'Uh, what?'
Ruby had asked her mom if she and mum had a 'complicated relationship'.
'I… don't understand the question.'
Ruby had elaborated.
'What do you mean 'complicated'?'
Ruby had sighed and rolled her eyes, which was a very bold thing to do to her mom, but she had been at sparring age by that point and could somewhat hold her own. She'd elaborated further, making insinuations of a word that starts with 'C' and would get you kicked out of a competition if you were caught doing it.
'Then… yes. It is complicated. It would be, to you. That's my fault. I've shut you out of my… stuff… pretty completely, and I don't regret doing that. But, I didn't… well, there were some things I didn't understand when I was younger, stupider, and hadn't been in a serious relationship before, much less with someone like your mother.'
'There are some… let's say… troublesome aspects of my culture that I would kill you for if I found you engaging in.'
'Say, for example, you found a nice, uh…'
'Girl, right. Girl to bunk down with—'
'N-no, wait, that's… that's unserious, uh… let's say you found a girl who you want to have. To be yours. You know what I mean, right?'
'Oh, uh… well, you will. So you've found someone you want, and she wants you, so you…'
'Whatever, you're fifteen, you can hear all this. You fuck, okay? You have sex and fuck and all that, okay?'
Ruby had done a lot of blinking at that, but it wasn't entirely outside of Raven's character to resort to overt crassness instead of reconsidering her words.
'But that's just something, for you. That's a thing you do with people you sometimes don't want, so you don't know if you're like that to her. How do you show her that?'
'Okay, Ruby, disclaimer: I am a fucking idiot. I am now and I was so much fucking stupider then. Do not ever do what I did. Do not ever be who I was, understand?"'
Ruby had given her some tacit agreement.
'I… may have, uh… tested your mother by… with… Tai…'
'I thought it would challenge if she truly wants me rather than seeing me as a person to fuck, like she would come before Tai and… fight him.'
'Oh, she would've turned him inside out. She'd kill him and he'd'a been crying like a bitch the whole time. But that's another story.'
'Alcohol?'
'Ruby, I was stupid sober. I would've fucked Tai either way. The only thing the alcohol did was convince me I didn't need protection, and you can see what that got me.'
'Uh.'
'Don't—'
'Don't tell anyone I said that.'
That had been enough for Ruby to conclude that yes, they did have a 'complicated relationship'.
By comparison, her relationship with Pyrrha was addition and subtraction.
# of dates between Ruby and Pyrrha as of October 14th: 10
"Ruby, quit fussing, you look great."
Ruby continued fussing, because she needed to look perfect, because this would be the night. This was Pyrrha's favorite lipstick, the darkest one Ruby had (as in, the darkest one she'd stolen from Yang [with her permission {after the theft }]), and she'd outright said this would be the night. She was even in her cassock because Pyrrha had said it was hot (and oh god being called hot by Pyrrha?), and she had all the little breakouts around her temples concealed perfectly, with an otherwise subtle, lightening face of makeup that was meant to serve as a backdrop for her lips.
She was going to kiss Pyrrha. This would be the night.
It had to be.
Yang snatched her hand before she could overcorrect her lipstick. The makeup was almost entirely her doing— it was Yang's stuff anyways— and Ruby only had practice doing gothy, punky looks that honestly weren't very good. Thankfully, Yang was an artist.
"I'm nervous."
Yang snorted. "Yeah, dude, it's Pyrrha. I still can't believe you guys are dating. I could've sworn I calibrated my gaydar, but I never would've pinged her."
"Didn't you see the face she made after your spar?" Ruby reminded her, recalling the Honored Martial's blush after Yang had spun her around and chastely smooched her cheek. "That seemed pretty telling."
Yang made a noncommittal noise. "Maybe it's just you."
"Just me?" Ruby repeated incredulously. "Yeah, right. Have you seen me?"
Yang flicked the back of her head, then poofed her hair up a bit with her hands. "Don't talk like that. You look great."
Blake spoke up from their cat-like supine position on Yang's bunk (Ruby didn't try to understand the strange tesseract of their partner-partner relationship, which thankfully went both ways), saying, "Fr fr," in the stupid way they always pronounced their acronyms.
Ruby rolled her eyes, ignoring the warmth that climbed to her cheeks. Sun did call her pretty that one time, and Jaune liked her, so…
The door opened.
# of unique words between Ruby and her partner as of October 14th (outside of combat): 8
· Fuck you (frequently whispered from Ruby any time she passed Weiss in a hallway)
· Need anything from the store (from Ruby a single time, completely instinctive)
· Yes (Weiss' answer to the store question, without any further elaboration)
# of unique words between Ruby and her partner as of October 14th (combat exclusive): 8
· Behind you
· Now
· Don't
· Fuck you
· Here
· Go
Funnily enough, they performed better than ever in duo spars. Evidently, more words meant worse communication between them, and they'd been a silent powerhouse ever since they started letting their actions do the talking. This was perfect for them. The less Weiss got hurt, the less time they had to spend together.
