Just a little idea I had bouncing around in my mind that I thought I'd explore. Set during the dance in v2. Enjoy!
Glancing around to make sure that no one's watching her, Ruby takes another step closer to the doors that will take her outside and away from the crowds of people at the dance. She's not letting Yang down, she tells herself. It's not like she refused to go to the dance or anything like that. She put in an appearance, stayed for a while, and now she can leave, go back to the dorm, take off these stupid shoes, and go to bed.
It's not like Yang would want her to stay if she knew Ruby wasn't having a good time, right? Leaving now seems like a good compromise for the two of them. With one last glance over her shoulder, Ruby reaches for the door handle—when suddenly, there's a hand grasping her wrist.
"Hello, friend Ruby!"
"Gah!" Ruby practically jumps out of her skin. "Penny! Where did you come from?"
"I've been here all night!" Penny answers cheerfully, seeming oblivious to Ruby's surprise. "I was hoping to talk to you, but I couldn't find you anywhere. I'm glad we finally ran into each other!"
Oops. Well, it's not like Ruby enjoys the spotlight. She's been hiding out on the sidelines, hoping to avoid drawing too much attention to herself. "Yeah, sorry, I'm not too much of a party animal."
"Party—animal?" Penny tilts her head in confusion. "I'm afraid I'm not terribly familiar with what that means."
"Never mind," Ruby says hastily. She doesn't want to explain to Penny what that means. She doesn't have time. Yang, or one of her teammates, could spot her at any minute and rope her back into taking part in the dance. And Ruby doesn't think she could handle that right now, not when she's so close to freedom. "I just—I don't really like parties very much."
"Ah, I see." Penny seems happy enough with that answer. "Is that why you were trying to leave?"
It figures that Penny would catch on to that. "I just wanted to step outside and get some air," she says, waving a hand to indicate that it's really no big deal. "It's a bit stuffy in here."
"It is a bit crowded in here," Penny agrees, glancing around at the people packed into the hall. "Might I join you in "getting some air," as you put it?"
"Sure, I guess." Hanging out with Penny wasn't exactly her goal when she decided to get out of here, but chatting with her friend outside the dance doesn't seem like a bad alternative. "But won't your friends want to come with us?" she asks, gesturing to Penny's bodyguards, who seem to be looking for their charge.
If anything could ruin spending time with her friend, it would be having those two lurking around while they tried to talk.
Penny winks at her. "It shouldn't be too much of a problem if I slip away for a few minutes," she replies with a mischievous grin.
Ruby returns her smile. "Then let's go!" The two of them glance around to make sure that they're not being watched or followed, before stepping out the door and into the night.
Finally, Ruby thinks. Freedom.
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