Conflict of Interest - Chapter 14 (Patreon)

The last few days had been some of the worst Weiss could remember from recent memory.  Work was unbearable.  Her fuse was so short that she snapped at anyone who dared speak to her.  Every other second brought Ruby to mind, and every thought of Ruby brought a corresponding spike of misery.

Weiss failed - plain and simple - and she hated failure.  Of course, she didn’t tell Damon.  She lied and said it would take longer than expected, but that Ruby hadn’t declined the offer.

Once Weiss collected her thoughts and figured out why this stung so badly, she would come up with a way to diminish his expectations.  Until then, she would avoid him as much as possible.  That plan seemed feasible until he stepped out of his office and cleared his throat for everyone’s attention.

“Remember - we’re hosting a celebration for our newest partner tonight,” he said before giving them all pointed looks.  “I expect everyone to be there.”

If Damon hadn’t added that last part, no one would show up.  Why would they?  They had better things to do than celebrate their coworkers’ accomplishments.

“Weiss?” he added when no one responded with anything more than murmurs.  “You’ll be there?”

“I’ll be there.”

Not like she had a choice, but she nodded before returning to her office, grinding her teeth the whole way.  He used her as an example.  Because if she would be there, and she had the biggest caseload of the entire office, then no one else had an excuse to not show up.

Regardless of her workload, the last thing she needed right now was an evening with her coworkers.

Resigned to that fate, she shut herself in her office and thought about forcing herself to work.  Considering the day was nearly over, that seemed like a failed endeavor from the start.  Over the last two days, the only tasks she’d accomplished were the ones she absolutely had to.  Otherwise, everything was pushed back or delayed until she figured out what happened with Ruby.

The entire conversation was just so...off.  Weiss must have missed something, but she didn’t miss things.  It was her job not to miss things, and she was damn good at her job.

She crafted the perfect offer, yet it somehow blew up in her face and left her feeling like utter shit.  But, as with everything else, she would eventually figure out where she went wrong.  She wouldn’t take on another case until she did.

Whatever she missed had destroyed everything, so it must have been big, and probably related to the two areas she struggled with - emotional vulnerability or anything related to family.  Unfortunately, Ruby was a deeply emotional person who loved her family.

But Weiss knew that.  Just because she hated her family and spent the past decade trying to rid herself of unnecessary emotions didn’t mean she couldn’t identify those qualities in others.  That was why she included Ruby’s sister in the offer.

Drumming her fingers on the desk, she eventually sighed and went through everything from the beginning.  She’d done this what felt like a hundred times by now, but she would keep doing it until she found the answer.

Ruby Rose - head of technology at the Vale police department.  Certifiable genius.  Graduated early from Vale University with perfect marks.  Immediately joined the department and took over the head tech role.  Renowned within the greater technology community.  Admired by everyone who met her.  Humble, passionate, friendly, overly helpful, quick to smile or laugh.

Her older sister, Detective Yang Xiao Long - a decorated police officer known for ‘acts of bravery’ that bordered on recklessness.  Promoted to detective several years ago and has been making a name for herself ever since.  Widely known as kind and compassionate but, in Weiss’ experience, had a pronounced propensity to tease.  Regardless, she was exceptionally important to Ruby, and the two of them should be considered a package deal.

Their father, Tai Xiao Long - a retired nightguard living in Patch, where they grew up.  Ruby’s mother, Summer Rose - a detective at Vale PD who died in the line of duty when Ruby and Yang were still children.  Summer probably influenced Yang’s decision to become a detective, making it doubly fortunate that Yang was decent at her job.  Otherwise, that was an extremely limiting career path.

As soon as the thought crossed Weiss’ mind, she stopped and slowly returned to the beginning of that sentence.

That was an extremely limiting career path for anyone following in their parent’s footsteps.

