Weiss Schnee
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Light Blue eyes flicked back and forth, her expression sharing the same nervous energy as her voice. "I mean... he's very young and it's... well, it wasn't made for a child..."
"Weiss-" Her wife however didn't lack confidence for once, Ruby's face a gentle smile as she finished putting the red cloak on the boy currently sporting a grin that stretched from ear to ear. "It's fine. Magic clothing remember? It changes size depending on who's wearing it... Besides, it kinda was made for me to wear as a kid."
"I still don't get how that works... and he's a lot younger then you were." Perhaps if she had actually looked into it a bit more that information wouldn't allude her so.
"Well..." Ruby stood with a smile and ruffled Argus's hair gently, much to Weiss's chagrin. She turned to the Queen, who was currently sitting on the edge of their bed. "Magic items can be defined into three categories. Accessories, clothing, and weapons. Accessories are the only ones that take slots on your soul so you can only have three of them, but accessories can also be clothing."
A rare treat, getting Ruby to talk about magic so early in the day. "I see." Her eyes averted from the girl as she tried to work up some courage, the last time she had been so nervous about talking to Ruby was quite a long time ago. "Ruby... I was wondering if you would come to a council meeting today-"
"Sorry, it's still not finished." The answer was quick and straight to the point, Ruby was efficient and frankly ruthless with her rejection and Weiss almost pouted as her view snapped back to Ruby.
"I understand what you're doing but-"
"Weiss. It's not ok that they can just... come in and out of Vale." Argus had moved over, leaning back into his mother as he bounced a little in place. Weiss let off a gentle sigh and began to fix his hair while Ruby continued speaking. "Once the barrier is done being upgraded, then I can come to all the meetings that you want."
"And how much longer do you think it'll-"
"I don't know." She was almost growing frustrated by Weiss's questions... it was a worrying sight to see, and one that invited bad strings of anxiety into the Queens thoughts.
"Ruby... are you... using Pride...?" Not as delicate as she could have been, but getting straight to the point was better for a healthy relationship... at least, she thought so. Weiss didn't have many good examples of healthy relationships in her life.
"...What?" Unfortunately, Weiss's question seemed to offend Ruby more then anything. "Weiss I... do you honestly think I..." She shook her head, turning away and not bothering to finish her words.
"Ok... ok. I understand. I'm sorry for suggesting that." After finishing fixing their sons hair, she wrapped her arms around the small boy and pulled him closer for a hug. "But... you do know that you're violating your house arrest, right?"
Ruby wavered a little at that, her eyebrow twitching as she tried to defend herself. "Well... my duties as Royal Wizard should take priority-"
"You've been hanging around Ozpin too much." Weiss spoke with a raised eyebrow, eyeing Ruby suspiciously. "Your manner of speech has gotten rather fancy."
"Would you prefer I speak without class?" She added a tinge of pompous teasing to her voice and posed a bit as she spoke.
"Honestly yes. I didn't marry a fancy woman, I married a common rogue." Weiss returned her teasing in kind and Ruby shrugged with a smile.
"I guess I did quite literally crash your wedding."
"And i would thank you everyday for it if doing so wouldn't get annoying." They stared into eachothers eyes for a moment, almost getting lost in the air between them before the little prince stuck in the middle threw his hands up in a pout. Ruby held in a giggle as his hand wacked Weiss square in the face, it wasn't anywhere near strong enough to hurt the Queen... but her pride was much less durable.
"Anyway..." She casually pushed her sons hand out of her face before letting him go, practically sicking him on Ruby as he charged his other parent. "If you must continue with the barrier... then ill need to send a guard with you."
"A guard?" Ruby tilted her head as she spoke, the child next to her copying the motion which only further added evidence to Weiss's theory of 'the favourite parent'. "I'm pretty sure I'll be safe, Weiss."
"Its not for your protection, Ruby. I know obviously that you won't hurt anyone, but I can't just let you ignore your house arrest any longer. If you must leave the castle then you have to be watched at all times."
Ruby obviously wanted to complain... but she held her tounge, having accepted quite a while ago that Weiss was leagues better then her when it came to politics... no matter how confusing. "Ok... but... I mean... I'm a Dragon...? Who can exaclty be trusted to watch me in case I go feral?"
