Annnnd we're back with more White Rose! We'll be returning to Bumblebee shortly (and you will see why).
In this chapter, we're going to play a little game, for which there will be a small REWARD! (let's see how many of you are actually reading the A/Ns!)
The rules of the game are as follows: within this chapter, I have used a term/phrase that might have you thinking 'huh, I wonder what that is.' If you find it, send me a message and ask 'what is [blank]' and you win! (if you get it wrong, don't worry you'll still win for effort)
WHAT do you win? Well, I wrote a small (about 900 words) fic elaborating on that term. It's a small bit of White Rose fluff. I will respond to you with this story.
I have no plans to post it, since it doesn't really fit into the story well, but I'd like to reward those who are paying attention! If you don't want to message me on here, you could use Tumblr (i have the same username) or sky writing.
As for this chapter, I hope that everyone enjoys it!
Standing alongside Ruby on the rooftop terrace of the mansion, the younger girl looked in awe at the view of downtown Vale in the distance. The lights of the city provided a stark contrast to the darkness of the expansive forest on the opposite side of the house. Above them lay a blanket of stars strewn as far as the eye could see. Weiss couldn't think of a more beautiful place to spend this moment with Ruby.
Much like the rest of the house, the terrace was exceedingly opulent. Elegant white sofas and chairs were placed strategically around the space, with a full service bar situated in the center. Standing chandelier lamps provided a soft light in the darkness of the night, but in no way diminished the glow of the stars overhead or the city in the distance. The lamps also doubled as heaters, emanating enough heat to keep the chilled wind at bay in the open space. Cleverly hidden speakers relayed the music from the quartet below, but the volume had been turned down so that it merely provided a subtle background noise to the serene atmosphere.
This had always been Weiss' favorite part of this house. When she had been a child, she used to look out towards the city of Vale and pretend that she was a princess being held captive in a faraway castle by oppressive rulers, but that, one day, she would break free and run towards those city lights. Even if she had nothing but the clothing on her back, she had been sure that she would be able to survive in such a sparkling, vibrant place.
Of course, looking back now she knew that would have been a terrible idea, but she had been young and naïve. The idea of being free from the stress and expectations of her rigid life had always called to her as if an invitation straight from heaven.
But now, as she fondly watched Ruby take in the view of the world around them, she realized that she had never needed to run away from this place in order to feel free.
"It's amazing up here, Weiss," Ruby remarked in wonder as she spun slowly in a circle before finally stopping when her eyes fell upon Weiss. "It's so pretty…why didn't you have the party up here?"
Feeling her face warm, Weiss hoped that the low lighting would hide some of her blush as she fibbed a little bit.
"It wasn't large enough to accommodate all of the guests," she responded quickly, pleased that Ruby seemed satisfied with the answer as she gave an understanding nod.
It wasn't a complete lie. The area was too small to hold all of the guests at once, but it would have been easy enough to allow access to the terrace so that people could come and go as they wished. However, Weiss had planned to bring Ruby up here after she had (hopefully) responded positively to her proposal. She had wanted the entire area to be empty so that they could enjoy the scenery and each other's company in peace. Besides, the ballroom below was more than large enough to house everyone comfortably.
As they stood underneath the twinkling lights of thousands of stars, she was glad that she had decided to do so. This was their moment. They deserved somewhere beautiful and private to celebrate before their families got involved.
Reaching over, she gently took Ruby's hand in her own. Having held Ruby's hand perhaps a million times by now, Weiss had memorized every millimeter long ago. She couldn't help smiling when she felt the newly placed ring on Ruby's finger press into her hand. The smooth band stood out amongst Ruby's calloused fingers like a trespasser in Weiss' own home, yet she welcomed the intrusion happily.
The decision to become engaged had come much sooner than Weiss would have originally anticipated, but she had no regrets in the timing now that Ruby had agreed. In fact, if she had known with all certainty that Ruby would have said yes, she would have asked much, much sooner. Weiss had known that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her effervescent partner the day she had managed to summon the courage to ask Ruby to become her girlfriend.
But, it would now officially be set in stone: they would be together for the rest of their lives. The band around Ruby's finger symbolized this promise to each other.