Silently cursing herself, she shook her head and sighed.  “God, Weiss…” she muttered while tilting her head back and rubbing her eyes.  “You’re such an idiot…”

Ruby joined the police department to follow in her mother’s footsteps - Weiss already knew that, or suspected as much, but she never stopped to think what it truly meant.  To her, it sounded sweet that Ruby chose a career path based on her parents.  That was it.  Choosing the path didn’t mean following it to the end of their lives.  It was a starting point.  A direction.

Knowing how sentimental Ruby could be, it was much more than a direction.  It was a calling.  A means of feeling closer to someone she lost.  A way to fulfill some life lesson or goal prescribed by her mother.  And Weiss was so cavalier asking her to leave.  As if money and a better office should convince someone to abandon a symbol of closeness with their mother.

Of course Weiss wouldn’t understand that.  She’d done everything in her power not to follow in her parents’ footsteps.  Everything her father did, she did differently.  Everything her mother did...well, she swore never to become involved in that type of relationship.

“Yet you still became the biggest idiot in the world...” she muttered while shutting off her computer.

“Yo, Ice Queen.”

She didn’t look up because of the name.  She looked up because an imbecile knocked on her door.

“You ready or what?” Logan asked before motioning towards the small group gathering near the exit.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” she said while waving him away.  As expected, he huffed before heading out with the rest of the office.

Spending time with her coworkers was guaranteed to worsen her mood, but Damon already made it clear she didn’t have a choice.  Besides, sitting here didn’t bring her any closer to a solution - because there was no solution.

She played her hand and lost.  Game over.  Now she just had to spin the failure in a way that didn’t affect her standing at work.  Eventually, everything would return to how it was before this ill-fated adventure.  All she had to do was navigate the choppy waters until then.  She knew she could do it, but that didn’t make her feel any better.  It made her feel worse, actually.

The first step was showing up at this office gathering and putting up a good face.  Damon would be there, and he needed to see that she could be a team player.

They all had to do things they didn’t want to sometimes.  Today, that was her, as she left the office and walked to the nicest, and therefore most expensive, bar in the area.

With several other law firms nearby, the clientele tended to be attorneys, paralegals, and whatever clients they deemed fit to bring with them.  These were the most shark-infested waters in the city, made even worse by the rampant presence of drugs and alcohol.

After stepping through the door, she briefly waited for her eyes to adjust to the low light.  Turning down the lights always struck her as a horrible idea.  It let more sordid actions happen in public, but she supposed that was the point.

The bar was crowded, as expected, and a line of people waited to order at the counter on the right side of the room.  Five bartenders handled the incoming orders quickly and efficiently, all with fake smiles never leaving their lips.  Tables, booths, and various bar games took up the rest of the room, stretching all the way to the large patio in back.

Her coworkers must be on the patio, so she headed that way while making casual note of the people she passed.  There were a few other attorneys she vaguely knew, but otherwise no one of interest.  Of course, with more than half of the patrons wearing holomasks, she wouldn’t recognize them anyway.

Reaching the back patio, she found her colleagues occupying a collection of tables and sofas situated around one of the fire pits.  Another counter serving drinks stood on the right - this one with only a single bartender manning a much smaller line.

For as much as she didn’t want to be here, she was at least grateful that her coworkers decided to sit outside.  The night was still young, so it wasn’t too crowded out here yet.  Plus, the open air lent itself to a quieter atmosphere regardless of the music.

Damon was already there, sitting on one of the sofas while people crowded around to laugh or gasp at every word he said.  This might be a celebration, but it was also the opportunity to rub elbows with the man in charge of their careers.  They all recognized that and acted accordingly.

Tonight, Weiss wasn’t in the mood.  Instead, she made eye contact with him and nodded.  As soon as she received a nod in return, verifying that her presence had been noted, she walked over to one of the tall tables near the periphery of the group and pulled out her phone.

Her presence might be mandatory, but her participation wasn’t.  All she had to do was stand here for an hour or so, then she could leave.  No one said she couldn’t work in the meantime, and she had plenty of work to do.  When she saw an unread message from Quentin - who was still waiting for his case to be rescheduled after Ruby wreaked havoc on it - she sighed and set her phone down.