"The person that stopped you last time. Well, one of them."
"Weiss..."
"Ruby."
"That's such a waste of her time!"
"Indeed."
"Good luck telling her then."
"Yes, you'll need all the luck you can get."
"I have to tell her?? Nooo! She's gonna do that thing!"
"What?"
"You know...! The thing were she says it's ok but you can tell that it's not actually ok, but she'll deny it if you question her!"
"You mean... her being a good person...?"
"Yeah! That!"
"So... tea."
"Yes. Tea." Weiss had to keep herself under control. She didn't want to yell at the woman... afterall, Weiss had called her here out of the blue for a reason. Finally having returned to the garden for a meeting of a personal matter, she didnt actually have any council meetings today... plus, Ozpin and herself hadn't come here in ages to talk, so she no longer associated this place and those talks too much anymore.
"It is good tea." Her eyebrow twitched at the blondes words.
"Yes, Yang. That's why it's being served."
"Right... who would be dumb enough to serve the Queen and a Dragon bad tea?" Yang had leaned so far back in her chair it looked ready to fall over... and Weiss was terribly tempted to tip it that last little bit with her foot.
"You know I'm a Dragon too right?" She had left Argus with Blake for this, it had been the first time since the incident where neither herself or Ruby were near him... and it was stressing the Queen out a little, but probably no where near as much as it would Ruby... if she knew anyway. He was still in the castle, so logically he was safe.
"Weiss... can we just get to the point?"
"What makes you think this isn't the point? Can't I share some nice tea with my sister in law?" Weiss had to force herself to say that with a straight face.
"Well, yeah. But I don't think you'd want to."
"Well, maybe with Blake." She actually pondered that for a moment... she was sure that they could both complain about the sisters they were married to... but all in all Weiss didn't actually have any complaints about Ruby, and she was sure Blake would say the same about Yang.
"So... whats up?" Yang ignored her comment, which showed just how serious she was taking this now. Usually the blonde was always up for playful banter or teasing, but apparently Weiss's sudden call had been enough to change that.
"...How are the manors new defences going?" A desperate attempt to delay the actual topic of conversation she'd have to get to eventually. Ruby had gone through Yang and Blake's home and completely redone all of its enchantments a while ago, more then likely to the same level that the castles now were.
"No home invasions to speak of and I haven't seen a spider in there since we got the upgrade... now talk."
Weiss was momentarily distracted by that spider comment, she wondered for a moment if they simply couldnt get in or if the defences had turned them to ash... "Ruby and i... nearly had our first fight... we were both a little frustrated with eachother, but we handled it well and-!" Weiss didn't get the chance to further defend herself, she was interrupted and forced to stop as the blonde brute leaned too far back and fell off her chair. "Y-yang?"
"What??" The woman was back on her feet in less then a second and didn't even seem embarrassed about falling from her chair, still too in shock to register that it had happened.
"We... nearly had our first fight-"
"Yeah, no, I heard that! What do you mean 'first'??"
"Well... it usually means the initial-"
"Weiss!! You've been married for nearly like... two years now??"
"Yes...? I... I don't follow? Is that bad...?"
Yang took a moment to just stare at her like she was stupid, before taking a deep breath and picking up her seat. She fixed the chair back into place before sitting on it, all six feet on the ground as she stared at Weiss. "How the hell have you guys not fought yet?"
"I mean... before we were together we had a few instances..." Weiss didn't want to count those though... there was a lot of outside forces at work that fueled nearly all of that.
"Wow... I just... what's your secret? You like... really good at sex or something?"
"Y-Yang!" She nearly fell out of her own seat now.
"What? It's a legitimate question."
"One you want me to answer?? You do realise you're speaking of your sisters sex life, right??"
Yang opened her mouth to speak but closed it before words came out. She took a moment to think before shrugging. "Yeah, you're right. So... not the sex?"
"We... don't really do that too often..." Weiss was a blushing mess even speaking of it that much. In truth the only reason that particular activity wasn't too common was thanks to Argus's habit of sleeping in their bed.
"Ok... then maybe it's date night? You guys go on some seriously fancy and expensive outings?" Yang smirked as she spoke and leaned closer, almost as if to ask for the details without using her words.
