"Finally!" Ruby exclaimed.
After walking for hours, the strange pair of Goddess and Huntress reached their goal.
The town, which was named Wintergreen, was much larger than Weiss remembered though given that thousands of years had passed, she was surprised that it was even still standing. Named for the tree that grew surrounding the village, Wintergreen was originally a simple small village that barely had the population of a little over a hundred people and was a trading spot for Weiss's followers with them trading medicine and herbs for hunting goods such as meat and furs. Now the town was bursting with all sorts of people and commerce. If the sign they passed was accurate, the town's population was now several thousand.
Weiss walked side by side with Ruby down the sidewalk, the two getting the occasional stare from people as they passed by. Ruby at first wasn't sure what all the attention was for. She didn't believe it was due to the fact they were holding hands or anything since the looks weren't one of disgust or anything plus such relationships were commonly accepted these days. Instead, they were simply ones of shock/awe or confusion. It was only after a few more people walked by with the same expressions did she finally come up with an answer; it was due to Weiss herself, who was getting looks from both men and woman alike due to her beauty, (though Ruby thought it also had to do with the fact she was wearing a toga and an assortment of rather expensive jewelry. Something very much out of place in the current day and age unless it was Halloween.)
Weiss, however, was not even paying the slightest bit of attention to the gazes of her admirers as she was too busy being fascinated by all the buildings and the cars that would drive past them. As she mentioned before, she had not been on the mortal plan for many long years and while she was able to occasionally peak in on them, it had been some time since she last did. She did not expect humanity to grow this much in such little time.
"So, these things that are going by us are called cars? And you say they run off a dust infused battery?"
"Yep." Ruby answered with a grin.
"Marvelous. I would much like to drive one of them."
Ruby let out a giggle at the thought of a goddess such as Weiss getting behind the wheel and driving by. "Well, I am not sure about that right now, but I promise that I will teach you to drive in the near future." She gave the goddess's hand a gentle squeeze as she turned her attention to her with a smile.
Weiss smiled back at her. "I look forward to it." Returning her attention to the area, Weiss couldn't help but ask Ruby another question, her hundredth one probably since they entered town. "What are all these colored lights hanging from these much larger lights sticking out of the ground?" she pointed up above the streets.
"Hmm?" Ruby looked up to where Weiss was pointing. "Oh, those are Christmas tree lights. Decorations to celebrate the coming holiday."
"Christmas? What's that?" Weiss was confused.
"It's a holiday where people spend a day with their loved ones and exchange presents."
"Ah, and it is today?"
"Nope. It's on the 25th of this month so we got a couple weeks till then, but people usually get things decorated and set up a month or two before hand."
"Okay, so it's on the winter solstice. That makes sense." Now it was Ruby's turn to look confused. "It was a holiday back in the old days where people would celebrate the arrival of winter and pray for a safe and happy season. They would hold a grand feast and offer gifts to the gods as an offering. I'd imagine that the tradition stayed and changed over the passing of time and turned into the Christmas you know of today."
Ruby looked at her with wide eyes. "Wow, I didn't know that. You sure are smart Weiss."
Weiss turned her head, chin up. "Well of course, I am the Goddess of Wisdom after all. There is little I do not know." She tried to hide it with her boasting, but her cheeks were turning pink, which was obvious due to her porcelain skin tone, due to Ruby's honest praise.
Ruby laughed as the two continued their walk.
According to Ruby, they were looking for the Hunters local branch HQ. Such places were scattered all over the world and were in many towns and cities to help coordinate missions and Grimm sightings. Once they got there, she would be able to get ahold of a man called Ironwood or "the Jackass who sent her out on a death trap of a mission" according to her. He would be able to send this thing called an airship that was able to fly across great distances. Weiss couldn't help herself and asked Ruby a whole assortment of questions about it, her curiosity on mankind's technology never ending.
Once the ship was called for, they would be able to get settled in a nearby hotel and get some food and well-needed sleep. This awoke another wave of curiosity in Weiss as she wondered what kind of new foods existed.
After Ruby asked for some directions the two finally arrived at their destination. It was a rather small building, only a couple stories high. Once they were inside, there was a front desk with a guy casually sitting back with his feet up on his desk snoring up a storm. Weiss could only raise an eyebrow at the scene as Ruby let out a sigh and rang the bell.
'RING'
Nothing happened.
'RING RING'
The guy simply mumbled in his sleep and moved around a bit.
Ruby let out a small growl.
'RING RING RING RING RING RING'
Hitting the bell rapidly in succession, she didn't stop until the guy finally woke from his slumber.