# of locations Ruby has visited since September 2nd in order to avoid her partner: 6
· Library (fridays when the SCEW is closed)
· 251a Mass Freight Storage (once, just to remind herself that had really happened)
· Greater Vale (when it's a C day and she runs the risk of seeing Weiss at any time)
· The restroom (twice, for tests where the teacher picked manual seating so she bolted the moment she was done)
· JNPR dorm (when she didn't feel like using the SCEW, which almost never happened)
· Student Common-access Engineering Workshop (aka the SCEW, pronounced 'skew', which is where Ruby spent the remaining 90% of her time away from Weiss)
# of individual ongoing projects Ruby was working on at the SCEW (again, for the purpose of avoiding her partner, Weiss Schnee): 7
Multi-Weapon Discus Platform (the buckler weapon thing)
· Current WIP: Wire integration
· Most recently finished modification: Discus ranged capability
· Most recently abandoned WIP: Staff integration (abandoned due to difficulty and lack of purpose)
Wire Gauntlet:
· Current WIP 1: MWDP integration
· Current WIP 2: Gauntlet armoring
· Current WIP 3: Magnetic guide rails for anchors
· Current WIP 4: 100% legal project Ruby just doesn't want to write down ahaha
· Most recently finished modification: Automatic reel winch
· Most recently abandoned WIP: Increasing amount of wires (abandoned due to diminishing returns)
9mm ValeArms Pistol:
· Current WIP 1: Night sights
· Current WIP 2: 100% legal project Ruby just doesn't want to write down ahaha
· Most recently finished modification: Repaint
· Most recently abandoned WIP: Lighter trigger (abandoned due to Ruby preferring how the resistance felt)
All great reasons to stay away from Weiss. She needed them, after all, especially after the event she fondly referred to as 'the time I got kidnapped by a bunch of Fourth cultists and almost ritually sacrificed' whenever she spoke about it to… precisely nobody. She made Pyrrha swear silence, too, and she knew Weiss wasn't stupid enough to blab about it— Ruby would kill her if she did. She wasn't too worried about jail or anything— Faunus or not, she definitely had the law on her side for this one— she was just worried about Ozpin. Doing something that overt would probably count as violating the 'last chance' he'd given her.
But now Weiss was here, standing in the doorway, looking at her partner. Yang and Blake slowly (traitorously) shuffled out, leaving Ruby alone with her as if this had been planned. Weiss took in a deep breath, unfazed by (or just used to) the way Ruby tried to make her explode with her glare. "Florabel," she said steadily.
"Kill yourself," Ruby stated.
"I can't really do that."
Ruby rolled her eyes, turning back to face Yang's makeup vanity. "Jump in a fire," she suggested instead, since she doubted Weiss could leach from ashes.
Weiss didn't say anything. Ruby heard the door close behind her, and she watched her nemesis approach through the reflection of the mirror.
"I'm not your battery anymore," Ruby growled, doubling their words said since September 2nd. Weiss didn't walk with a limp, nor did she have any visible injuries, but could have something internal she was going to pathetically beg her partner to fix.
# of times Weiss had siphoned her partner's Aura as of October 14th: 0
# of times Weiss had been hurt since October 14th: at least 2
Ruby didn't care that she siphoned someone else. She was glad not to be Weiss' battery anymore. If someone else wanted a piece of Weiss, good for them. They'd be the ones paying for it. They'd be the ones dealing with her. She never thought about it. Weiss didn't deserve the space in her brain. She didn't give Weiss the space in her brain. She used it for Pyrrha instead. Or for engineering. Just not Weiss. Ever.
Weiss went to their shared dresser and laid her white cloth gloves atop it. "I'm not hurt," she claimed, putting a large, unbranded shopping bag on the dresser as well. Blake said they'd been teaching her how to communicate like a normal, modern person— which was super weird, why was Blake actually tolerating Weiss— though this would be Ruby's first opportunity to test that.
"You're in thy—" Weiss cleared her throat. "You're in your cassock."
Ruby raised one unimpressed brow through the mirror. "So? I'm going on a date. With Pyrrha. She likes it."
Weiss' blazing eye visibly darted left and right in what looked like a panic before she turned, hiding her expression. "Verily." She shook her head. "R-right, I mean. Right. That is good. I'm glad you two are—"
"What the fuck do you want?" Ruby asked the slaver, her voice like a wire through the hand. "You said you'd be gone all day."