Unfortunately, Weiss drew a blank. "Date... night...?"
In no instance of her life up until that point could Weiss describe a more drastic change in a person's facial expression over a short period of time. Yang went from a smirking and confident tease, to a worried expression drained of all colour. Suffice to say, not a situation that filled Weiss with confidence or hope.
"You... don't do Date nights...?" The question was almost a mumble, like Yang didn't even want to ask the question.
"I... well... n-no. We've... never actually gone on a date..." They had some decently close outings back before they were together... but the friendly work relationship had sort of instantly been replaced with engaged couple, then married, then married with a child. Weiss had spoken to Ruby about how many stages of their relationship they had skipped... but speaking about it to someone else made it sound so much worse. Like a terrible idea that you only understood the horrid nature of when you share it aloud to someone else.
Yang narrowed her eyes and focused her vision into an almost glare. "You treating Ruby right?" It was meant as a joke, Weiss had long since gotten used to the woman's mannerisms to know that. Yet, her mind worked against her. She was forced to think on that for a moment and wonder if Yang was right, even if she didn't mean it.
"I... i hope so."
"Weiss-" Yang caught on to Weiss's mindset fast enough to make her question how much the blonde knew about her as well. "It's not like Ruby asked you on any dates either. How about... tonight? Blake and I will take care of Argus, you guys can go have a nice romantic and private dinner somewhere."
"Ruby is on house arrest..." Yang didn't even grace that with a response, which Weiss could only decide was fair. She had been pretty lax with Ruby's 'punishment'.
"Ok, well... it's a big castle, Weiss. I'm sure you guys can find somewhere to get some privacy."
"You're right... you're right..." Audible and clear words slowly regressed into mumbles as she stared down at her drink, the tea having gone cold by now. "I just hope Ruby will be open to the idea..." Yang once again just rolled her eyes, but Weiss only saw that out of the corner of her vision.
Ruby Schnee
"Attach... replace... release... detach..." She shuffled a little to the left. "Attach... replace... release... detach..." A neverending pattern, or at least it felt neverending. This room felt enormous simply because of its purpose, anyone stepping inside it wouldn't be very surprised by the seemingly empty dome but if one were to approach the walls of it that would change quickly. The heart of the barrier around the city, a central spot in the middle of the town square that supplied the whole barrier from its exact middle. The room they were in only had two purposes, to contain the Dust fueling the barrier, and the ritual circle. In order to upgrade or change said circle, one would have to slowly work they were through the whole thing and redo all of the runes and magic words making up said ritual... which was Ruby's current job.
It was slow work, hot too. The room was underground as to keep it ever so slightly more well defended... as well as to not take up heaps of space on the surface. It had a radius of roughly fifty metres, reminding Ruby greatly of Amity Colosseums ritual circle... though she had only had to check that one and run some basic maintenance. A far easier task then upgrading a circle of this size. It could be compared to sowing or knitting, or maybe even drawing and painting. An artwork slowly taking shape, though in this case it was painting over someone else's work in order to make your own masterpiece. Ruby was confident her upgrades would be leagues beyond what the barrier had been previously capable of, but she could only say so with such confidence because of her eyes. If she had to do this without her Affinity, it would take more then ten times the time, and so much more effort and preparation that it was unlikely she could start before the next Vytal festival.
Surely, this situation couldn't be more uncomfortable right? That's what she had told herself over the past few days of work, but that foolish notion had been easily proven wrong by the introduction of Pyrrha's presence in the workspace. It wasn't that the Harbinger of Conquest was unpleasant to be around or being annoying or distracting or anything... rather, Ruby could understand how someone else would find this... well, boring. Boring and uncomfortable. Pyrrha had no work to do, nothing to keep her distracted, and Ruby couldn't even talk to her to help her pass the time. For as much as Ruby would rather be doing so many other things right now, this was likely the last way that Pyrrha wanted to spend her day... and the woman wouldn't even admit that! Ruby had asked numerous times, and each time was met with a pleasent smile and so much reassurance it would likely make Weiss jealous.
"Well... may as well give this another shot..."
"Hey, Pyrrha-"
"Ruby." The girl in question jumped slightly at the sudden interruption. "I'm fine. I promise." She turned and caught a glimpse of Pyrrha's smile and let out a gentle sigh.
