The Art of Conversation (Patreon)

“Where do we go?”

“WHAT??”

Weiss cringed when Ruby shouted the word back at her, neither of them able to hear over the pounding bass and eardrum-shattering guitar blaring through gigantic speakers placed far too close together.

“WHERE DO WE GO?” Weiss yelled, internally dying at having to raise her voice at Ruby for no good reason.

Whatever Ruby said in response was drowned out by someone shouting a set of words into a microphone - words that might rhyme if Weiss could even distinguish what they were.  Throwing her arms up in the air - partly in annoyance and partly because that was the only way she could communicate her frustration with this subpar environment - Weiss shook her head.

‘Subpar’ was being nice to this...concert venue.  There were people everywhere, the floor was sticky with some spilled substance she didn’t want to think about, and it was so loud they couldn’t even hope to carry on a meaningful conversation.

They’d been herded through the gates like cattle several minutes ago, but she was already seriously regretting her decision to accompany Ruby on this ill-fated adventure - until Ruby shrugged her shoulders and giggled.  

Weiss couldn’t hear the giggle, mind you, but she knew it happened.  And knowing that Ruby was happy stirred a small sense of calm within her - enough to keep her frustration at the environment from boiling over.

Regardless, what she wouldn’t give for them to be at home…where she could hear Ruby’s laughter and they weren’t at risk of permanent hearing loss.

When Ruby gestured towards the stage, Weiss sighed (it really didn’t matter if it was out loud or not) and motioned for Ruby to lead the way forward.  Clearly, the way forward was into a crowd of concert goers and closer to the source of the deafening ‘music.’

Thankfully, before Ruby disappeared in the mass of people, she extended one hand back to Weiss - who willingly took it so they wouldn’t become separated in the horde of rabid music fans.

“What’s up Vale!” a performer with horrible fashion sense yelled from the stage.  The words made the crowd scream - for no apparent reason other than they’d just been addressed by someone whose jeans had been partially eaten by a lawnmower.

“This song’s for a girl I met last summer,” the singer said before strumming the opening lines of the next song.  The crowd screamed again - although Weiss had absolutely no idea what this one was for. All she knew was that the closer they grew to the stage, the harder it was to press between warm bodies that bumped into her every chance they got.

Fortunately, Ruby wasn’t ambitious enough to drag them to the front of the stage. Instead, she stopped when the crowd grew thick enough to be impassable and pulled Weiss closer, until they were standing side-by-side.  They were still a decent distance from the stage, but close enough that they could make out the musicians’ faces while they performed their much more mellow love song.

Clapping her hands together in unconcealed glee, Ruby bounced up and down before turning to Weiss with sparkling silver eyes.

“This is one of my favorites!!” Ruby shouted. The softer song allowed Weiss to hear the words - a brief, blessed moment of hearing Ruby’s voice once more.

“Why’s that?” 

“Because it reminds me of -” 

The rest of Ruby’s answer, where she gestured towards Weiss with a smile, was drowned out by the chorus - which blasted the song’s intensity from zero to five hundred in a matter of seconds.

Knowing that she’d just missed a cute and/or loving response, Weiss’ dissatisfaction with this venue grew as she shook her head.  She would have to re-ask these questions when they got home, assuming she was still able to hear the answers.

Giving up on attempting to talk, Ruby sang along with the end of the chorus - which Weiss watched with an impossible-to-hide smile pulling at her lips.  She really wished she could hear Ruby singing along...if the band didn’t insist upon being so loud.

Suddenly shoved to the side, Weiss collided with Ruby as a rather large man forced his way closer to the stage.  He didn’t even stop to spare an apology as he continued on his rude and inconsiderate quest, pushing people roughly aside so that he could be closer to the band.  He might be big, but Weiss still glared daggers at his back as he left them behind.  

She’d offered to buy VIP tickets, where they would have private box seats above the mob of general admission, but Ruby wanted the ‘full’ concert experience.

Feeling an arm wrap around her waist, Weiss looked over as Ruby pulled her closer - their hips touching while Ruby also stared after the man.  Whatever anger Weiss had just felt disappeared under Ruby’s protective aura.

Secretly, she loved when Ruby was protective of her.  Sure, she could take care of herself, didn’t need the help, etc., etc., but she loved the idea that Ruby would defend her over something as silly as being jostled at a concert.

“Are you ok?” Ruby asked, raising her voice to be heard over another slow sequence in the song.

Weiss opened her mouth to respond but didn’t bother making an attempt when the girls in the crowd suddenly screamed.  Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the lead singer tossing his empty water bottle off of the stage - creating a frenzy of fans who wanted to claim it as their own.

There were some avid recyclers in attendance, apparently.

The slow song gave way to a fast one - this one so loud she knew there was no way a conversation could coexist with the music. This was something she needed to accept, that their date night wasn’t going to be filled with enjoyable conversation as it normally was.  

A prior version of herself would be disappointed and annoyed the entire night, but she tried to find some silver linings to this adventure.  One - she knew she never, ever wanted to attend a concert again, unless she was allowed to buy the VIP tickets or brought earplugs. Two - even if they couldn’t hold a decent conversation, Weiss was more than happy to watch Ruby’s clear delight over whatever song was being played for them now.

As long as Ruby had a good time, this was worth it.  

Plus, Ruby was still holding Weiss close - close enough that Weiss’ side was warming where they were pressed together.  She would never have expected to be comfortable in the midst of a swarm of people, but...she found comfort in Ruby’s embrace, no matter the circumstances.

When Ruby turned towards her, Weiss perked up.  She knew that look.  It was the look preceding some observation or joke that she desperately wanted to hear.

Ruby moved a little closer, but when her mouth moved Weiss heard no words.

There was no good reason for Weiss to be this disappointed that she missed something else Ruby said, but she was disappointed.  She tried to mask the feeling as she shook her head, silently saying that she couldn’t hear whatever Ruby was saying.

After briefly biting her lip, Ruby leaned all the way forward and put her mouth right to Weiss’ ear.

“I think the bassist looks kinda like Blake.”

Ruby’s lips - moving against Weiss’ ear like a kiss - and her warm breaths caused Weiss to involuntary shudder.

Ruby pulled away with a grin, and Weiss managed to sneak a look at the bassist to confirm that Ruby was partially correct.  Nodding in confirmation, she turned back to Ruby and gestured towards the lead singer - silently asking Ruby who she thought he might look like.

Willing to play this game, Ruby beamed and pressed her lips to Weiss’ ear again.

“He looks kinda like Jaune with crappy clothes, right?”

Again, every word sent tingles of excitement down Weiss’ spine, making her eyes flutter shut as the feeling rushed through her.  This time she didn’t even look at the singer before nodding her head - her eyes too fixed on Ruby to dare turn away.

An idea popped into Ruby’s mind then - the thought reflecting in her mirthful eyes as she leaned forward once more.

“Did I tell you about the time I listened to the whole album three times in a row - because I was trying to prove to Yang that I’d never get tired of it? But then I got tired of it?”

As each subsequent word filled Weiss with silent thrill, she secretly wished for it never to stop.  It wasn’t until Ruby pulled away and grinned that Weiss understood the run-on sentence had been intentional - that her excitement had already been read and was being capitalized on by Ruby.

When Weiss playfully narrowed her eyes, Ruby kissed her on the lips before breaking into more giggles.  Again, Weiss couldn’t hear the delightful sound, but that hardly mattered.

Maybe concerts weren’t so bad, after all...