Ruby suddenly began giggling, breaking the comfortable silence they had been standing in.
"What is it?" Weiss asked curiously, wondering what Ruby was thinking. She found liquid silver eyes looking into her own as Ruby continued to giggle to herself.
"I can't believe that you asked me in front of so many people!" she finally exclaimed, throwing her arms out wide and letting out a laugh at the memory of it.
Weiss felt her face flush as she recalled how many people had just witnessed what she considered to be a very personal moment. Not only the number of people, but the type of people was what really bothered her. Thankfully, Ruby was clearly happy with how everything had happened. And as long as Ruby was happy, Weiss didn't care that much for what anyone else thought of her.
"Well, that's not how I would have wanted to do it…" she replied slowly, gaining Ruby's attention once more before explaining.
"When I spoke to my parents several days ago, I informed them that I intended to propose. My father…well, he flat out said no at first until my mom stood up for me. But they were still concerned. They questioned whether I was ready for all of the attention, good and bad, that an engagement announcement would garner. They didn't think that I was ready for my personal life to be put on display like that."
She sighed, knowing that her parents hadn't been completely misguided in their worries.
"I…kind of lost my head. I told them that I wasn't afraid. That I would propose in front of the entire world if I had to. And…they thought that that was a great idea. My mother suggested that this party would be the perfect opportunity to do just that. I think she may have thought that since it was so close, I would back out…but I have never been so determined to do something in my life…"
Ruby squeezed her hand tightly, giving Weiss one of those smiles that made the normally well-spoken girl completely forget the words on her tongue.
"Well, I, for one, am glad that you did ask," she said happily, "so that I could say yes!"
Weiss smiled at the girl's elation.
"You weren't just messing with me by saying yes, were you?" she teased as she poked Ruby playfully in the ribs, earning a cute squeal from the unsuspecting girl.
"Of course not!" Ruby exclaimed. "Would I ever joke about something important like this?"
Attempting to keep a serious face, Weiss replied, "Well, there was that time you fooled me into thinking I had failed that History of Vytal final…"
Ruby laughed nervously as she ran a hand through her short hair.
"Oh yeah…I did do that…but that class wasn't really important..."
"And there was that time you and Yang set me up on that 'date' with Neptune only so that I would be stood up…"
"But I showed up instead and we had a great time!" Ruby cut in, her voice nearly a wail as her large silver eyes begged for forgiveness.
Weiss chuckled at her partner's distress, having long since forgiven her for that transgression.
"Yes, we did have a great time…and that was one of the first moments I remember thinking that maybe my feelings for you were more than just 'friends.'"
"Aww…Weiss!" Ruby said as she gave her a quick hug. "Well then I'm glad that I showed up! Yang didn't want me to because she was still upset at you for suggesting that Blake go on a date with Sun…"
Weiss looked down at her hands with a small grimace.
"Yeah…looking back, that obviously wasn't the nicest thing to do…"
She looked up in surprise when Ruby suddenly let out a small yelp.
"I'm surprised Yang isn't hunting you down for not speaking to her first before proposing!"
Weiss blushed.
"Well…I did ask for her permission…" she replied with a shiver as she recalled the moment several days ago in the kitchen, after Ruby had left to model her dress for Blake.
That conversation would be etched in her mind for quite some time.
Weiss had hardly been able to get the question out, she was so scared of what Yang's reaction could be. And then, when she had finally managed to spit out the words, Yang had looked at her, expressionless, and asked, "Why would I want my baby sister to marry someone like you?"
To say that she had not suspected that response would be an understatement. Anger, she had expected, but not that. She had thought that they actually had a decent relationship now…that they were close friends, if not best friends. But apparently she had been horribly mistaken. She had nearly crumbled into tears at that moment, worried that she would not receive Yang's blessing, after all. And then what would she do? Would Yang force Ruby to break up with her?
She had replied that she knew Ruby deserved someone so much better than her. Someone who wasn't self-centered, snobby, a know-it-all, arrogant, cruel…all Weiss really had to offer was her parents' money. She had started crying as she realized that maybe she shouldn't be with Ruby, after all. Ruby deserved someone with a warm heart, who was more patient, and kind, and open, and willing to give her everything in the world…
On the edge of despair, she had felt Yang's warm hands come down heavily upon each of her shoulders. Looking up, she had found Yang smiling widely at her. The blonde brawler had said, with tears glistening in her own lilac eyes, "You make Ruby happier than I've ever seen her. I would love for you to be my sister-in-law."