One day, she would forget that the whole thing with Ruby ever happened.  Or, more likely, she would learn how to live with the memories.

Hearing a round of raucous laughter, she frowned at the schmoozers.  The driven, determined side of her knew that she should be over there too, especially with how things went with Ruby.  She needed to ingratiate any favor possible, even if that meant laughing at Damon’s horrible jokes and playing the balancing act between flirty and too flirty.  Instead, she stood at this table, fiddled with her phone, and did something she never did - thought about her family.

When she left home, she said goodbye and never looked back.  Unfortunately, that didn’t mean her family ceased to exist, as she’d been forced to remember throughout the years.

One of those memories happened right here at this bar as her office celebrated another newly-minted partner.  She’d expected a night of schmoozing.  Instead, she ran into her father ‘entertaining’ one of his many young, attractive assistants.  In front of all of her coworkers, he asked if she was doing well since she looked rather...impoverished.

He was lucky she hadn’t stabbed him in the eye with a cocktail stick.  Somehow, she forced a smile - she was good at that these days - and did what she did best when it came to him: walked away.  He hated that response, and she found some measure of solace in getting under his skin.

One day, the tables would turn.  One day, he would get himself into a situation he couldn’t buy his way out of.  One day, he would need the best and brightest mind in the city.  One day, he would need her to save him.  And when that day came, she would take great pleasure in telling him to go to hell.

At least, that was her plan.  Right now, however, that future never felt further away.  After all of the effort she went through trying to create her own shortcut, she failed.  Now she had to advance the long way, with an aching heart to go along with her dampened determination.

But this was just a momentary setback.  She’d experienced setbacks before, and she would again.  What mattered most was overcoming it and moving on.

Moving on would be easier once her mood stabilized, which wouldn’t happen as long as she was here.  Actually, her mood soured even further when someone set their drink on the table beside her.

“What do you want, Jeff?” she asked, exasperated before he even opened his mouth.  He stood too close for comfort, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of moving away.  Instead, she turned her outer shoulder so it nearly knocked into him, forcing him to step back as she faced him head-on.

“I don’t know…” he hemmed, his gaze flitting to the side to make sure anyone within hearing distance was paying attention.  They were.  “I thought maybe a ‘congratulations’ would be in order,” he continued with a growing smirk.  “Seeing as how tonight is about congratulating me.  You know, on my promotion.  To partner.”

She would never congratulate him for something he didn’t deserve, so she glared at him rather than respond.

“Awe...don’t be like that, Weiss.  Everyone knows you’ll get there eventually.  I just happened to make it before you.  It’s not a competition, right?  We’re all in this together!”

The people listening snickered at his words, no doubt hoping it prompted a reaction.  Ordinarily, Weiss wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.  Tonight, however, she wasn’t in the mood to deal with his gloating.

“I won’t say congratulations,” she replied with a smile.  “But I will say I’m surprised you stopped screwing the interns long enough to buy a title.”

From the way his eyes widened, he was too stupid to know that the entire office was already aware of his dalliances.  When the onlookers confirmed that general knowledge with laughter, he dropped into damage control mode.

“Shouldn’t you be at your second job or something?” he shot back, but she rolled her eyes and picked up her phone.

“No, but I should get a drink.  Listening to you is giving me a headache.”

While he sputtered for a comeback and the audience snickered, Weiss walked away.

That was a win in her book, yet it didn’t feel like one.  It felt...petty and sad.  He deserved it, as he always did, but she hadn’t enjoyed it as much as she would have in the past.

As impossible as it seemed, she missed Ruby.  Ruby had real, spectacular intelligence, yet she wasn’t constantly showing off.  She didn’t go out of her way to make people feel lesser than her.  She didn’t play any of these shallow, egotistical games.  That made her such a joy to talk to.  A breath of fresh air unlike anyone else in Weiss’ life.

Unfortunately, Ruby would probably never speak to her again.

Stepping up to the bar, Weiss motioned that she was ready to order.  Rag still in hand, one of the bartenders walked over.

“What’ll you have?”

“A raspberry spritzer.”