"I don't know how you do it Pyrrha..." Ruby turned back to keep working, but apparently she had finally said something that warranted a conversation.
"Do what?"
"I don't know... you're always just so... nice. Happy...? Strong. Like everyone can depend on you and you have no flaws." She chuckled a little. "Honestly I can't imagine anything getting you down."
Silence followed her words, and Ruby momentarily thought that she had called it a conversation too soon. "There are some things..." But she had been right the first time.
"Like what?" Their eyes met as she turned again, forgetting her work and focusing on her friend.
"Like..." Pyrrha stood so far away, a good ten metres between them as Ruby crouched next to the wall and Pyrrha stood closer to the centre. "When i liked Jaune before he asked me out... that was... painful."
Ruby couldn't help but give her a small smile. "I get that." Perhaps she could understand being in a position like that better then most people... even if what Weiss and herself had gone through wasn't exactly the same.
"And... I suppose... there has been something getting to me lately." The eternal smile on Pyrrha's face wavered for just a moment, but that small drop in the facade was enough for Ruby to recognise the whole thing as fake.
"You wanna talk about it...?"
"You would be the first person to know if I did..."
"Is... that bad?"
"I don't mean it as something against you, Ruby." She was still just as quick on the reassurance though. "But... I think Jaune should know first... it... affects him too."
"Well... from my experience... talking about something is better then not. I understand if you want to talk to Jaune first... but you've definitely done enough for everyone around you, Pyrrha. You of all people deserve to be selfish every now and again."
"Coming from you of all people." They shared a light chuckle, but Ruby nodded as the moment ended.
"Yeah... I guess I'm really bad at that too." The conversation didn't progress from there, but it didn't have to. They both understood each other a little better now... and If Pyrrha wanted to open up, Ruby would be there. Just like if Ruby wanted to open up, she knew Pyrrha would be there. They were friends first and foremost... but perhaps that didn't matter as much as who they were. Pyrrha had built herself up as the most reliable person in any given room. Ruby however? Well... Ruby didn't know how to describe herself. It was the greatest mystery that eluded her always, and it spawned a question that she had only ever been able to answer when fully influenced by Pride.
"What do I want...?"
Out of life... out of any given moment or day. No matter the context, Ruby found it difficult. Answering what she didn't want was far easier, it was an innate feeling. Anyone could tell you when they didn't like something, but what you want is something you have to find yourself. Ruby clearly hadn't done enough searching... She could tell you that she wanted to be with Weiss, or that she wanted to see Argus grow to be a well adjusted adult unlike at least one of his parents... but that felt more and more like things she wanted for other people. What she herself wanted... What her dream was... where she wanted to end up when not taking her loved ones into account... they were selfish questions, and Ruby found them near impossible to answer.
All the actions she took were to ensure someone else's safety, or to keep someone else in her life. Remove everyone else from the equation? Leave her alone and without the people she loved? Ruby might not want anything. Perhaps that was scarier then not knowing what she wanted... not having an answer being better then the answer being nothing, besides the company of those she loved.
"Is that an ok dream...? Am I allowed to want that and nothing else...?"
More questions, and somehow less answers. It felt like she was constantly moving backwards, unable to find a road forwards and locate a path ahead... though she certainly had a long time to search if she couldn't find one.
Perhaps that's what it meant to be a Dragon. An eternal life, but stuck as who you were, unable to grow... Ruby chose not to believe that. Her son was living, breathing proof that it was wrong. Even if both herself and Weiss had largely stayed the same... Argus would always be proof that they wouldn't always be. Life would progress, Ruby and Weiss would change... perhaps even to the point where the other no longer fit into their lives...
She shook her head and tried to erase those thoughts. No matter what future layed ahead, she didnt want to imagine one without Weiss... Speaking of whom.
"Oh." Pyrrha pulled a Scroll from her pocket, the sound of a Scrying Orb going off in one of the slots a familiar noise to Ruby. She couldn't hear the conversation as Pyrrha stepped away to have it in private, but that soon changed as she moved back over. "Ruby. The Queen has requested you back at the castle in the next few hours."
Ruby really didn't want to make this an argument... so she decided to question it before she made her decision about whether or not to resist her fate. "Why?"
