrambled to get them in the keyhole. A small exclamation of triumph escaped her lips as she threw open the door to her and her sister's apartment.

It was a small two-bedroom and one bathroom apartment with white paint that was in every apartment in the complex. Foot traffic had worn the tan carpeting and papers covered the small table in the kitchen. Because their apartment was one of the furthest from the heater, the sisters had a space heater set up in the living room by the television. There was not much room for much else, really.

Ruby breathed deeply and smiled, relieved to be home. She slipped off her shoes, not bothering to untie them or put them away. I know that Yang's going to complain but I can fix them later. She won't be home until tomorrow anyways. I hope her date goes well, or she might not be in a very giving mood…

Ruby rationalized that she needed to wash the cat while it was unconscious. She had seen cat videos online about pet-owners trying to bathe their reluctant cat. She had thought it was funny, but now comprehension had sunk in and she definitely did not want to go through that.

She turned on the space heater on her way to the bathroom to begin warming up the place. Once she was in the bathroom, she turned on the faucet to as warm as it could get. I hope the sink is big enough.

When Ruby judged the water to be warm enough (or at least as warm as it was going to get), she took the sleeping cat out of her shirt. To her relief, it seemed to be much warmer than when she had found it. Ruby cradled it with her hands and supported its head and neck. She then proceeded to hold it under the pouring water, lightly scrubbing it with her hands. She was not sure what to use for soap or shampoo, so she figured that could wait for later. A rinse had to be better than nothing, anyway.

Ruby took the cat out of the water and wrapped it in a towel from the nearby closet when she ruled it to be clean enough. She rubbed it down to dry it. One it was dry, she swaddled it and left the bathroom to head to the space heater. Ruby smiled at the fuzzy black head that poked innocently out of the towel.

Ruby sat down by the space heater with the cat in her lap. She hummed, cuddled, and petted it while she waited for it to wake up. The tune that she hummed to was very nostalgic to Ruby: a lullaby that Yang used to sing to her. It served to calm Ruby down, but she liked to believe that it was also helping the cat in her lap.

After a half hour or so, Ruby felt the swaddled feline starting to stir. She looked down and peered into the most startling, enchanting, golden eyes. Ruby could not take her eyes away from the piercing color. The dazed cat blinked tiredly in her direction, signaling her gradual waking. It opened its jaws fully, revealing its white fangs, and yawned. That snapped Ruby out of her reverie, and elation filled her being to the core.

Ruby pulled the cat even closer to herself, practically snuggling the poor thing half to death. The cat responded with a rather surprised and disgruntled meow. All of the stress from the past hour left Ruby all at once and she found strong, almost maternal emotions overtake her.

"OhmyOumwehaveacatImgoingtotakesuchgoodcareofyouandcuddleyouandfeedyouandyouhavesuchsoftfurhaveItoldyouthatandIcantwaittoshowyouoffmyfriendsaregoingtobesojealous…" The cat gave Ruby an exasperated look while Ruby ranted. Ruby could have sworn that she saw an eyebrow rise but discounted it. Do cats even have eyebrows?

The cat seemed intent on squirming, but it was crammed in its towel burrito too snugly to move much. This allowed Ruby to prepare its meal without having to worry about an escape artist. The cat swiveled its head left and right very quickly, taking in its new environment while it was unable to move.

Ruby walked out of the kitchen when she was done and moved towards the space heater. She set down the bowls of water and leftover chicken. "I hope you like it, little guy… girl? Hmmm..." Ruby picked up the cat wrap and looked at its face, closely. It met her gaze almost apprehensively before turning its attention to the bowls on the floor with a look of suspicion and longing.

Ruby thoughtfully asked, "Are you a girl kitty or are you a boy kitty? Hmm, what's the procedure here…" The cat's ears shot up and began to meow frantically with wide eyes.

Ruby came to a decision. She gently set down the cat and proceeded to de-swaddle the fuzzy thing, much to its obvious displeasure. Ruby then grabbed it before it could bolt, picked it up, and began her search. The cat was in a panic mode, hissing and kicking as best it could. I suppose this one doesn't like being held thought Ruby with a little disappointment.

"Gah!" Ruby dropped the cat and clutched the new scratch on her arm. It did not really seem that deep, but it still hurt.

A mewl caught her attention. She turned her attention towards the cat at her feet. Ruby could immediately tell that something was definitely wrong with its legs. I've only had the cat for an hour and I already hurt it, Ruby thought with guilt.

She stooped down and sat in front of the cat, which was lying on its side. Ruby apologized to it mentally and reached out towards it, intending to find out how it was hurt. However, yet another scratch and a loud hiss was her only reward. Ruby decided that it needed its space.

"All right, all right, I'm sorry, okay? Just… eat your food. I'll be back with bandages. You should feel better soon, I hope," Ruby said as she left the room to get the first aid kit in the bathroom. She took out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, a few Band-Aids, and a roll of bandages. The sting of the peroxide made her wince, but she pushed it out of her mind and decided to focus on a much larger dilemma.

What am I going to do with this cat…? Ruby wondered. I guess I'd have to take it to the vet… but that's expensive, probably. It might need shots, though… Ruby hummed to herself in thought as she threw out the Band-Aid wrappers. After I take care of the cat, I should call Yang. Ruby shuddered at the thought. I hope that she agrees with me about keeping it. I mean, it has been a while since we had a pet. I know it's not a dog like she wanted, but I can't just get rid of it… I might need to use my puppy eyes on her this time, though… well, I'm sure it'll work out. Yang can be reasonable.

