"Uh… Weiss? What the fuck're you doing?"

The girl in question jumped so hard she nearly swallowed whatever was between her lips. It fumbled out of her fingers, falling to the Beacon balcony with a pathetic spurt of orange sparks. It smoked.

Ruby looked up from the little smoking thing (which could not be what she thought it was) and noticed that Weiss was in her maid uniform, which meant she'd just come back from her shift. This wasn't something Ruby was mentally ready for.

Was it fucked up that she'd expected something… different? It was just a nice black dress with all the white frilly stuff and a bunch of bright blue bows, falling nearly to Weiss' ankles. Her shoes— stout black pumps— were lying on top of one another, not on her socked feet.

"None of your business?" Weiss said slowly, her eyes bouncing between Ruby and the thing she'd had with a 'can I finish this?' look.

"What is that?" Ruby asked stupidly, knowing the answer. "You seriously do that now?"

Weiss picked the thing back up and shrugged, fishing a squat electric lighter out of the front of her frilly apron. "Hast—" she clicked her tongue. "Have you ever worked in food service?" Tucking the half-smoked thing back between her lips, she lit it with the bright blue arc (rather like her eye, actually) of her lighter.

Ruby watched her take a short drag, then blow out a thin puff of smoke colored navy by the backdrop of night. "No," she said decisively, her face crinkling at the scent of the smoke blowing by.

"It's something you pick up with closers." Weiss looked behind Ruby, searching. "Your, er…"

"She's not here."

Weiss looked for an extra moment, as if she didn't fully believe Ruby, before stepping aside and beckoning to a spot along the railing beside her. Ruby, now a little paranoid, checked behind her before approaching. Weiss passed the thing. Why the hell did Ruby take it? Why did she use it?

"Tried the pants yet?" Weiss asked.

"N—" Ruby hacked out smoke as she was punished for speaking with it inside her. "No-oooo-hooooooo, shit. No."

Weiss smirked, amused. "And why not? I made them, are you too good for the machinations of a filthy Fourth?"

Ruby winced. "I just… haven't had the chance."

That was a lie, one which had her pinching her shoulders back. She had plenty of chances. She was just scared. She didn't want Pyrrha to think she was accepting gifts from Weiss. Though, right now, that felt… stupid. They were pants. Her first good, real, made-for-her pants. So what if Pyrrha didn't like them? They didn't have to agree on everything.

Why did it feel like they did?

"Do you always roll your shoulders when you lie?" Weiss asked easily— genuinely— not even lording over her nemesis with how well she read her. "Is it a tic? Or just a habit?"

Ruby's gaze slid away. "It can be both."

Weiss hummed, but didn't press what they obviously both knew to be a lie. Ruby took another hit, which Weiss looked scandalized at. "Rude. Haven't you—"

"No," Ruby answered, her voice pathetically small.

"Oh."

Weiss maintained her silence, but bumped Ruby's elbow as she obviously placed the thing in her lips, drew from it, and passed it with overplayed courteousness to her nemesis. Ruby rolled her eyes, feeling a pressure behind them. "Whatever," she mumbled, taking the thing and pulling its stuff into her lungs. "Thanks."

"Do you want to know something sad?" Weiss asked, watching the smoke curl out of her partner's mouth.

Ruby, who had tried really hard to hold it in and looked cool, ended up embarrassing herself as she hacked out the smoke, pitifully passing the thing back to Weiss. "N-no?"

"I quite like the dress," Weiss admitted anyway, pulling her skirts up and doing a cute little spin. "It's… more clothes, which is nice."

"It's a work uniform," Ruby felt herself saying, more focused on the warm, pleasant pressure growing behind her eyes. "I bet it smells like milk."

Weiss shrugged. It was dark, so Ruby told herself she couldn't see her smile. "Coffee. So much coffee."

Ruby giggled. Which was stupid. Why the hell was she giggling at Weiss Schnee, Professional Turbo-Racist?

Why the hell wouldn't she? Why did she care?

She didn't. At all— it meant nothing to her. This wasn't even her girlfriend. She was so comfortable being around Weiss, she didn't feel any type of way about it. Just to prove that, she leaned along the railing, the angle of her body shifting over until her cheek came to rest on Weiss' shoulder. She breathed, and yep, coffee.