"Alright enough, enough!" he planted his feet back on the ground and sat back up straight while rubbing his eyes. He finally opened his eyes and looked at Ruby. "Welcome to Hunter/Huntress Regional HQ. How can I help you?"
"Yes. I need to contact Atlas Military HQ and speak with General Ironwood."
The guy looked at her in confusion. "Uh Atlas HQ? General Ironwood?" He looked Ruby up and down. "Can I have your identification?"
"Sure." Ruby handed him her Hunter's ID to which the guy examined it and typed some stuff in his computer.
"Ruby Rose. Class A Huntress. Wow, that's impressive. Not many Class A hunters come through here. Might I ask what you were in town for?"
Some clarification. Hunters/Huntress were sorted out based on Classes which determined what kind of missions they were allowed to take as well as their access to certain resources. There were four classes which were from A-D, A obviously being the highest. A test was given out on a regular basis to determine a person's classification and based on their scores they would be assigned to a class. One way to look at how strong a person was based on their classification was the estimated amount of Grimm they were too able to take out solo or how many missions they had under their belt. Someone could also climb up the ranks if they were able to kill a certain species of Grimm or even an Alpha variation, but such kills were rare and difficult for even a Class A rank.
"Just clearing out some Grimm a few miles away from here. Nothing serious. Just need to contact Atlas to get some transportation."
The guy nodded when his gaze turning to Weiss who had her back to the pair as she examined a few weapons hanging on the wall in decoration. "And who might she be?"
Ruby hesitated to answer. She should've assumed that they would've asked who Weiss was and simply saying she is a Goddess who saved her would make them both look like a couple nutcases. "Uh her? Well, she is uh, a survivor from the village I went to investigate?"
"A survivor?"
"…Yes?"
He looked at her questioningly before calling Weiss over. The second she turned around Ruby could see the guy gasp and pretty much stop breathing as he finally saw Weiss's beauty.
"Yes, how can I help you?" Weiss asked, her voice sounding like a sweat melody, as she moved to stand by Ruby's side. A minute or so passed and all the guy could do was look at Weiss, which made the two of them a bit uncomfortable. Weiss waved her hand in the guy's face which finally got him to snap out of his trance.
"Oh, um, sorry…I just…I…uh..." Clearing his throat he gained his senses. "Your name. I was wondering what you name is?"
Weiss answered with a smile that would ping the heart of any man or woman. "My name is Weiss. I am the Goddess of…." She was silenced by a small soft hand that covered her mouth.
"…. Weiss." He whispered as Weiss stared at Ruby in curiosity as to why she was silenced before licking her hand. The redhead let out a small squeak at the slightly intimate act and moved to wipe her hand of spit. The sound must've been enough to get the guy to return to reality as he started shaking his head. "Um, well what is your relationship with Miss Rose. She says that you are a survivor?"
A sad smile crossed the Goddess's face that made Ruby worry as she turned her attention to her. "Yes. If it wasn't for this adorable Huntress showing up and coming to my rescue, I wouldn't be standing here." She looked at her Ruby, eyes filled with admiration and prickled with tears at the ends.
Ruby wasn't sure if this was her poor attempt at acting or she was just messing around and teasing her.
"I see." He didn't seem too convinced but after a moment or two he shrugged and pointed Ruby to a room. "You'll find a phone in there you can use. I'll patch you to Atlas HQ once you're ready."
Ruby thanked the man and asked Weiss to wait here while she went to contact Ironwood.
The room he pointed her towards was a small one that looked like what one would find in an internet café with a few desk and computers laying around plus a couple phones mounted to the wall. Ruby grabbed one and was quickly patched to the offices of Atlas HQ. After a couple rings a soft female voice answered.
"Hello. Atlas Hunter and Huntress HQ. How can I direct your call?"
"Yes, this is Ruby Rose, calling to speak with General Ironwood."
"ID number please." Ruby raddled off her ID number and after confirmation, was directed to Ironwood's office though the one who answered was not the man himself but one of his secretaries. Apparently, Ironwood was out on a mission to contain a Grimm outbreak in Western Atlas and that an airship would not be available for at least two days.
"Two days?! How am I supposed to hang around here for two days? I don't even have the money for a hotel?"
"Apologies Miss Rose. I can have some lien set to you but due to banking hours and the time difference, it wont be available until tomorrow."
"Ugh. You got to be kidding me." Ruby lightly hit her head on the wall and pinched the bridge between her eyes. "Fine. I guess I can sell a few things and hopefully get enough for a room, but I better be reimbursed for it!"
"Of course. Anything else I can help you with?"