He nodded before placing a glass under one of the many drink dispensers and pressing the fill button.  Once the bubbling red liquid reached the top, he set it on a napkin and pushed it towards her.

“Rough night?” he asked while she paid for the drink.

“You could say that.”

He didn’t know the half of it, nor would he understand if she tried to explain.  She disliked every one of her coworkers, but what did that say about her?  All this time, she thought she was different from them - better than them.  After what she did to Ruby, could she really say that anymore?  Or should she finally admit that she was no better than the rest of them?

Picking up the glass and turning towards the esteemed men and women of her office, she took a sip and frowned at what she saw.  She wanted to be the best.  What if she was only the best of the worst?

“Couldn’t help overhearing you’re having a rough night,” the man next to her spoke up while leaning over.  “I think I have a solution for you.”

“Oh really?”  Smelling the overwhelming stench of alcohol on his breath, she gave him a dubious look.  “And what would that be?”

“Come home with me,” he said with a wink.  “I guarantee you’ll forget your troubles.  At least, for one night.”

“One whole night?”

She couldn’t have layered more sarcasm into that response, but he was too stupid or drunk to read the obvious cues.  Instead, he grinned as if he was making progress.

“I mean, at least for a few minutes,” he added with a laugh.  When he stepped closer, however, Weiss stepped back to match.

“That’s an interesting mask you have,” she said while gesturing to his face.  “Are you going for the ‘remarkably average’ vibe or something more...last century?”

Fortunately, he wasn’t drunk enough to miss the insult, as his grin fell in startled confusion.

“But...I’m not wearing a mask.”

“Oh.  That’s unfortunate.  Might I suggest you get one?”

The words were meant to hurt him in retaliation for annoying her, yet she felt no vindication.  Instead, disappointment reverberated through her chest.

“Sorry,” she muttered even though he didn’t deserve an apology.  Or maybe he did - she didn’t know anymore.

All she knew was that she needed to get out of there, so she left her drink and the unwanted solicitation at the bar and hurried away from the patio.  After weaving her way through the crowded interior, she shoved through the door at the exit and was immediately greeted by bright lights and rolling advertisements cluttering every inch of real estate.

The sidewalks were busy as people rushed home from work...all without acknowledging anyone else’s existence.  But why would they acknowledge anyone else?  They all had somewhere important to be, something important to do.  There was no time to stop and consider what they were actually after.  And there was no reason to wonder if that stranger they passed on the street might actually help them reach their goals.

This world wasn’t for the weak-willed.  Weiss learned that in elementary school, watching her mother’s smile never waver while her father paraded younger and younger women through the house.  In a matter of years, she’d perfected that smile of her own, and she learned how to use it while he screamed that she would be nothing without him.

She decided that she would become something without him.  But now, as she waited to be picked up in front of the bar, she wondered if that meant she’d stopped caring about anyone other than herself.

As soon as her car stopped in front of her, she slipped into the cabin and shut the door.  As one of her few safe places, she always treasured its silence and privacy, but today even more than usual.  The tranquility washed away the stench of the bar but, unfortunately, did nothing to temper the turmoil rolling about her mind.

At the end of the day, she didn’t want to be like her coworkers.  She swore that to herself on her first day - she would be better than them, but she would never be like them.  Just like she would never be like her father, who did whatever he pleased without consideration of anyone else’s feelings.

Yet what had she done?  So determined to reach her career goals, she disregarded Ruby’s feelings.  She did what any of her coworkers would have done only better.  She got close enough to Ruby to make it hurt.

Shaking her head at that colossal mistake, she set the route to Ruby’s apartment before she changed her mind.  This would probably go horrendously wrong, but when she already felt miserable...why not make it a little worse?

At least, that was what she told herself while the vehicle wove through the streets of Vale.  When Ruby’s building came into view, she felt decidedly less confident.

These days, she never approached a problem without knowing exactly what to do and what to say.  Right now, she had no idea what to do or what to say.  All she knew was that she wanted to be here, even as she slipped on her holomask and stepped onto the sidewalk.  Even as her heart raced and her feet dragged across the sidewalk.  Even as she worried that this could crush any hope of them ever talking again.