"Yeesh," she said casually, nonchalantly, not-caringly. "Yeah, I prefer the juniper."

Weiss looked down at her and blinked. From this close, it was easy to see the reddened sclera of her good eye. "Juniper?"

Ruby nodded. That'd rolled off her tongue so easily. Why wouldn't it? Weiss was her partner, after all, who better to overshare with? "That's why I wore your shirt, back then. It's a really nice smell. Comforting. Not cologne-y, but… body-y. Natural, I guess?" Normal thing to say to Weiss, of course. They were nemeses; nothing would be weird. "'S that why you use my conditioner?"

Weiss' eyes turned away, her voice ashamed or guilty, or something indecipherable Ruby really couldn't recognize right now. "I got my own."

Ruby looked up at her, but Weiss didn't meet her gaze. It was pretty normal the way Ruby raised one hand, cupping the tresses of Weiss' thick, silken hair, and brought it to her own colossal nose. It had a rose-ish smell, beneath the coffee and sweat of a long shift. "I prefer mine," Ruby said casually, because it was casual.

"Whyfor…" Weiss shook her head, incidentally slipping her hair out of Ruby's fingers. "Why're you here?"

Ruby shrugged. "I smelled dank shit."

Weiss snorted, passing the 'dank shit' again. Ruby took a normal hit. Because she was normal. "Thou'rt ticcing," Weiss noted, pointing towards her partner's feet, which were scratching (kshrrrk, kshrrrk) the concrete balcony. She hadn't even noticed.

Ruby exhaled, then took another hit before passing it back to Weiss. There wasn't much left. "Do you mind?"

Weiss burned it almost down to her lips, wincing and coughing as she breathed hot smoke. "Is that okay?" she wheezed, looking at where Ruby had come from again. "I would not want to, er… trouble thee. Or thy— your— relationship."

"You won't."

"Art thou certain?"

Ruby wasn't sure why she wouldn't be certain. It was a perfectly normal thing— basically their way of greeting since they'd first met (i.e. since they'd first nearly killed each other). "It's just for my tics."

Weiss gave her a long, unsure look before casually snuffing the orange-embered thing's tip right on the skin of her wrist. She winced, hissing, before her lips quivered into something almost smug. "And I've injured myself. What perfect coincidence."

Weiss held out her hand. Without hesitation, Ruby put her whole idiot face in it.

"Flor—"

"What?" Ruby asked, pulling herself off her partner's hand. Weiss looked away.

"N-nevertheemind."

Ruby contentedly pressed her face back into Weiss' hand, keeping her eyes cautiously locked on her nemesis' when she turned to look. Weiss warmed.

How many weeks since Ruby's last siphon?

It didn't matter. It hit like it'd been years.

"Fuck," she groaned into Weiss' palm. "How have I lived without this?"

Weiss coughed. "I—I, er—" she pulled the hand away, making Ruby huff needily. "Thou… you are strong. Needest me not."

Ruby, feeling light on her feet, easy in her head, and warm behind her eyes, giggled. "You're so inconsistent," she muttered fondly. "With your, uh, Valish, that is."

"I am trying."

"Why?"

"For you."

Ruby looked at her.

Weiss wouldn't meet her eyes. "I… sorry. Forget I said that, twas… queer— improper."

Ruby would 100% not forget that. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"For me."

Ignoring the question, Weiss held her upper arms and rubbed them against the chill. It was probably a sign to go inside. Ruby took it as a sign to shuffle over and hug her instead. She was pretty warm, after all, and her feathers could cover Weiss' torso like a blanket.

"Pyrrha blocked you on my phone."

"O-oh."

"I… didn't like it."

Weiss said nothing. Except for, after a long while of silence: "Florabel?"

"Hm?"

"Do you really hate when I call you Ruby?"

Ruby nodded. It felt so easy to admit things, like she was on a cloud or in a dream, knowing they had no consequence. The words just slipped out with ease: "Nobody else calls me Florabel. I… I like it. It's like a, uh, pet name, or something."

"A what?"

"A nickname, or something."

"Ah."

Ruby closed her eyes. It felt so nice to be comforted. Why did she hate Weiss, again? "I stole your notebook. Diary. I haven't read it."