"Yeah, next time you see Ironwood, tell him I said he could go F himself." And with that Ruby hung up and had to resist the urge to slam her head into the wall repeatedly and scream in frustration.
Taking a few moments to gather herself, she headed out into the reception room and thanked the guy at the desk, interrupting his sad attempts at flirting with Weiss before grabbing her hand and heading out.
Weiss had a concerned look on her face as the pair walked down the sidewalk. "Everything okay Ruby?"
"Ugh kind of." Ruby let out a sigh. "Turns out an airship won't be available for at least two days. Some Grimm have caused a commotion on the western side of the Atlas, so all ships are busy."
"Oh. So, what are we going to do while we wait?"
"Well first I got to get us some money. My scroll was busted while I was on the run and without it, I can't access my bank account. Were going to have to stop somewhere and get us some so we can afford a hotel for the next few nights as well as some food." Ruby's stomach growled at that moment, emphasizing how hungry the huntress was.
Ruby turned a bright red causing Weiss to giggle. "We will also need to get some extra lien so we can buy you some clothes. I don't think you can just wear the same thing over the next few days and a toga isn't exactly all the rage these days."
"Hmmm. I suppose you are right. I could simply use my power to change my wardrobe, but I am curious as to what counts as fashion these days. Oh, that reminds me, why is it that you didn't want to mention that I was a Goddess back there?"
"Well," Ruby scratched the band of her head. "These days people don't really believe in the gods besides a select few. You saying that you are one would just get people to look at you like you're a werido and would sooner throw you in a psych ward before believing you."
Weiss was silent for a moment as she was thinking it over. "I suppose that makes sense. I also would rather not get all the attention that comes with it." Ruby hummed in agreement and the two continued on, with Weiss asking a few questions here and there until they finally arrived at their destination.
"Uh Ruby, what is this place?" Weiss asked while they stood in front of the store, that was apparently called 'Earl's Pawn Shop'.
"A pawn shop. It's a place where you can sell stuff for money or even buy some unique or random things." She headed on inside with Weiss in tow, the bell above the door ringing as they entered.
"Hello! How can I help you fine young ladies?" A man asked as he entered the room from a door behind the counter, Earl himself Ruby would guess. He smiled at the two as they stood before him. Based on how he looked, Ruby would've mistaken him for Santa if it wasn't for the fact is beard was grey instead of white and wasn't as big as Santa would be but she wouldn't be surprised if he played the part at some events.
Ruby returned the smile and gave him a small wave. "Hi, I was wondering if I could exchange some items for some lien."
"Of course. What do you have to trade?"
Ruby rummaged through her bag and pulled out a few empty magazine cartridges and a half full vial of fire dust that would be used to start fires if she needed to camp out in the dark. Sadly, that was all she had considered the events over the past couple of days.
Earl looked the items over, carefully examined them one at a time before letting out a sigh. "Sadly, all I can give you for all of this is around $100 lien. The dust is of decent value even though it is only half a vial but the magazines are of distinctive design so it will be hard to sell them."
"Shit." Ruby mumbled under her breath. A $100 lien would barely give them a night and maybe a meal but wouldn't cover the rest. Now what was she going to do?
"Excuse me sir."
"Hmm?" Earl moved his attention to Weiss taking a moment to look the woman over, his eyes filled not with awe but confusion. "Why is she wearing a toga?" Ruby heard him whisper in her direction.
"Uh…. she just returned from a frat party?" Ruby whispered back with a wince at her poor answer in attempt to cover Weiss's strange state of dress. The man simply answered with a "Ah" as if it was a common thing around here before asking Weiss what she wanted.
Weiss seemingly didn't hear a thing as she asked her question. "If I am to understand you do all sorts of trading, am I wrong?"
"Nope you are correct my dear. Pretty much in the market of trading anything and everything Why do you ask?"
Weiss smiled as she held out her hand and opened her palm revealing a large diamond. Both Ruby and Earl eyes bulged out of their heads.
"How much do you think this would be worth?"
Shaking his head, the man reached out and grabbed a hold of diamond and pulled out a small magnifying glass to examine it.
"Damn. This is a beauty. Where did you get it?" He looked at Weiss with a bewildered expression.
Weiss grinned. "Oh, just something I have kept on hand just incase of emergencies." She was lying of course.
"Hmm well for a piece like this, I could offer you…. let's say, $50,000 lien."
"$50,000?!" Ruby yelled. That is almost as much as she made in a year.
"Yep. Is that a deal?"
Weiss stretched out her hand. "Deal." The two shook on it and Weiss placed the diamond in his hand.
The man smiled before leaving towards the back of the shop.