Ruby was the best person Weiss had ever met.  If, by some chance, Ruby saw something in her...maybe there was hope for her yet.

By the time she slipped on her holomask and walked into Ruby’s building, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer.  But the time to abort this mission had passed as soon as she stepped through the lobby doors.  Possibly even before that, as Ruby probably kept tabs on every soul entering the building.

If Ruby was home, she already knew Weiss was here.  That knowledge made the elevator ride to the top floor even more nerve-wracking, as Weiss convinced herself that the metal box would lurch to a stop at any second, trapping her there until the fire department came to help.

Miraculously, that didn’t happen.  A silent, foreboding hallway greeted her on the top floor instead.  There was no one around, and no sounds coming from any of the apartments, making the walk to Ruby’s door that much more unnerving.

Weiss had no right to be here - she knew that.  After taking advantage of Ruby’s willingness to trust, she didn’t deserve another minute of Ruby’s time.  But she had to apologize.  And she had to see if maybe, just maybe, what Ruby saw in her was real.

She’d defended clients accused of murder, but knocking on Ruby’s door was the hardest thing she’d ever done.

“Ruby,” she said softly before trying to hear into the apartment over the sound of her heart in her ears.

“Can we talk?” she asked when several seconds passed and the door didn’t open.  “Please...just...give me ten minutes to make my case.”

The word slipped out by accident, but she flinched at how it sounded.

“Probably not the best word choice…” she added and, when nothing happened, sighed.  “Five minutes?  And if you’re still mad at me, I’ll leave.”

Again, nothing, and her desperation grew with each passing second.  Now that she was here, she needed to see Ruby.  The overpowering desire made thinking rationally feel impossible.  What did she have to do to make this right?  Did she have to beg?  Because she might actually beg if she had to.

“Two and a half,” she offered as a last-ditch effort.

When the door finally unlatched and swung open, a wave of relief rushed through her.  That relief disappeared when she saw Ruby already walking away, waving a hand towards the computer screens while Weiss stepped inside and removed her holomask.  On one of the screens, a timer already counted down from two and a half minutes.

“Ok...you took that seriously.”

When Ruby turned around and crossed her arms - her silver eyes stormy and a smile nowhere to be found - Weiss realized that she better start talking.

“I’m sorry,” she said, knowing that was the only place to start.  “I shouldn’t have asked you to leave the department.  It was inconsiderate and...manipulative...of me to try to use this -”  Without a better word for it, she gestured between them.  “To further my career.”

When Ruby didn’t respond, Weiss glanced at the seconds ticking off of the clock and, for the first time in a very long time, felt panic enter her veins.  If she couldn’t earn Ruby’s forgiveness, she would lose Ruby for good.  And if she lost Ruby, she would have failed something more important than succeeding at her job.

“My boss said he’d make me a senior partner if I could recruit you,” she admitted.  Seeing the flash of betrayal in Ruby’s eyes, Weiss paused when her heart responded with its own spike of pain.

“I’m so sorry,” she repeated.  “I was so determined to further my career, I didn’t care who you were or what you wanted.  I just...wanted to win.  I wanted to become a partner.  I wanted to prove to my father that I’m better off without him, but what I did was wrong.  I know that now.  I was selfish, which honestly wouldn’t be the first time.”

Again, she glanced at the timer when Ruby didn’t respond.  There wasn’t much time left to plead for forgiveness, but she still had so much to apologize for.

“I’m sorry that I made you feel like I only spent time with you for that, because that’s not true.”

If this was the last thing she got to say, she needed Ruby to know the truth before she left.

“I like spending time with you,” she admitted.  “I really do.  You’re so smart and kind and funny and...I love talking to you.  It feels like you understand me, somehow, in a way that no one else ever has -”

As soon as Ruby held up a hand, Weiss stopped talking.  Nine seconds blinked on the timer.

“So...why are you here now?”