"You… haven't?"

"No, feels weird to. Should I?"

"You could, if you want. It's quite old."

"You're okay with me having it?"

"Aye."

"Did you even notice?"

Weiss snorted. "When I saw you wearing my shirt and the only other thing that'd been in that dresser was missing, I figured it out."

"Except for your bra."

Ruby felt her get noticeably warmer. Gayass. "T-thou'st seen no such thing."

"Oh, I've seen it," Ruby dared, feeling loose and easy. "You've got zero tits, but it's pretty."

"Silence."

"What? I think it'd look nice."

"Don't…" Weiss squirmed a little. Ruby chuckled at how pathetic she was, and kept on laughing when she noticed the goosebumps trickling up the back of her nemesis' neck. "Thou— thinkest thou no such thing."

Shit, she was cute when she was flustered. "What, can't talk right when you're blushing?"

"S-stop, Florabel, thou— you have a girlfriend."

Oh.

Right.

Ruby backed away, feeling like someone had just come up from behind and poured ice down her shirt. "Uh… r-right. Uh. Sorry. I do have… that. A girlfriend. Pyrrha."

Weiss turned to look at her. Ruby kept backing away. "Wait, Florabel, I wanted to talk about my shift and… things. Work things. Chatting. Please."

Ruby kept backing away, her chest feeling smoke-choked again. "Um, no, n-no, I— I shouldn't."

"Please? I— I missed…"

"Pyrrha wouldn't like it."

Weiss reeled, making a face like she'd been given a glass of spoiled milk. "Wouldn't like it?"

Ruby continued backing away. "Me being around… Fourths."

"She doesn't approve?"

That struck Ruby exactly as one would expect: lethally. It hit her like chain-shot, wrapping around her chest and pulling her ribs tight around her lungs. It was hard to breathe, hard to think, hard to do anything. Vacant as she was, it was hard to be anything but scared. Arms clutching around her waist, Ruby shambled out past the balcony doors.

She… she needed someone. Some kind of reassurance— she was falling apart and she needed someone to hold her together— the negative thoughts were spiraling in Ruby's head: 'like mother like daughter;' 'you're supposed to hate her;' 'why the fuck did you think it'd be a good idea to do drugs with your partner;' 'why did it feel so natural;' 'are you stupid? Her people tried to kill you;' 'Pyrrha's everything she could never be;' 'why doesn't Weiss scare you like Pyrrha scares you;' 'why can't you make up your mind;' 'why're you always like this;' 'why can't you just accept what you want;' 'why can't you just have a good thing;' 'go back;' 'don't you fucking dare go back.'

Pyrrha met her outside the JNPR dorm. She looked so tired— shit, when had she texted Pyrrha? It was just balcony and boom, JNPR dorm, Pyrrha right there— everything was happening at once. She could feel her heart in her ears. Or behind her eyes. Somewhere not in her chest.

"Ruby?"

Why did it sound wrong? "P-Pyr, something happened, I'm sorry, I— I did something."

Pyrrha opened her arms for her girlfriend, but flinched back and wrinkled her nose as Ruby stepped close. "Have you been smoking?"

"It— it was just once," Ruby assured her. "I didn't mean to— it just— it—"

Her brain was empty, her soul was vacant, and her chest felt like a singularity. She couldn't make up any excuses. She could barely speak at all.

"Please," she inched towards Pyrrha. "Could you hug me? Or something? I— I think I'm having a panic attack."

"You've never had that before."

Why wasn't she just hugging her? Was that so much to ask? "I dunno, I'm anxious. Please, Pyr."

Pyrrha stepped closer, almost hugging her, holding Ruby's shoulders at arm's length as she searched the Faunus' face. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

For god's sake, just hug her! "W-what?"

"You talked to Weiss, didn't you."

It wasn't even a question. "Pyrrha, please, just hug me."

Pyrrha stared into her eyes for a few long, worrying seconds before she finally took Ruby into her arms, squeezing tight. It helped… some. A little. She held on too tight.

"P-Pyr, let up on—"

"No more talking to the Fourth," Pyrrha asserted, stroking Ruby's back in a way that wasn't very comforting at all. "She's trying to manipulate you, get you in something like last month again. My sweet Second," she cooed, not as sweet as it should've been— more steely. "You're safe around me, okay? Don't talk to her."