Weiss had been so relieved at that moment, she had given Yang a giant hug. As she had pulled away with a smile, Yang had lightly wiped a hand across her eyes to dry them before continuing.
"Of course, it goes without saying that if you hurt her, I will kill you."
Weiss had scoffed at the statement, saying (maybe a little too indignantly), "That would be a lot more convincing if you weren't smiling right now."
That smile had immediately disappeared from the blonde's face as her eyes turned red. In a fraction of a second, the room had become unbearably hot, causing sweat to break out on Weiss' brow as waves of super-heated air pulsed from the brawler.
Weiss prided herself on knowing when it was best to stand and fight…and when it was best to admit defeat. She had raised her hands in surrender in order to cool the girl off before they both became melted puddles on the kitchen floor. The temperature had instantly cooled as Yang shut down her aura, her cheerful smile once again lighting up her face.
Weiss had been relieved only for an instant before she realized that with Yang's permission granted, she would actually have to ask Ruby now. But, surprisingly, that wasn't even close to the worst thing that came out of their conversation…
"I have to do one favor for Yang once every five years now…" Weiss told Ruby solemnly.
The brunette held a hand in front of her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"Anything she wants?" she asked in shock, not succeeding in keeping the large smile from creeping onto her face.
Weiss nodded unhappily, feeling a slight chill travel down her spine. "Anything she wants."
Ruby couldn't help herself any longer, bursting into laughter at Weiss' plight, covering her stomach as tears sprang into her eyes.
"Oh no…I can't even begin to imagine what the first favor will be."
Weiss sent a playful glare her way. "Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"What do you mean, 'we'?" Ruby squeaked out in surprise. "I'm not the one who agreed to this deal!"
"Yes, but when we're married, we're going to be in everything together, right?" Weiss asked with a grin, knowing that Ruby wouldn't be able to say no now.
Ruby grinned back at her.
"Well, as partners, that was already the case. But yes, I will continue to support you through anything and everything! Even the horrors my sister might come up with…"
Weiss thought on Ruby's comment for a second, thinking that maybe the girl had a point. Not too much would actually change in their lives from this decision. They would still spend all of their time together, they would live together, they would support each other through good times and bad. But, at the same time, she felt like everything would be completely different. Maybe just knowing that Ruby would be by her side for the rest of time was enough to make her feel that way. Not that she had been particularly worried Ruby would ever leave if they didn't get married…but…it just seemed like it had more weight to it when it was spoken out loud.
Looking back out towards the city lights, Weiss noticed Ruby staring down at her hand out of the corner of her eye.
"Do you like it?" Weiss asked, realizing that she had never asked for Ruby's opinion on the ring Weiss had had made for her.
It had taken a great deal of time, influence, and money to acquire the small stone that was set in a narrow band made out of white gold, but it was worth every minute of headache to see it on Ruby's finger right now.
A red diamond, rarest of the gems. There were very few of the stones available to the public at any given time. If they were available, they were exorbitantly expensive to acquire, after the right strings had been pulled. Round in shape, this particular gem was the deepest red Weiss had ever seen in a stone. And tonight, under the stars and moonlight, it twinkled as if Ruby had captured a tiny red star.
"It's stunning," Ruby answered as she gazed at it fondly. "I absolutely love it. Although…it's not as beautiful as you are, but it will remind me of you when you're away."
Weiss flushed at the compliment. Would she ever get used to receiving those offhand comments from Ruby?
"But…I didn't get you anything!" Ruby exclaimed regretfully.
Weiss could only shake her head at the younger girl's concern.
"That's ok, silly. How were you supposed to have something prepared for me when this was a surprise?"