This was it.  With the timer paused, this was Weiss’ opportunity to make amends.  To do that, she had to be open and honest - two traits she struggled with more than any others.  But when she thought about earlier that night - at the bar with her coworkers, and what her future looked like with them - she knew that wasn’t what she wanted.

She could be like them, or she could make every effort to be different.

“I’m here because I wanted to apologize.  And I wanted to tell you that I...I’d still like to see you, if you’re willing.  Forget about working together - I’ll never bring that up again, promise.  I just...enjoy spending time with you.”

Before this moment, Weiss had never truthfully spoken those words.  She was telling the truth but scared Ruby wouldn’t believe her.  That fear disappeared when Ruby smiled - a smile that made Weiss more relieved than she’d felt in a long, long time.

“Do you want to watch a movie with me?”

“I’d love to,” Weiss quickly agreed.  She hadn’t watched a movie in years, but it sounded like the best idea in the world right now.  “Do you have one in mind?”

“How about Super Zombie Slayers?”  With a flick of her wrist, Ruby replaced the timer with a movie poster.  “It has terrible acting, horrible special effects, and basically no story.”

“That sounds…”

“Awesome?” Ruby suggested after Weiss trailed off.

“Sure.”  The poster itself looked so ridiculous that Weiss laughed.  “Let’s go with that.”

When Ruby grinned and turned towards the living room, however, Weiss reached out and stopped her.

“We’re...ok, right?”

“We’re perfect,” Ruby replied with a smile that set Weiss’ mind at ease.  Then Ruby held out her arms and motioned Weiss towards her.  “Hug it out?”

Weiss wasn’t much of a hugger, but she couldn’t resist hugging Ruby.  After stepping into Ruby’s embrace and wrapping her arms around Ruby’s waist, she sighed when Ruby’s arms wrapped around her in return.

In terms of intimacy and comfort, nothing beat Ruby’s hugs.  She was warm, she smelled good, she leaned into the embrace, and she made Weiss’ heart flutter.  If it was appropriate to hug someone for minutes, or even hours, Weiss might have.  But a mental timer soon went off, and she pulled away to find Ruby beaming at her.

“You can buy the popcorn,” Ruby added with a wave towards one of the cabinets in the kitchen.

Willingly accepting what seemed to be her only ‘punishment,’ Weiss walked into the kitchen while Ruby set up the movie.  As soon as Weiss opened the cabinet door, however, she bit her lip to keep from laughing.

Literally labeled ‘concessions,’ the top drawer was filled with different candies, sodas, and bags of popcorn.  As if that wasn’t adorable enough, each item had a price label stuck to it.

“Five credits for popcorn?” Weiss asked while pulling out one of the bags.  “Seems steep.”

“I know, right?  This place is a ripoff.”

Laughing at Ruby’s playfully serious response, Weiss briefly caught Ruby’s gaze across the room before placing the bag into the cooker and pressing the ‘popcorn’ button.

“How am I supposed to pay?” she asked as the first pops emitted from the bag.

“Ah, that’s just a joke.  I’d feel super weird taking your money.”

When Ruby joined her in the kitchen, Weiss briefly thought that Ruby might hug her again.  That hope gave way to disappointment when Ruby stopped an appropriate distance away and smiled.

Disappointment lingering, Weiss didn’t know what to do with it.  Maybe it was just the emotional high of forgiveness, or getting something back she’d been sure was lost, but she wanted to be closer to Ruby right now.  So she inched forward, feeling that desire creep higher when Ruby didn’t move away.

“Can I see you again tomorrow?”

The request slipped out, and Weiss regretted it when Ruby’s smile fell.

“Oh, uh...actually, I have plans tomorrow...”

“Right.  Of course.  That’s...fine.”

Weiss didn’t understand why Ruby looked so disheartened by having plans.  They were both busy, so it wasn’t surprising that they had prior commitments.  Disappointing, yes.  But not surprising.

“What are you up to?” she asked, hoping to learn the reason behind Ruby’s sudden mood change.  “If I can know,” she added when Ruby shuffled her feet.