Ruby didn't care. She felt so fucking terrible, she just wanted to be held normally before her brain collapsed in on itself. Pyrrha was okay to hold. Weiss wasn't. That was why Ruby left the balcony. To get away from the Fourth, and escape into the safety of the First. Of course.

"Hey, you know it's prom soon, right?"

Ruby absently nodded. "Yeah, but it's on my birthday. Yang and I were gonna go celebrate somewhere else."

Pyrrha let out a huff. "Are you sure? I thought you'd come with me. I'll treat you. We can get you a nice dress, show everyone how pretty you are, then you and I can have some time all alone."

"Um…"

"Please?" Pyrrha bade, separating Ruby just enough to show the Faunus her puppy-dog eyes.

"O-okay…" Ruby relented, which earned her more slightly comforting time in Pyrrha's arms. "I'll have to tell Yang."

"Of course. She's fine."

Ruby blinked. "What?"

"Nothing," Pyrrha was quick to amend, pulling Ruby's head into her chest. "I'm so happy you'll be my date. I've never had one before. Thank you, Ruby."

Pyrrha kissed her head. It felt nice enough.

The night of the Halloween prom was one during which Weiss was scheduled to work. She'd taken an extra shift, staying late for the 'Anti-Prom' event night, in which the cafe advertised itself as a place for dateless students to seek respite in the casual role-play of the maid cafe.

Weiss did not particularly mind her job. She was a closer whenever she worked, and the tedium of her craft was overshadowed by the fact she was getting paid for it— not particularly well, but she was making more money than the Ln0/hr that she'd been making before. At least now she had a couple real pieces of clothing.

She did mind the makeup they had her in tonight. Some zombie… thing that didn't really match her uniform . It wasn't particularly appealing to her, but she was making it work as well as she could. The dateless losers this night catered towards seemed to appreciate the event, judging by the copious tips they'd been making.

That didn't mean she didn't want to be at the prom. Well… she didn't, not much anyway, but it would've been nice to be asked. She thought she might've been getting somewhere on that front, but she had also been high at the time. And that person also had a date. She'd say she didn't know what she was smoking to think that'd work, but she did know what she'd been smoking.

Nice thing about her job: doing things while thinking elsewhere. Her sequencing was on point, the orders were steady but not overpowering, and she was very much in the zone and in control. The others were giving her room to work, the orders weren't packed with psychotic add-ins or caveats (seeing 'mayo' on that drink order one time had thoroughly upturned her world forever), and she didn't have to leave her station. All was well.

Her phone chirped with a notification.

OhgodwhatifitwasFlorabelwhatifshehadbeencapturedagainorwhatifitwasYangorwhatifitwasBlakeandFlorabelneededbackupbeforeshegotcapturedandalmostrituallysacrificedandWeisswouldnotbetherebecauseshewasbusymakingdrinksforalobbyfulloflovelessnobsandshewouldactuallydiethistimeanditwouldbeherfaultFlorabelwoulddieandshecouldhavesavedherifshejustcheckedherphoneinsteadofsteamingthisfuckingmilk—

"Arell?"

The backup girl perked up from where she was sweeping. "'Sup Wynn?"

It still felt strange using a fake name, but she didn't want to be fired for… whatever crime it was that Florabel could potentially end up dragging her into. "Could you finish these for me?" she nodded to the orders in front of her. "The hardest parts are done," she lied, "I'm getting a family call I need to answer."

Arell, the sweet thing she was, immediately hopped over and relieved her while Weiss scampered to the back room. She pulled out her phone.

rubrtubr: i unblcokdm u

rubrtubr: fuckk pyrhah

rubrtubr: pls help

THYFINALICYEMBRACE: Where.

rubrtubr: autidoernim

rubrtubr: imd4une

rubrtubr: some1 spiekrdnthe sip

rubrtubr: auditiorrm

rubrtubr: audidoktn

rubrtubr: fuck

rubrtubr: HELP

rubrtubr: ROOK WHERE EVENRTING DANCING

rubrtubr: THAKNS YOU

rubrtubr: youll kwno itme igothte hte big thing

THYFINALICYEMBRACE: Stay where you are.