Weiss made a nervous noise (was it a chuckle?) as she took off the uniform jacket which she wore all the time now. She hadn't suddenly gained more clothes with the autumn's cold onset, so it seemed to be the only thing she had to keep warm. It looked hella dumb with her stitchy shirt and skirt. "I, er," she shrugged. "Lied."
Ruby scoffed. "No surprise there."
Weiss turned again, this time with the big bag held up over her front. She looked wounded, though her lips were pulled up in what a blind, mouthless species of alien would interpret as a smile. "Y-your, um… face-paint be— is… good."
Ruby turned just to personally affix her nemesis with a deadpan glare. "Weiss, what the fuck do you want. You have five seconds."
Weiss thrust the bag out, looking away with her face scrunched tight as if she was handing Ruby an active bomb. "H-here," she said, her voice little more than a nervous squeak. "Happy birthday— e-early birthday. You might—"
Ruby shot to her feet and snatched the bag in one fast, fluid movement, making Weiss jump. Keeping her eyes cautiously on her nemesis, Ruby deliberately fished through the bag's interior, finding a broad, flat box. She reeled as she pulled it out, having expected to find a bunch of used hypodermic needles and rusty razors inside, but tempered her surprise with the reminder that this box was the perfect size for a collection of animal feces. Ruby took a deep breath and held it. She opened the box.
The white box was filled with black.
"What is this?"
Weiss rubbed her own arms, doing that weird nervous noise again. "I made it," she answered unhelpfully.
"What is it?"
Weiss nodded towards the box indicatively. Ruby huffed and touched the black. It was some kind of soft fabric, folded up a lot judging by how much Ruby had to pull out, revealing two long tubes of black, though the final thirds of their length were red. They were…
"Joggers?"
Weiss went bright red and looked away.
Ruby almost threw the stupid things at her. "Dude! I've got bird-legs! These aren't gonna—"
Weiss threw her arms up frantically. "I— I know! Thou'st told me!"
Ruby narrowed her gaze. She said nothing.
"T-thou hast—" Weiss interrupted herself, correcting, "You told me that most garments are not made with you in mind, so—"
"So you wasted your whole stipend on some custom pants?" Ruby spat. "I can't believe you—"
"I made them."
Ruby's voice trailed off.
Weiss approached, pointing at the red section. "I… I had to get thy measurements from thy sister— or at least a, er, 'guesstimate'— but from there, I purchased two pairs of these, cut one just above the cuff, and sewed on an extra section from the second pair— the red part." She made the nervous noise again, her hand falling limp at her side. "I believe the ankle is correct; it should reach down to thy feet with nary an issue." She blinked. "Your."
Ruby felt the fabric. It felt good. Quality. Name-brand. "You didn't thrift these."
"Nay?" Weiss answered, as if it was obvious.
"What, did you sell some slaves just to get me a birthday gift?"
Weiss took it like a punch, but she was good at taking punches. She scowled. "No, Florabel. I did not— I do not—" she growled, cutting herself off before hissing out: "I got a job."
"Bull. Shit."
"I did!" Weiss whined. "I've taken up weekend shifts, and the manager has been very flexible insofar as making allowances for my schedule and missions."
Ruby scoffed, disbelieving. "Where."
Weiss' gaze slid away, her voice barely coming out. "The… The Vale Grail…" her next word was unintelligibly mumbled, but the one after that was "Cafe."
Weiss Schnee, Fourth-Archivist, former slaver, Ruby Rose's nemesis, was working in a coffeeshop.
Wearing an apron, probably splattered in old milk and coffee stains. Taking orders. Doing customer service. Almost certainly serving at least some Faunus. Getting all stressed, dealing with rush, cleaning toilets, being yelled at by customers.
That was hilarious. And way too good to be true. Ruby smirked knowingly, taking out her phone.
"F-Florabel, what're you doing?"
"I call BS," Ruby reiterated, typing with one hand. "I'm looking it up."
"Nay!" Weiss shouted, lunging at Ruby, only to catch a plume of red and black. Ruby blinked out of the line somewhere else, but Weiss didn't take that as her sign to quit. She barrelled towards her nemesis, arms splayed out as she leapt for Ruby like a maddened linebacker.
Ruby's downfall was that she had a date. Double-tapping her Semblance would probably make her barf all over herself, which would really suck to clean and get ready again, and the split-second hesitation that came with that fact allowed Weiss to throw her heavier body against her nemesis. They both went down. Weiss reached to grab Ruby's phone out of her hand, but only succeeded in knocking it out of her grip. The device clattered screen-up, a page loading across the front.