“You can know.”

The popcorn finished cooking, but neither of them reached for it.  Instead, Ruby ran a hand through her hair and blew a breath through her lips.

“I’m just...meeting someone at the innovation center.”

“Oh.”

Weiss still didn’t understand.  Why was meeting someone at the innovation center such a big deal?  It wasn’t like it was a -

“Oh...” she repeated when she finally figured it out.  “‘Meeting someone’ like...for a date?”

This was one of the few instances when she wished that she wasn’t right but, from Ruby’s hesitant smile, she was right.

“Um, yeah?  Kind of.”

If Ruby didn’t look so uncomfortable, Weiss would think this was a joke.  Instead, an unpleasant emotion stirred in her chest.

“I see.”  Suddenly in need of something to do, she removed the bag of popcorn from the cooker.  “That’s...great?” she asked while Ruby grabbed a bowl from another cabinet.

“I guess.”  When Ruby held out the bowl, Weiss busied herself emptying the popcorn into it.  “Yang’s always wanted to set me up with someone, so...she did.”

After Ruby trailed off, Weiss picked up the bowl and clamped down on her racing emotions.  For some reason, this felt like her fault - like Ruby wouldn’t have accepted if Weiss hadn’t messed up - but she swept those feelings away and forced a smile.

“Are you nervous?” she asked instead.

“Um...not really.”

“Good.”

Ruby had no reason to be nervous because, in all likelihood, this date wasn’t good enough for her.  There probably wasn’t anyone good enough for Ruby, actually.

“Maybe we can make plans for the weekend instead,” Weiss offered.

As soon as Ruby nodded, Weiss felt immeasurably relieved.  If she was being replaced, Ruby wouldn’t agree to see each other again so soon.  Of course, that might change if a second date was involved…but that wasn’t the case right now, so Weiss wouldn’t consider it.  Instead, she motioned towards the living room.

“Shall we?”

Just like that, Ruby’s energy returned.  A smile came right along with it, and Weiss quickly pushed the prior conversation into a tiny box to be dissected later.

“If you don’t like it, we can watch something else.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Weiss said while following Ruby to the sofa and spending an extra second deciding where to sit.  Fortunately, Ruby made that decision easy by patting the cushion beside her.

“It’s probably a dumb movie,” she added when Weiss sat close enough that their legs just barely brushed.  “But they’re fun to laugh at.  Just be prepared to suspend all of your beliefs!”

“Because I’m great at suspending my beliefs…” Weiss muttered, only for her heart to jump when Ruby laughed and gently nudged her shoulder.

“I’m sure you can do anything you put your mind to,” Ruby replied before snapping her fingers to set the movie in motion.   The lights dimmed at the same time, the back of the sofa reclined, and a footrest came up to hold their feet.

Turning towards an adorable giggle, Weiss discovered that she and Ruby were now only a matter of inches apart.  If she rolled onto her shoulder, they were practically laying there together.  From this distance, she could read Ruby’s eyes clearly - happy silver dancing with anticipation of what was to come.

“Are you ready?” Ruby whispered, her attention remaining on Weiss even after the movie began.

For most of Weiss’ adult life, she’d been ready for every challenge thrown her way.  School, work, social climbing - nothing was too big or too important for her to handle.  But right now...she didn’t feel prepared at all.

“I think so,” she whispered in return, earning another heart-stopping giggle before Ruby’s gaze finally moved to the screen.  Weiss’ gaze soon followed, but she snuck another look at Ruby before long.

A few weeks ago, Weiss would never devote time to someone who didn’t have something to offer her in return.  That was where she’d gone woefully astray.  Some people had more to offer than just money, success, and power.  Good conversation, happiness, laughter...those qualities were arguably harder to find.  If they were harder to find, didn’t that make them even more valuable?

That’s what made Ruby special.  That’s what made this special.  Weiss owed it to herself to see where this went, even if ‘seeing where it went’ meant eating popcorn and watching an incomprehensible zombie movie when she could be working.

She could work tomorrow.