"Well, apparently your wife wants to ask you out on a date." That certainly got Ruby's attention.
"Are you sure...?"
"Yes I'm sure, how dare you doubt me! You think i don't know my stuff??"
"You're right... you're right... I just... I want to make sure I look nice..."
"Rubes-" Yang let out a sigh and flicked the girls head. "I promise, you look amazing. Besides, even if you didnt, its not like you need to impress Weiss... you're kinda already married."
"I know that!" Ruby groaned and switched from rubbing the spot that Yang had flicked to fixing her hair. It was done up nice, the longer parts had been made into different braids by Yangs much better skill and experience. Her dress was a nice red and black almost silk like fabric that didn't dip below her knees, and she had managed to talk her older sister out of putting her in heels... even if they would have looked nice.
"Now for the fun part!" Ruby dreaded the 'fun part'. Even moreso then heels, make-up was something she serverly lacked experience in... her only lifeline was Yangs abundance of experience. The blonde managed to fix the girl up nicely, Ruby stared into the mirror afterwards convinced that her sister had cast a spell rather then slather some kind of product onto her face. It near instantly filled her with a new confidence. While Ruby wouldn't call herself ugly, calling herself the opposite was something she had never considered... yet for once? Ruby felt pretty. Really pretty.
The only thing that excited her more then that right now was the idea of her 'date' going to as much effort. Weiss always wore nice clothing and make-up, but Ruby hoped that meant she'd try even harder then usual tonight. Not that Weiss needed to, rather she wanted to see the Queen actually try to impress.
Ruby wasnt disappointed when she got to dinner.
Their date was taking place in a smaller dining room in one of the furthest parts of the castle, a place Ruby had only seen a few times and one that sported an amazing view of Vale through the large almost floor to ceiling windows. The large dining table usually found in here had been replaced with an intimate table meant only for two or three people, and currently waiting at it was some candles and flowers meant only for decoration. The room was lit in a beautiful glow, and music coming from somewhere she couldn't locate echoed throughout the hall. But none of that caught Ruby's eye, instead the subject of her stare was across the room... a Queen that usually stood with authority and power, one that was dressed in the most beautiful blue dress Ruby had ever seen, and staring straight back at her.
Ruby felt pretty... but she knew with every fiber of her being that Weiss was beautiful.
They didn't need to exchange words as they approached the table from opposite directions. While it was obvious that Ruby had gotten help to clean up this nicely, Weiss's current state was purely of her own making. The Queen exuded elegance to a degree of which Ruby had never seen before, even their wedding hadn't felt this special... which was odd. Perhaps because it was a rushed event? It had to be after all. If Weiss hadn't been a princess they never would have been married so soon, so perhaps it wasn't actually their choice. This though? This simple date tonight? This was theirs.
Weiss was sat before Ruby had a chance to pull her seat out for her, so begrudgingly Ruby sat without being a gentleman first. Words were kept to themselves for a while, neither one of them wanting to break the silence and stop obviously and shamelessly staring at the other. Ruby knew from just the way that Weiss's eyes glanced over her that Argus was going to be sleeping in his own room tonight, well, so long as he didn't have a nightmare. Ruby was almost certainly going to be hunted by her wife the instant they got into bed, and the thought excited her as much as it did scare her. But that was later, she decided to focus on now.
"I... I know it dosent need to be said but... you look amazing." Her words almost had a tremble to them, each one tickled as it went up her throat and she barely spoke without carrying a nervous jitter. Weiss had dressed up so nicely for her, and that thought alone was enough to make the girl more excited then she could remember being for a long time.
"You clean up excellently yourself, darling." Weiss's voice held an air of almost teasing that Ruby couldn't help but squirm under. It was even more clear to her that Weiss was just as excited as she was, but once again her wife proved much better at controlling herself.
" 'Darling'? That's a new one."
"You dont like it?"
"i mean..." Ruby turned away nervously. "I didnt say that."