After he was gone Ruby turned to her side and locked eyes with her companion, a worried look on her face. "Weiss are sure its okay for you to sell that. It isn't some family precious heirloom, or something is it?"
Weiss's mouth curled up into a smile, shaking her head. "Of course, it is not some heirloom or the like. Did you forget who I was?" She questioned, taking a step closer until she was a mere couple inches in front of Ruby causing the huntress's heart to skip a few beats.
Ruby could see a mischievous twinkle in Weiss's eyes that made Ruby stuck in between wishing the man would return quickly or take his sweet time in coming back. "Uhm…. a goddess?"
A small chuckle left Weiss's mouth as she placed a finger underneath Ruby's chin and lightly lifted it up. Ruby let out a small audible gulp that made Weiss smirk.
"Yes, but one of my several domains is that of wealth."
"I thought that just meant you were rich?"
Weiss gave her a small sideways nod. "That I am but what it means is that I can call upon the wealth of the world. Things such as diamonds or precious metals can be summoned to the palm of my hand with just one thought. That means that if you wish it," Weiss's face leaned forward until their noses were just about to touch, "you will never have to work a day in your life. You could simply spend the rest of your days doing what you wish, whether it be exploring some random hobby or simply resting in my arms day in and day out."
Beads of sweat formed on Ruby's head and her heart was beating a million miles a minute at this point. "Th…th…that sounds…." 'Oh, good god what is this woman doing to me! She keeps pulling out flirts like this all the time I think I'm going to have a heart attack or two every day!'
The goddess raised an eyebrow as her smirk grew. "Something wrong Ruby? Doesn't spending some quality time with me sound…fun?" she whispered as she very lightly brushed her lips against Ruby's.
Ruby's gaze had moved from Weiss's cool blue eyes towards her lips, fighting the urge to simply press her own up against them. It was becoming a losing battle very quickly.
"Sorry it took a while," a deep voice rang out causing Ruby to jump away from Weiss and turn her face away from her to hide the deep red blush that was evident on her pale skin. The goddess snickered at how embarrassed her girlfriend was to which caused the brunette to give her a small but lighthearted glare. Thankfully, Earl had spoken from outside the door and walked in with several bundles of bills in his hands, his face showing he knew nothing about what had occurred while he was gone. Ruby, however, regained her composure as she could hardly believe her eyes at the considerable sum of money as he counted it all out in front of them.
"And fifty. $50,000 lien all here." He handed the bills to Ruby who was hesitant for a moment, still in awe at the amount of bills before reaching out and carefully placing them all in her bag.
"Uh thanks." Was all she was able to say since she was not at all used to being given such a vast assortment of money. The most she usually earns from a hunt is around a few thousand, maybe five being the highest.
"No problem. Anything else I can help you with?"
"No, we should be, oh wait, do you sell scrolls here?" Ruby inquired, remembering that hers was destroyed and she rather not have to go back and forth to the HQ just to make calls. Especially since she still had to call Yang to let her know that everything was all right. Her sister was probably freaking out at this point since Ruby made it important to call her once a day while on a mission to let her know that she was okay.
Earl nodded his head and headed over to the other end of the counter that had a glass case covering it. "Got a few of the older series but just got the new ones in a few weeks ago."
A pair of silver eyes carefully examined the collection of scrolls in the glass case for a bit before deciding to get the newest series considering money now was not a problem and she could afford to spoil herself if Weiss was willing to let her.
"Do you just want the one or two of them?" His eyes moved between the pair making Ruby realize that maybe giving Weiss a phone would be a clever idea as well. She would have to teach her how to use it of course but doubted it would be that much of a problem. Weiss was a fast learner as far as she was concerned.
After getting them their scrolls, Ruby paid for them both with the money they had just received. After a quick thank you and some directions to a nearby clothing store, the two headed out and were back on the sidewalk, heading towards their next destination.
"So, this phone or scroll as you call it is able to get in contact with anyone anywhere in the world within just a matter of minutes?" Weiss was examining her own scroll as they walked while Ruby was trying to get her new scroll to download all her data onto it.
"Yep. Pretty handy in case of emergencies. Mine was destroyed while I was fighting Grimm yesterday and the emergency one I was given didn't work sadly." She was still going to have some choice words with Ironwood about that and make sure he reimbursed her for it.
"Interesting." Weiss was busy examining the device in her hands but effortlessly avoided the coming streetlight in her way without even looking up. "But why did you get me one?"
Ruby raised her head and looked at Weiss. "This way we can keep in contact with one another whenever we are separated or in case of emergency."
Weiss scrunched her brows in confusion. "But we don't need this device to do that?"
Now it was Ruby's turn to be confused. "We don't?" The two had stopped walking and were instead standing before one another alone on the sidewalk.
Weiss shook her head with a smile just before reaching behind her head and unlatched the necklace around her neck. Moving around until she was standing right behind her, Weiss draped the piece of jewelry around her neck, clasping it in place. "While you are wearing this, all you need to do is grasp the snowflake within your hand and say my name." she whispered into Ruby's ear. "It will instantly connect your mind to mine, and we can speak to one another as if we were standing together as we are now."
Ruby glanced at the snowflake symbol now resting on her chest. She wasn't sure if Weiss was telling the truth about it or simply pulling a prank on her but decided to trust in her. Taking it within her hand, she examined it and all its beauty just before doing what Weiss had said and gently grasped it, saying her name within her mind. "Weiss"
Weiss gracefully moved to stand before her. "Hello my little Rose."
Ruby gasped as she could hardly believe it. Weiss words were echoing in her mind as if speaking to her and yet her lips were not moving.
"I told you." Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck, pulling her closer until their bodies were lightly pressed up against one another. "Now you can speak to me whenever you wish regardless of where you are and if you ever need my help I can come to your aid. No offering required this time though," she joked making Ruby grin as she reached out and brushed a lock of the brunette's hair behind her ear. "But I think at least a kiss would be in order."
Fighting the embarrassment of doing something intimate in public, Ruby slowly placed her hands onto Weiss's waist. "I, I think that's a fair trade." She spoke within her mind with her cheeks turning a tinge pink.
The goddess's smile grew wider as she was happy to see Ruby agree with her offer and let out a small giggle at her light attempt at flirting.
She wasn't blind. She knew that Ruby wasn't used to public displays of affection or used to such affections at all but was slowly getting used to it. Weiss would be lying however, if she said she didn't like how flustered she got.
She knew next to nothing about Ruby's past experiences with romance, but she could tell that it wasn't much which is a little surprising given that while Ruby was still a young woman by mortal standards, no one had managed to sweep this gorgeous red tipped brunette off her feet. Weiss was lucky for that to be the case and promised to shower Ruby with affection, making sure that she knew just how much she meant to her.
For others, such a promise would seem rather strange and out of nowhere considering the pair had only met not so long ago but that didn't matter to Weiss. One look into Ruby's heart was enough for this goddess to fall in love with her. She was able to feel the woman's love for her friends and family, could feel the determination to keep on fighting in her last moments even though she knew it was a lost cause just so she could see them again. The feeling of protecting not just her loved ones but the innocent as well nestled within her heart showing that she had a sense of purpose to fulfill in her life, something Weiss would guess had to do with the terrible, aching pain she felt deep within her heart.
And yet, even with such pain, her heart was filled with so much love and joy that when Weiss first felt it at the offering, she was almost overwhelmed. Her curiosity was peaked and as she explored deeper, she could feel her own heart beat with yearning to get to know this girl more, to be with her.
She was surprised by such a sudden and strange emotion but could not deny it. She wasn't sure why she felt such a way but against what others would see as a risk or lost cause, took a leap of faith to see where it would take her. She was sure it was going to be a long road, but one filled with happiness and adventure, something her life as a goddess seemed to be lacking. Maybe it was the Fates who had entwined their lives together, not that it mattered much.
Escaping from her thoughts, Weiss placed a gentle kiss on Ruby's lips. She could feel the jolt of shock go through the woman's mind for a second before the lips started pushing back as she relaxed.
Taking a small step back, Weiss and Ruby stared into each other's eyes before Ruby seemingly realized that they were still in public and started blushing.
Weiss couldn't help but let out a little laugh at her situation but to her surprise, Ruby started laughing along with her. It was only for a couple seconds but for some reason it felt as if they had taken a step closer to a deeper relationship, something Weiss was happy to see as Ruby got more comfortable with her.
With a smile on her face, Ruby took a step back and released her grip on Weiss's waist but instead of returning her hands to her side, she reached out and took ahold of one of Weiss's.
"So, shall we see what you think about what passes for fashion for us 'mortals'?" she said with a smile and a gentle squeeze of her hand.
With a roll of her eyes, Weiss returned the gesture. "Yes please. I am not sure but I'm starting to think that a toga is a bit outdated to be wearing in public."
"Maybe just a little." Ruby joked with a small laugh as they started waking with Weiss joining her. After a few moments, the laughter settled down and the pair walked on in silence, simply enjoying each other's company.
"…...hey Ruby, what's a frat party?"