Search results for: Vale Cafe
Nearby:
First Thing Coffeehouse
Grimby's Tap & Brew Coffeehouse and Taproom
The Vale Grail Maid Cafe
Ruby's brain fizzled out, her thoughts emptied out and replaced with a sound like interacting modems. Weiss grabbed the phone and shut it off, but the damage was already done. The modems were loudly shaking hands in Ruby's head, letting each other know how they worked, probing the line between them, then listening to each other one last time before the connection snapped open, printing bit-by-bit a single image:
It was an image of Weiss. There may have been a certain outfit involved. If one went to The Vale Grail Maid Cafe, one might find people in such outfits. One might find Weiss in one such outfit. Because Weiss worked there. In the Cafe. The Vale Grail Maid Cafe.
Ruby's mind coughed. She could hear how red her own face got. Weiss, for her part, stayed blissfully quiet.
Ruby's phone buzzed, the sound grabbing her brain and shaking it around like the idiot it was— she had a date with her girlfriend and Weiss fucking Schnee was on her mind! She squirmed away from Weiss, snatching her phone back in the process before she retreated to the vanity. She looked okay, thankfully, and only had to futz with her hair a little before she could burst out of the room and fast-walk to the airship landing area. Pyrrha was there, waiting. Waiting for her. In a nice summer dress. Not a maid—
"Ruby!" Pyrrha cheered upon seeing her, opening her divinely muscled arms for Ruby to squeeze herself between. Ruby was lifted off her feet and swung around as soon as Pyrrha got her arms around her, which Ruby didn't… well, she didn't really like it, it made her feel kinda infantilized, but that was just how Pyrrha was. She was big and tall— even matching Ruby's height when her bird-legs were fully extended— so everyone probably felt infantilized around her. "So lovely to see you, gem."
Ruby felt her eyelid twitch. 'Gem' had lost its luster pretty quickly, pun intended. Whatever. It was Pyrrha (fucking) Nikos. "It's good to see you too," Ruby wheezed. "P-please lemme down, babe. Squeezing all my guts out is gonna ruin my makeup."
The Honored Martial complied, setting Ruby down with a quick pat on the head that made Ruby's expression curdle instinctively, but she hid it before Pyrrha noticed. "So, where're you taking me tonight?"
This was the night. Tonight, she'd feel Pyrrha's beautiful smile on her own lips.
Did that mean she had been scraping other people's casings off the ground in the target range and selling the hand-loaded bullets (maybe illegally) to sweaty guys she met online? She did not feel legally confident in saying yes, but she did feel financially confident in her decisions, because she'd been able to reserve a table at Gazelle, one of those super nice restaurants that didn't have prices on the menus. And she had money to actually pay.
Then they'd cap it off with a movie. One of those shitty horror movies that was on its last legs in terms of theater showings, so it would just be her and Pyrrha in the very back row. Everything was coming together.
The airship ride to the restaurant was pleasant enough. Ruby only got one dozen weird looks as she and Pyrrha got to their table, rather than multiple dozens. She ordered fries, which felt like a bit of a waste, but she knew she was an idiot and she didn't want to risk ticcing out and getting food all over herself or ruining her makeup.
But the dinner went perfectly. No tics. The fries were good. Pyrrha got a steak and watching her eat it may have made Ruby feel weird. The conversation was highly pleasant. Pyrrha said she looked beautiful. Nobody had ever called her beautiful before. Ruby's lips were itching for Pyrrha.
The bill was, like, 200 Lien or something. Ruby paid it without blinking. Pyrrha's eyebrows made liftoff, but Ruby played it off like the (potentially criminal) baller she was. The theater was next, only a short walk away.
"Oh," Ruby vocalized when a minor, but striking realization hit her: Weiss had gotten her pants. Made them. Actual pants that should properly fit for all three sections of leg, and she had burst out without a word. Weiss had remembered her birthday, got a job just to buy two pairs of quality, expensive joggers and stitch them together. Sure, she hated that woman's guts, but she got her pants!
Pyrrha leaned in over Ruby's shoulder as the Faunus took out her phone. "What? Something happen?"
Ruby shook her head and opened her messages with Weiss. "No. I mean kinda, yeah: Weiss made me pants for my birthday and I forgot to say thanks."
Ruby started typing out a curt 'thx for the pants'.
Her phone disappeared from her hand.
Ruby blinked. "P-Pyr?"
She turned to her partner (not in the Huntress way), only to feel a genuine spike of fear at the way Pyrrha scowled: at her, like she'd killed her dog; at her phone, like it had killed the replacement dog. Her hands moved over Ruby's phone like a blur, and she handed it back looking extremely proud of herself.
Ruby took her phone back. "W-what? What'd you do?"
Pyrrha hooked her arm under Ruby's, tugging her along the rest of the way towards the theater. "I blocked her. No more Fourth manipulations for my little gemstone."
Ruby's brows knit tight. They didn't really un-knit at any point. Not even when Pyrrha kissed her.
Kinda ruined the magic, honestly.