Dinner was served not long after, accompanied by some wine for Weiss's more refined tastes, and some whiskey for Ruby... Qrow had made her really like certain kinds of them. The maid excused herself almost immediately after putting their food down, practically cosplaying a waitress as she moved away as fast as possible. They were left with two lovely meals, each one tailored perfectly to their own tastes, but that wasn't much of a surprise. Every meal in this place was always served to the highest possible quality, and each one felt like a meal made for... well, a Queen. This one, like every familiar thing tonight, seemed special though. The aura of the evening simply had that effect on everything around them.
"So... I've kinda never been on a date before." Ruby figured they should talk... that's what you were meant to do on a date, right?
"Really? I figured a lovely young lady such as yourself had been asked out plenty of times." That teasing sparkle in Weiss's eyes invited Ruby to retort.
"Well, i actually married my wife without ever going on a date with her."
"I'm out with a married woman? How scandalous." They shared a small giggle and Weiss gave her a small wink afterwards. "Though, I'm sure she dosent mind."
"What about you? Any scandals to speak of?"
"Well, my own wife is quite the brat sometimes. Nothing like our son, he's a very sweet boy." Ruby feigned offence in response and they shared some more laughs.
"I guess it dosent matter if I don't know what we're meant to do on a date."
"Well, he sounds adorable."
"Oh he's the cutest. Though, sometimes i wonder if he'd look cuter with some siblings running around." Weiss turned the conversation back to more adult in nature. She piled the flirting on quick with that alluring voice again... but Ruby wasnt as affected by it this time. Instead she was distracted by Weiss's words.
"Oh... um... do you... want more kids...?" The teasing had stopped dead with that one question, both of them staring at each other with many more questions ready to fire off now.
"Do... do you not? Before we started trying for Argus, you said-" Weiss stopped. Her sentence cutting off as she remembered that circumstance properly. "Pride..."
"I... I'm not too sure anymore. I don't regret having Argus! That's not what I'm saying... it's just... I... I don't think I'm ready for more kids..."
A hand reached across the table and layed over Rubys own. "And that's perfectly fine, Ruby. One day... I would like to have more, is that something you could see us doing?"
"One day...? Yeah. I could. Just... not today. Or... this year or anything."
Weiss chuckled and shook her head. "I wasn't planning on getting pregnant again this year."
"Would you carry again?"
"Would you want to?"
"...fair point." More laughs, and the edge of tension had left the room almost as quickly as it had arrived. "Hey Weiss? Do you think that... maybe we should have talked more? Like... should we know more about eachother by now?"
The Queen didn't answer right away, instead appearing to be deep in thought for a moment as she carefully considered the question. "I understand what you're saying... but I think I know you plenty. Maybe I don't have a full list of events from your life before we met, but I know who you are. I know I love you and I know you love me. For now, I think that's enough."
"Would you have preferred to know more?"
"Oh absolutely. I'm sure you would've liked to know more about me as well... in fact, why not share a bit right now? Ask me a question. Any question."
Another game of sorts had been started, but Ruby was one to go for the match point immediately. "Argus will be King of Vale one day right? He'll take over after you step down... so... what do you want to do after that?"
"Oh. That's an easy one." Weiss almost smirked as she spoke, so confident in her goals that it made Ruby reconsider her own life. "I want to travel the world. I want to fight Grimm and powerful people, see the sights, explore every nook and cranny of Remnant... and I want you by my side when I do." Ruby could picture it. She could just as easily see Weiss sitting in the council room as she could see her fighting Grimm in a dark forest or desert... and of course complaining about the heat or anything similar to that while doing so. "What about you? What do you want to do?"
Ruby nearly fell from her chair at hearing the words 'what do you want' again. That question was like a constant haunting presence that never seemed to leave her alone... one she could never find an answer for or escape. So... she told Weiss what she could. "I don't know... but... I do know what I don't want." Their eyes met and she gave the Queen a gentle smile. "I never want to leave the people I care about. My friends... my family... all of you. I need you more then you know and... it scares me that one day that could happen."
"Ruby... I promise, nothing could ever make that happen."
She tried to keep her smile up and meet Weiss's eyes... but she didn't believe her wife for once. Ruby knew that there were plenty of scenarios in which she would be forced to leave them... and plenty as well in which she would do so willingly.
"If it came down to your safety... or even just your happiness... vs my own desire to be by your side...? I'd go against what I don't want in a heartbeat."
Nothing else mattered... so long as they were ok.