"I can't thank you enough for the help." Weiss said as Pyrrha helped her attach the black mesh above her ivory gown.
"Don't mention it. It's no trouble at all." Pyrrha replied with a smile. "But maybe you can tell me why you didn't want to let your team help?"
"Oh… well…" Weiss hesitated. Why didn't I just let my team help? "I guess I wanted to surprise Ruby."
"Oh?" Pyrrha asked in surprise. "I'm probably getting the wrong message here."
Weiss blushed as Pyrrha pointed out the lack of detail that was so easy to misinterpret. "Oh, right… well I suppose a bit of context wouldn't hurt… we have companion dresses."
"Companion…" Pyrrha was obviously slightly confused at the term.
"They're two different dresses made to complement each other. They're popular for twins, sisters… and couples…. But I had picked mine out weeks ago and Ruby had no idea that I picked this one. She just so happened to like the other of the pair and… yeah." Weiss trailed off.
"So it was just chance then." Pyrrha laughed quietly. "You could have just said that."
"Right… sorry." Weiss mentally kicked herself. Why am I so nervous?
"Well, I think that does it." Pyrrha finished with connecting the mesh and stood back so Weiss could inspect it.
"It looks perfect. Thank you." Weiss smiled in team JNPR's mirror as she gave a quick twirl.
"I'm sure your team will be surprised." Pyrrha said just as two knocks sounded on the door. "Come in!"
The door opened to reveal Ren and Jaune in suits, each carrying a single flower box.
"We've brought the flowers." Jaune provided pointlessly as Pyrrha approached him in her long red dress. Weiss could almost see the nervous sweat accumulating at his brow as he held her hand and placed the flower on her wrist.
"Get a room already!" Nora heckled from her bed where she was jumping up and down as Ren walked across the room to her.
Jaune jumped like his rear had caught fire and dropped Pyrrha's hand as Pyrrha looked down, her face almost glowing. Weiss had to admit that they would make a nice couple, but Jaune's skill-set forced her to think otherwise. Ren was watching Nora jump, the flower in his hand until she turned slightly and the flower was suddenly on her wrist. Weiss admired Ren's skill at dealing with Nora and wondered how long it had taken him to learn how to put something on her wrist while she was jumping.
Noticing she was staring she cleared her throat. "Thank you for allowing me to get ready here."
Her ears were met with several voices saying 'no problem'. She left soon after, making sure to take her extra clothing back to her own dorm. She opened the door to find Blake sitting and reading and the bathroom door shut.
"Is Ruby still getting ready?" Weiss asked as she tossed her clothes to the laundry pile.
"No. She left a couple minutes ago." Blake responded.
"What? Where'd she go?" Weiss asked, slightly put off by Ruby's absence.
"To get cookies." Her black haired teammate replied.
"I swear, if she messes up her dress, I'll force her to wear it all night!" The heiress complained. "I'm going to find her!"
The door of the washroom burst open with Yang striking what she obviously thought was a seductive pose.
"Heard your whining through the door, Snow Angel. How about I help you… relax?" Yang had lowered her voice an octave lower than normal, making her sound a lot more like a man. Blake smiled and hid slightly farther behind her book as Weiss slowly turned, feeling her face growing red with her anger.
"Yang… Xiao… Long…. Do not ever… call me… SNOW ANGEL!" Weiss yelled, stamping her foot on the ground as her eyes shone a brilliantly bright blue as her aura pulsed to life.
"Whoa! What's going on here?" Ruby asked quietly trailing off as she shut the door behind her, rose petals settling in her wake. The silence of the room seemed to brush her words aside as if they'd never been spoken as the two girls stared each other down. Ruby looked at her sister who was now in a much more tolerable white dress and nodded her approval before turning to her partner. Weiss's eyes and serious look on her face looked striking in the window where the sun was pouring in, giving her a partial silhouette. Ruby felt some form of awe resonate within her as she looked on while slowly pulling out her scroll.
Yang was smiling her signature smile as she easily brushed off Weiss's aggression. She quickly noticed Ruby in her peripherals with her scroll aimed at Weiss, so she did exactly what any good sister would do. Help her get the picture. "Smile!"
Weiss reacted before she could help it, her habits of growing up as a poster child coming out as she put on her signature smirk. A white flash took her attention away from the blond for a moment to find Ruby wide eyed with her mouth hanging open and her scroll in her hand as she snapped one more picture before Weiss's facial expression returned to a frown.
"Time to go. We'll walk slow." Blake announced, dragging Yang out of the room as Weiss seemed to be in a limbo of indecision between continuing her tirade at the blond or dealing with an awestruck Ruby. The door clicked shut like a cannon and Weiss flinched and stepped back towards the bookshelf.
"Sorry Ruby. I've been a little stressed lately and your sister isn't helping." Weiss said quietly, afraid to break the now tranquil, yet awkward atmosphere. "You look extravagant by the way."
"Oh, uh… thanks. You too…" Ruby laughed into the quiet room. "And she can be like that some of the time."
Weiss nodded, feeling no need to further discuss her other teammates. "Why did you take my picture?" Did she do that 'just because'? Or is there some other motive behind her actions?
"Are you mad?" Ruby asked, her face preparing to turn on her puppy dog eyes. Weiss sighed and shook her head as she looked down at her own dress. "Well… I guess because your eyes were glowing a little and… stuff…"
"Alright. Since I know you probably wont delete it even if I ask, can you at least send me a copy?" Weiss figured if she was to have a new photo in the tabloids, at least she'd know about it beforehand. She didn't expect Ruby to give it over, but those people had a way to get into everything. Scrolls included.
Ruby nodded and looked down at her scroll for a moment as her thumbs worked across the digital keys. Weiss felt her scroll vibrate but decided to leave it for now. It'll be there later.
"So… is there anything else to do before we go?" Ruby asked once again back to her normal self. Weiss had to admire her ability to bounce between emotions. The younger girl was obviously itching to get going.
"Let's go." Weiss shook herself mentally. There's no way she's like that. I should just try to have some fun tonight. Forget about all of this… for both her good and my own.