Her logic seemed to ease some of Ruby's guilt, but not all as she muttered, "Still…"
Suddenly perking up, Ruby said, "I have an idea!" before dashing over to the bar. Sighing, Weiss leisurely followed the girl, knowing that their peaceful moment had been put on hold until Ruby finished whatever idea she had just had. She leaned against the bar counter, watching curiously as Ruby zipped back and forth behind the counter. Her brow furrowed when she saw Ruby casually pull the wire cages off of two very expensive bottles of champagne. The hyper focused girl then began pulling open drawer after drawer, clearly looking for something specific.
Before Weiss could offer to help in the search, Ruby found what she was looking for, grabbing a pair of scissors out of one drawer and a small kitchen torch out of another before flying back to the cages. Picking up the delicate pieces of wire, Ruby turned her back to Weiss (much to her consternation) as she continued to work on her project intently.
Weiss loved seeing Ruby in this mood; the girl's laser focus was absolutely a thing of envy. There was no bouncing or giggling or lack of attention. Ruby would work on whatever she put her mind to until it was finished to perfection. It was something Weiss only saw when Ruby was working on her weapon or in rare moments such as these.
Still, that didn't mean that she enjoyed waiting for Ruby in this particular situation. She tapped her fingers lightly on the countertop as she waited impatiently for Ruby to finish whatever it was she was working on. Thankfully, a couple minutes later, Ruby spun around with a huge smile lighting up her face.
She raced around the counter and stopped directly in front of Weiss, reaching out to grasp one of her hands tenderly.
"Weiss Schnee," she began with confidence, "I've already agreed to marry you, but would you also agree to…marry me…as well…maybe?"
She couldn't help giggling as Ruby became more and more nervous during her 'proposal.' It was as if Ruby actually thought there was a possibility that Weiss would turn her down, even though Weiss had asked her first.
"Of course I will," she responded warmly, not wishing to prolong Ruby's suffering any longer than necessary.
Frozen for several moments with a grin on her face, Ruby gave a start as she finally remembered what she held in her hand.
"I know it's no diamond ring," she began as she slid her creation delicately onto Weiss' ring finger, "But I can always get you a real one later if you want…"
Holding her hand up, Weiss couldn't help but to admire the impromptu ring Ruby had just made for her. The girl had twisted a strand of silver wire together with one of gold to create a dual colored braid. She had then fitted the pieces together, melting the ends seamlessly to create a modest band. It was beautiful, humble, and unpretentious…just like her partner. Most surprisingly, it fit her finger perfectly.
"I love it," she remarked, looking back to Ruby. "It's perfect. It reminds me of you, completely."
The ear splitting grin that hit Ruby's face could have sent Weiss to the moon and back several hundred times.
"Yeah?" Ruby asked as she began to bounce up and down in excitement. "When we get home, I can add to it, if you'd like. I can have it double as a taser…or hide poison darts in it…or put a tracking device in it…"
"Ruby Rose!" Weiss cut in as her partner was becoming lost in thought over potentially deadly double uses for her creation. "Why would I need a tracking device in my ring?"
Ruby grinned at her sheepishly.
"In case you're lost and I need to find you?" she suggested helpfully.
Weiss chuckled at the girl's expression.
"You know," she began, pulling Ruby into a hug and allowing her lips to lightly touch the girl's ear.
"Sometimes it's ok for a ring to just be a ring," she whispered, relishing the slight shudder she felt run through Ruby's body. She placed a kiss on the girl's temple before drawing away, allowing one hand to slide comfortably into Ruby's.
"But a taser would be pretty cool," she commented lightly as she pulled Ruby over to the railing of the terrace to look out towards the city of Vale, new rings now gracing both of their hands.
"Consider it done, my lady," Ruby answered facetiously. "You shall have the most deadly engagement ring in all of Vale!"
Weiss rolled her eyes as she leaned against the railing.
"Did you not hear a word I just said?"
"I did," the brunette responded with a giggle. "I just chose to ignore them!"
Weiss couldn't help sighing slightly at the comment. At least Ruby was honest.
"It looks so beautiful from here…" Ruby continued calmly as she rested against the railing, looking out towards the city.
Weiss kept her eyes trained happily on Ruby as the younger girl gazed contentedly towards Vale. She had spent so many hours at this precise spot, thinking the exact same thing as Ruby. But now she knew that the girl standing beside her was much more beautiful than the city lights could ever be. Those lights played tricks on people, appearing attractive from afar only to become more and more unpleasant the closer they became.