Ruby walked back into the living room with the bandages and was surprised to see bare bowls and a content cat. It acknowledged her presence, but it did not glare or hiss as it did before. It glanced at the bandages in Ruby's hand before meowing and pawing at the empty bowls

"Yes, yes, I'll get you more food later." Meow "But first we need to bandage your leg." Ruby bent down and drew closer to the cat slowly. The two regarded each other for a while before the cat looked away with a sigh, subtly presenting her injured leg to Ruby.

Golden eyes never left silver as Ruby prepared the bandages. The cat gave Ruby a small warning growl when she had gently picked up the offending leg, but nothing more. She began to bandage the leg as she had learned in a book once. While she wrapped the white cloth around the black leg, the cat stared at Ruby with an indecipherable gaze. After a few minutes, layers of white bandages wrapped the offending leg in order to suppress any unnecessary movement that would further injure it.

The cat meowed contently and curled up on the blanket in front of the space heater. Ruby smiled softly at the sight. She began petting the cat without thinking but was surprised to find that she was not bitten or scratched. The cat simply stared at her with watchful eyes instead of resisting.

She marveled at how soft the black fur was, like a cotton ball. The cat never once broke eye contact with Ruby during the whole event. It twitched her ears in agitation whenever Ruby's hand drew too close the cat's head. Ruby did not need any further signs to know that they were off limits. She enjoyed what the cat gave her and was happy about the advancement of their bond, as small as it may be. The cat sat up after a few minutes to signal the end of the petting session and the beginning of the self-grooming session. Gross.

Ruby stood up and pulled out her scroll to the apparent interest of the cat. She dialed Yang's number from memory and waited in anticipation for Yang to pick up. The cat seemed to notice the tense atmosphere and began to twitch its tail.

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

Ruby inhaled sharply at the sound of Yang's voice but exhaled in relief when she realized it was only the prerecorded voicemail message. Yang was probably still working, which was expected.

Beep.

"Hey Yang, it's me, Ruby… so, we have a cat now! Isn't that great! I uh, realize that I didn't really ask you first, but I found it at work and it was hurt and I had to save it. And also because it is…" the cat growled a little, "having trouble settling in. Yeah. So… call me back bye!"

Ruby plopped onto the couch with a sigh of relief. We are going to have a very long discussion about this, Ruby sighed with resignation. What's done is done; I will have to cross that bridge when I get to it. Ruby pushed those thoughts out of her head and straightened in her seat. She had other things to be worried about.

The silver-eyed girl looked at the clock on her scroll. It was currently about noon on Saturday. That leaves me with ten hours until I leave for work. Hmmm… I still need to take care of the cat (obviously), bake cookies (I need them), and do homework (do I really have to?). Ruby's priorities were in order, and so she got down to business.

She picked up the cat, who regarded her with a guarded look. She gingerly brought it to the couch, where it would be close enough to Ruby so that she could keep an eye on it while she baked cookies. It seemed almost uncomfortable with the new situation at first but snuggled into itself when Ruby put the blanket on it. It soon passed out, unsurprisingly. After all, it was in bad shape not too long ago.

Ruby rolled up her sleeves and prepared to bake. 'Not having cookies was not acceptable' is a rule that Ruby followed religiously. She assembled the ingredients for her mission without a recipe – she had memorized dozens of them.

When the flour had settled, the buttery, homey smell of baking filled the apartment. The cookies had just come out of the oven. After cooling, Ruby put the treats in their respective tins and containers, as was her custom. She rationed the three dozen cookies to last for about three days, although they tended to disappear faster whenever Yang was not home…

Ruby looked at the clock. It was now midafternoon and she had to go to work in a few hours. She was thankful now that she had thought to eat some scraps of food from the fridge while the cookies were baking and cooling. The adrenaline from earlier had worn off, leaving the sleep-deprived teenager exhausted. She tiredly trudged over to the living room after cleaning up the kitchen so Yang would not get mad.

The baker sat down on the couch as quietly as she could to not wake the cat. She turned on the old TV and flipped through the channels. Nothing good is on. Humph… Dammit! Yang, I told you not to delete RVB episodes from the DVR. Now with nothing to watch, Ruby browsed the channels in the hopes of stumbling across a good show. However, nothing good was on and the news was as depressing as always. Bombings seemed to be becoming more and more commonplace, much to Ruby's displeasure. She turned off the television almost as quickly as she had turned it on.

A cold, wet something brushed Ruby's leg, causing her to jump. The cat looked on with amusement, and Ruby realized it had just been its nose. Ruby returned its smug look with a pout, before glancing at her bedroom door. I suppose it's time for some sleep. She looked at the cat again. I don't want to leave you alone, so…

Ruby picked up the cat and carried it to her bedroom. She set it by the headboard of the bed and proceeded to get ready for bed. When she came back from brushing her teeth, she found the cat inspecting everything in her room intently. Its gaze lingered a bit on Ruby before continuing its surveillance. Not thinking much of it, Ruby closed her bedroom door and began to change into pajamas.

Ruby heard loud frantic meowing when she was only in her underwear. Frowning, she turned to face the source of the noise only to see the cat burrowing its face into a pillow with its tail twitching like mad. Confused, Ruby shrugged and finished changing.

When she had settled into bed, she peeked at the now shy cat. It looked nice and warm. On a whim, she reached out and pulled it into herself, essentially spooning it. It struggled for a few seconds but seemed to calm down. When it relaxed, its breathing evened out. The gentle rising and falling of its chest and its radiating warmth lulled Ruby into a deep slumber.

AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I want to give a shout out to Wolfenheart and Conna McCanna for the support. Thanks, guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY