Turning Point

"Uurrgghhhh….stupid...lady stilts," Ruby grumbled under her breath. Her hip knocked into the plastic waist high wall again, her hands slapping into the plexiglass above it to steady herself.

She was about to start grumbling again as she felt Weiss' hands take hold of her shoulders and lean her upright. The heiress' hands clasped over hers and Ruby's attention shifted to her partner's face.

Her expression was soft and, strangely, a bit apologetic, new territory for Weiss. "Are you sure you wanna try this?" Her girlfriend asked her softly as she looked around the large domed building. There were people everywhere. Tying their laces here and there in the grand stands or some already out of the freshly cleaned icy surface.

'Ugh, those eyes,' Ruby thought to herself. Weiss' damn big blue puppy dog eyes got her every time. She couldn't say no now. They were already here and her skates were already tied. "Yeah just...don't let go okay?" Ruby said nervously. She couldn't believe Weiss had talked her into this. Ruby could barely stand in heels. Now she was expected to glide over ice on nothing but a thin blade of metal?

She'd only agreed to it because Weiss had finally come up with an idea for a date and she wasn't about to shoot her down. She'd been waiting for Weiss to contribute ideas for dates for over a month now and she'd come up with nothing until yesterday afternoon.

Apparently the heiress had had plenty of practice ice skating. It wasn't surprising really. The way she moved when she fought was enough for Ruby to tell that she'd either done ballet or figure skating, or both, while growing up.

Those things were a tad too graceful for Ruby to be interested in but...if Weiss liked it and wanted to teach her then how could she say no? The way she'd talked about it and the way those icy blues eyes had lit up when she'd suggested the idea had made the little Rose swoon. The 'okay,' that followed had just sort of slipped out. She hadn't even thought about it.

Weiss led her to the open door at the edge of the rink and stepped out onto the ice. She did it so fluidly that it seemed like she'd merely taken a step down. She spun on her heels and turned back to Ruby, offering her other hand to her. Ruby took it and pursed her lips together. "Don't be afraid...I've got you," Weiss smiled softly and Ruby shook her head.

She lifted her right foot and stepped forward, blade connecting with the ice and she nearly fell backwards immediately. Weiss pulled her forward a little to steady her and Ruby's other foot came with her. Little Red's momentum sent the two girls gliding backward a few inches and Ruby buried herself in Weiss' grasp as both of her blades cut into the ice.

A small laugh bubbled up from Weiss' throat and Ruby could feel her chest rising and falling as her forehead pressed into Weiss' collarbone. "It's okay, we're alright," Weiss tried to comfort her partner and slowly, Ruby tried to stand up straight. It was weird being this tall.

Both of them were shorter than they'd like to be but on these skates they were a good five or six inches taller than normal. It was a bit disorienting at first, being so much farther away from the ground. People were dodging around them and the way the crowd moved around the large space was nearly hypnotic. "Come on," Weiss encouraged as she pushed her feet apart, her skates grinding grooves into the ice as she started to drift backward.

Weiss began to drag Ruby around the rink as slowly as she could, laughing as she watched Ruby stand bolt upright and far too rigid to support herself.

"You know if you fall you can just use your aura right?" Weiss smirked and Ruby's cheeks lit up red.

"I'm not scared to fa-haaaa," she started loudly but trailed off as one of her feet slipped and Weiss had to catch her and hold her up.

"Everyone is scared to fall when we skate for the first time Ruby. The only way you get better at it is to keep trying. You're gonna fall a lot but, once you're no longer afraid to fall you'll get better and better much more quickly," Weiss explained as she started to drag Ruby behind her again.

Ruby was silent for a long while as she mulled over Weiss' explanation. There was some personal information behind her words that Ruby could sense and maybe if she asked, the distraction would help her forget that she was standing on two tiny knives on ice.

"Did you fall a lot?"

Weiss smirked a little before she nodded her head. "Yeah...yeah I did at first."

"Did you just skate for fun or...did you do figure skating?" Ruby stumbled through the sentence as she tried to start to mimic Weiss' foot movements. It wasn't easy, and Ruby was more or less stumbling across the ice but it was better than falling.

"It was just for fun at first but yeah, I started figure skating a little after. Winter got me into it…" she said softly. Ruby didn't want to pry but Weiss so rarely mentioned anything about her family that she couldn't help it.

"Your older sister? She skated too?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "She started to figure skate really young, way younger than me but she had to stop when she started at Atlas Academy...they don't really care about sports or extracurricular activities there. It's all about combat all the time."

"Well...I'm glad you decided to come here instead," Ruby shrugged a little and she felt Weiss squeeze her hands a little.

"Me too…thanks for...coming with me today Ruby."

"I mean...I'm just holding you back from having a good time aren't I?"

"No no," Weiss said hurriedly as she shook her head. The heiress stood up straight and Ruby couldn't help but glide into her grasp. Weiss threw her hands around Ruby, her arms settling around her lower back. Ruby was a little shocked at first but tried her best to not show it. Weiss had been trying much harder to be open with her emotions lately and Ruby wasn't about to give her any ideas that that was weird or unwelcome. "I'm really glad you came…" she repeated softly, her face buried into Ruby's neck.

"I am too," Ruby couldn't help the shy smile that drew across her lips. The pair separated enough for Weiss to start skating beside her, hand in hand so she could keep dragging Ruby with her. "So how am I supposed to actually do this?" Ruby asked nervously.

"Well for starters you need to bend down. Your Center of gravity is too high when you're upright like that."

Ruby started to lean over slightly and nearly fell forward before Weiss' hand flew to her chest and pushed her back upright. "No no, bend your knees not your back," Weiss demonstrated as she spoke.

"Hookaaayyy," Ruby said as she put out her other arm to try and balance herself. Her knees bent and she sank slightly to mimic Weiss' orientation.

"Okay now all you do is just," she began and Ruby's eyes fixated on Weiss' skates. "Turn your foot and push," she demonstrated and the pair began to move.

"Now you want me to balance on one foot!?" Ruby gasped and Weiss began to laugh.

"Well I guess you could skate the easy way," she chuckled and brought both of her feet together again. "You can just push both your feet outward and then pull them in, like a big oval," she said as they began to move again. "Without ever having to lift your feet and move like that. You just won't get going very fast."

"Who wants to go fast," Ruby said shakily.

"Asks the girl with the super speed," Weiss smiled again. "But if you're comfortable doing that instead then try it," she said and Ruby panicked a little when the Ice Queen's hand left her own.

"I didn't say that!" Ruby said quickly as she fought to stay upright and Weiss took a few paces ahead of her and turned back to face her.

"Just try it," she smiled. "I'll stop you."

When Ruby had finally regained her balance her eyes shot between her own feet and her girlfriend several times. She tried to get her feet into the positions that Weiss had showed her and finally, she began to push them outward. That was the easy part. She started to move little by little but then she had to start bringing her feet back together. That was the harder part.

"Okay turn your toes in a little, not too much. Keep your blades on the ice and pull your legs back together."

At least Weiss was looking out for her. She did as she was told, and aside from a small stumble along the way, little red found herself in Weiss' arms in only a few more moments. She buried her face into her partner's neck and held on tight, trying not to fall over as she stood straight up again. "Nice work," Weiss said and she couldn't help but note the slight breathlessness in her voice. "Wanna try again?"

"Uhm...could I sit down for a second actually?" Ruby managed to ask as she drew back from her partner. She nodded toward the benches at the edge of center ice where several other skater's were resting.

"Did I tie your skates too tight?" Weiss asked quickly.

"No no I just...I wanted to watch you skate for a few minutes...that's all," Ruby smiled and Weiss' cheeks lit up bright red.

"Oh," she realized slowly. "Uhmmm...sure," she said as she led Ruby to the bench and helped her up back onto dry land. Ruby sat down and watched Weiss kick back off away from the boards. Weiss gave her one more regarding smile before she turned away and pushed off with her right foot. Ruby was amazed that that was all it took. Just one push and Weiss was already moving faster than anyone else out on the ice.

These public skates probably weren't the place for Weiss to show off but it's not as if she was the only one. There were others out there that clearly knew what they were doing, but Ruby doubted any of them were in as good shape as a huntress in training. A few strides and she was already halfway around the rink, her feet crossed over as she turned to follow the crowd and dodge smaller kids and slow adults.

She was so fluid. Ruby knew she wasn't very coordinated but compared to Weiss she looked like a toddler. Weiss' long white ponytail flew behind her.

It didn't take long for Weiss to drown out everyone and everything around her and Ruby could see it in the way she moved. She could see it in her face too. She looked so relaxed and practiced and...beautiful. The way her eyes drifted shut and the wind blew through her hair said it all.

Ruby could tell too that Weiss wanted to flex her figure skating techniques but the crowd was just too dense for that. Weiss drifted out toward the middle of the ice eventually where there were less people and began to spin in different directions and different positions. Ruby had never watched figure skating before but she was beginning to think that maybe she should. The way Weiss moved was incredible. The amount of practice and balance and trust she had for her talents and those thin little blades was incredible.

Weiss was incredible.

The amount of effort she'd been putting into doing better since their last little spat had blown Ruby away. She hadn't expected such a sudden turn around at all from the heiress. Unlearning habits and tendencies was not something that happened quickly and Ruby had been willing to wait but...maybe she wouldn't have to wait for very long in the end.

She still couldn't believe they were dating. Everytime she thought about the way it had started she felt like a fool. The way she'd just sort of...blurted it out really, had been not only embarrassing, but entirely accidental and unexpected. She'd just sort of...yelled it at her one day while they were arguing about some stupid childish thing Ruby had done. She couldn't even remember what they'd been yelling about but eventually the conversation had turned to the fact that their other two teammates were dating and then Ruby had just...asked her out from out of nowhere.

Even more bizarre was that Weiss had agreed to the suggestion as long as Ruby stopped being so childish. Well clearly that hadn't worked very well but...now they were together and things seemed so good. Especially right now, watching Weiss smile.

That soft smile so rarely came out and Ruby silently cursed herself for not having her scroll in her pocket to snap a picture. Maybe they'd have to do this more often...make it a regular date so she could spend more time with Weiss doing something her partner loved.

Eventually Weiss froze when she found Ruby staring at her with her mouth hanging ajar. Her cheeks were lit up red as she finally approached the bench again. Weiss plopped down on the bench gracefully beside her partner and stared back out across the rink. "Sorry I...kinda got lost in it for a second."

"You're amazing," Ruby breathed without thinking. Weiss' smile crooked up into a smirk.

"You know how I feel about flattery Ruby," she mused and both girls began to laugh.

"Really though you...you looked really beautiful and...happy," Ruby smiled and threaded her fingers into her girlfriend's. "Wanna come do this more often?"

Weiss looked down to their fingers and then back to Ruby, her own lips now silently parted as her brilliant blue eyes became lost in Ruby's dull grey hues for a moment. "Yeah," she breathed. "I'd...I'd really like that," she said softly as she squeezed Ruby's hand.

Weiss watched Ruby's eyes flick down to her lips and back up to her eyes several times. They could each feel each other's breath on their lips from sitting so close and Weiss didn't know what to do.

This wasn't the first time they'd frozen so close to each other like this. Nor was it the first time that Weiss could tell that Ruby wanted Weiss to kiss her.

It should be her responsibility after all...she was two years older than Ruby. She should know what to do more than her younger partner but...she didn't. She didn't have the faintest idea of how to kiss somebody, or tell them how much she cared about them. She could be misreading the situation or seeing things that she wanted to see, rather than seeing the truth. She wanted Ruby to want this but...her thoughts had this far gotten in the way of finding out for sure.

She had to try.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked softly. She could tell little red was slowly inching toward her and she had to act. Just drown out the world around them like she had when she was skating. None of the people there mattered. Their opinions or the way they stared at them didn't matter at all at the end of the day. All that mattered was this.

She leaned forward and felt Ruby's breath hitch in her throat as their lips finally met. They were only brushed up against each other for a moment though. Weiss had been afraid to kiss her too harshly since she didn't know what she was doing. It was the thought that counted...right?

Judging by the way her stomach felt like she was doing somersaults she figured that that wasn't true. She felt like she was walking on air. Ruby began to push back a little and Weiss was slightly shocked to find how much deeper the kiss became. Their lips wove together gently and she felt Ruby's fingers tighten around hers. It was only another moment before Red pulled back though, and left Weiss dizzly kissing the air between them.

Her eyes fluttered open to find Ruby staring back at her with a smirk spread on her face and Weiss instantly remembered where they were. Her head darted around to see if anyone had caught them and to her dismay, several people around the rink were staring at them, snickering to each other or smiling.

Her face was hot and she looked back down to her lap. "Hey," Ruby said, and she felt the girls thin fingers brush over her cheek. "It's okay, don't look at them...look at me," she said and lifted Weiss chin until their eyes met. "Thank you," she smiled.

"...Thank you? For what?" Weiss asked, flustered but trying to focus on her partner.

"For...well...for trying so hard," Ruby said as her own cheeks lit up red. "I appreciate it."

"Oh…" Weiss breathed before she closed her eyes and shook her head. "Well...you deserve it," she smiled as she took a long breath and tried to calm her heart. She'd never felt like this before in her entire life. She'd had silly crushes before but she'd never actually acted on any of them, nevermind kissed another person in public like that. Or at all…

"The times almost up," Ruby pointed out as she nodded up to the scoreboard. Weiss had made them a bit late that morning and they had finally arrived only about an hour before the rink would be ending the public skate. "Wanna go get some lunch?"

"Ye-ah," Weiss tripped over the word a little before clearing her throat and speaking up. "Yes," she nodded as she stood and pulled Ruby to her feet. The girls headed back over to their shoes in the bleachers and Weiss helped Ruby get her skates off.

"Owwwww," the younger girl groaned as the hard plastic boots finally let go of her feet. "You do this for fun?" She scoffed and Weiss chuckled as she set to work untying the other boot.

"You get used to it," she grunted as she pulled at the knot. "Though I'm sure my feet will be hurting too after not skating for so long."

When they'd finally both gotten back into their shoes and stood up, Ruby nearly had just as much trouble walking in her boots as she did in the skates her feet were so sore from the pressure.

"So where do you wanna go?" Weiss asked, hand in hand.

"Ah, uh uh," Ruby smirked and shook her head. "It's your day. Your turn to pick."

"Oh...right...wellll," she said as she looked around for inspiration. Vale was a very different scene compared to what she was used to. She'd traveled all over Remnant for business meetings or just for vacation but she'd never stayed somewhere so rural for so long before.

It was winter though so at least she had some semblance of familiarity. The issue was that there weren't many high class restaurants, if any, around this area of town. She'd been lucky thus far, as most of her meals had been in the cafeteria at Beacon which was stocked full of just about anything anybody could ever want. It was an expensive school after all. But now, in public, it was slim pickings.

"I don't...really know what's around here you know." She tried to reason with her partner.

"Welllll there's all kinds of stuff. Sandwich shops or burger joints," Ruby replied. That was what she was afraid of. Fast food.

Another normal piece of a normal life she'd never experienced, and was a bit afraid to try. She'd heard nothing but bad things about it. Sure it tasted good, but the things it did to you afterward weren't worth it.

"Afraid to try new things?" Ruby stuck out her tongue playfully and Weiss huffed, folding her hands under her chest and turning away from her.

"I…" she started but stopped. Ruby had tried something new for her...it was time to reciprocate. 'Just take a deep breath and say okay,' she thought to herself. "Which one would you recommend…"

Ruby froze. She hadn't expected Weiss to admit it that easily but she couldn't stop now. "Cheeseburgers?" She smirked wickedly as Weiss turned back to her and sighed.

"Yeah fine...just...make sure they're good. Wouldn't want my first one to be bad."

"You've...never had a cheeseburger?" Ruby gasped. "Like not even once when you were little?"

"No! We don't eat garbage in Atlas," Weiss half laughed and half yelled.

"They are so good though!" She said as she retrieved Weiss' hand and began to haul her down the sidewalk. "Come on we need to fix this," she said sternly and Weiss couldn't find any hint of a joke in her tone. As she stumbled after Ruby a small smile started to pull at her lips as she watched her partner's red and black hair bob back and forth ahead of her.

"Alright."