But Ruby…Ruby was not a trick or an illusion…as Weiss grew closer, the girl only became more and more gorgeous to her.
Something seemed to catch Ruby's eye at that moment, causing the girl to straighten up as her eyes focused on the sky in front of them.
"Hey Weiss, do you see that?" she asked intently, her voice hardly above a whisper as she tilted her head slightly in the direction Weiss should look towards.
"No…" Weiss responded as she shifted her vision out into the night, seeing nothing but trees, street lights, and the city far off in the distance.
"Right there!" Ruby said, finally pointing towards nothing but sky. "That ripple in the air. It's the same one I thought I saw when I was watching videos of the Grimm attacks!"
"Ruby, I don't see…" Weiss began replying. Without warning, Ruby went tearing off after whatever she had seen, catapulting off the edge of the house and hitting the ground at a run.
"Come on, Weiss!" she heard the girl call back to her. "We have to see what it is before it gets away!"
Weiss sighed as she carefully jumped down off of the terrace and chased after Ruby. Running through the woods after something only Ruby could see had certainly not been on the list of what she had planned to do tonight…
"Ruby! Slow down!" she called, realizing that she had certainly done herself a disservice in the selection of her partner's dress, as it allowed the girl to run much more freely than her own. Plus, the speedster already had a head start on her. She pursued the trail of rose petals as well as she could, barely able to make out Ruby's shape as she moved further and further ahead of her, zipping in and out of the trees as they sped through the forest surrounding the Schnee estate.
"Ruby! Stop!" she yelled again, hoping that her partner would be able to hear her at this distance.
Thankfully, Weiss saw Ruby pause in a small clearing up ahead, allowing Weiss to begin closing the distance between them. Ruby was peering around carefully, as if searching for something that she couldn't quite see. The brunette turned back towards Weiss, waving her hand guiltily as Weiss slowed down to approach her.
"Ruby," she scolded as she walked the last few paces up to the girl, slightly out of breath from trying to keep up with a huntress whose semblance was speed. "Don't just run off alone like that!"
Ruby looked at her apologetically, instantly cooling Weiss' annoyance with a single gaze.
"Sorry, Weiss. I just could have sworn I saw something…" she trailed off in thought as she looked around once more, confusion etching itself on her face.
Weiss shook her head. She would have thought she would be used to Ruby chasing things through the forest by now, especially after watching Ruby and Pyrrha play "cookie retrieval" so many times.
Suddenly, the hairs on Weiss' arm stood on end. She looked at Ruby, only to see the girl jerk her head to look directly above them.
"Rub…oomph!"
The brunette dashed forward, planting both of her hands into Weiss' chest just as Weiss had been trying to speak. The force of the blow threw the stunned girl backwards nearly twenty yards, clean off her feet. Landing roughly on her back, Weiss quickly jumped up, alarm bells now ringing in every cell of her body.
Her mouth dropped open as she saw the airship that had appeared directly above the brunette. A giant cage attached to the back of the ship had already dropped down on her partner, trapping Ruby within its iron bars.
"RUBY!" Weiss shouted as she raced towards the ship, pushing her legs as hard as they could go in an attempt to make it back to her girlfriend in time. But the ship then disappeared as suddenly as it had come, taking Ruby along with it.
No, no no no no no, she thought as she raced back to the spot where Ruby had just been standing,her heart pounding in her chest from exertion and fear.
She frantically searched around for any signs of the ship, growing more and more frustrated with the lack of any evidence that Ruby had ever even been there. She looked to the sky, but there was nothing to be seen but the stars above, the sparkling lights now mocking her from a great distance.
Tears were streaming down her face as she could find no trace of the ship at all. She didn't even know which direction it had headed in so that she could try to follow. Not that she would be able to see or hear the ship if it was still sitting directly above her head. She sank to her knees at the spot where Ruby had just been, feeling despair overcome her.
How had this happened? Why would anyone kidnap Ruby?
Pushing herself back to her feet, she tried to pull herself together as she began racing back towards the mansion. There was no time to grieve right now; not if she was going to get Ruby back as soon as possible.
Yang. She needed to tell Yang.