Conflict of Interest - Chapter 15 (Patreon)

Person B and C, also known as Alex Reilly and Lynn Waller, were still alive.

At least, Ruby was fairly confident they were still alive, but she couldn’t prove it yet.  All she knew was that there were some fishy happenings on that boat, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.  With recent advancements in video analysis, she had a better shot at tracking down the answers than the specialist back then.  Plus, she liked to think she was pretty good at her job regardless of the equipment at her disposal.

One thing was clear - this case was a doozy.  The police overstepped their bounds, the defendant had some questionable lapses in memory, and Alex and Lynn’s families were rabid in their assertions that something bad happened.

Ruby loved it.  The mystery, the difficulty of working with old technology, the prospect of solving something that no one else had - she loved it all.

But what made this challenge most alluring was that she could go back to Weiss with the answer.  Weiss would then grill her about how she figured it out, but she loved that too.

Thinking about Weiss, Ruby smiled and swept several more pictures into a file filled with them.  Even though she still felt dumb for not realizing Weiss’ intentions right away, she took comfort in the fact that she was actually right - Weiss did like spending time with her.  That became pretty obvious when Weiss appeared at her door and apologized for what happened.

Weiss Schnee - the attorney who regularly made the department look like they were just practicing being cops - apologized.  In doing so, she showed more of her feelings than she probably realized.

Ruby might not be a savant at reading people like Weiss or intuitive like Yang, but she knew all-encompassing worry when she saw it.  It hadn’t taken long to understand that Weiss was honestly afraid that Ruby wouldn’t forgive her.

But Ruby had never been one to stay angry for long.  Besides, she wanted to give Weiss another chance.  She wanted to spend more time together, but she also wanted to see how this changed things.  With the prospect of a promotion off the table, what would Weiss be like?  Could they actually be...friends?

‘Friends’ felt unsatisfying, but Ruby wouldn’t hope for more.  She didn’t even know what she would do with anything more.

“What’re you still doing here??”

Surprised by the voice, Ruby turned away from her work and found Yang waving her hands while walking into the lab.

“Don’t you have to get ready?”

“I have plenty of time!”  When Yang’s brow rose, Ruby sighed and saved her progress.  “It won’t take long...”

“But you have to get there early!  Being early means you’re excited.  People love that - trust me.”

“How long since you’ve been on a first date?”

Yang didn’t have a rebuttal, so Ruby smiled and packed up her bag.

“Fine,” Yang acquiesced.  “Maybe I’ve been out of the dating game for a while, but things can’t have changed that much.”

“You never know,” Ruby teased.  “Maybe everything’s different now.  Maybe showing up late is the new ‘I’m really into you.’”

“Ok smartass,” Yang replied with a chuckle.  “Just get there on time, ok?  For me?”

“You know I hate being late.”

“You and Blake both.”  Once Ruby swung her bag around her shoulder, Yang motioned that they could walk out together.

“Sometimes, I drag my feet just to mess with her,” Yang admitted as they left the lab.

“Surprised she hasn’t thrown you back in the dating pool yet.”

“Too bad I’m a cop - she can’t get rid of me if she tried.”

While Yang laughed at Blake’s plight, which was more than voluntary on Blake’s part, Ruby rolled her eyes.

“But enough about me,” Yang added while matching Ruby’s pace to the lobby.  “You’ll tell me how it goes, right?  As soon as it’s over?”

“Why can’t I just tell you both tomorrow night?”

“You’d make me wait until then??” Yang whined before freezing and gasping out loud.  Curious about the response, Ruby turned around and sighed as soon as she saw the look in Yang’s eyes.

“Does that mean you expect this to be an all-night thing?”

“Yang!”

“I’m not judging!” Yang laughed while Ruby shook her head and quickened her pace towards the exit.  Unfortunately, Yang easily kept up with her.  “Good for you!  You deserve to get out there and sow some oats.”

“‘Sow some oats?’”

“You know what I mean!”

“I wish I didn’t...”

“Tell me what she’s like though!”  Yang paused and shook her head as soon as she heard how that sounded.  “Not like, in bed or anything.  I meant in general.  Like her personality.”

The disclosure froze Ruby in her tracks, and she turned back to her sister in growing disbelief.

“Shouldn’t you already know what she’s like?”

“Sure!  I mean yeah, kinda.  Blake talks about her every once in a while, so I’ve heard about her that way.  Can’t say we’ve ever met though.”

“Are you serious??  I thought you knew her!”

“I do!  Just not personally.”

Shaking her head, Ruby walked into the lobby and set her sights on freedom.  Yang’s last-minute admission made tonight alternatively worse and better.  Worse because she was going on a date with someone Yang had never met before, and Yang was one of the best judges of character she knew.  Better because...she was going on a date with someone Yang had never met before.  If things went horribly, Yang wouldn’t hear the details.

But Yang was a detective - she would find out details if she wanted to.

This night already wasn’t turning out as expected, but Ruby was determined to see the silver lining.  She would meet someone new and she was only a few steps away from leaving her sister at the department’s door.  At least, she thought she was only a few steps away.  Then Casey walked into the lobby.

“Dammit...” she muttered under her breath when Yang waved Casey over.

“Casey!  You’ll never guess what’s happening tonight.”

“He doesn’t need to know,” Ruby protested while Casey gave them a curious look.

“What’s happening?” he asked, and Yang’s grin widened.

“Blake and I are trying out that place you recommended!”

“Really??”

“Really!” Yang replied while winking at Ruby for the fakeout.  “I had to twist her arm a bit since ‘Battlebot Diner’ sounds a little chaotic, but she eventually agreed.”

“You have to sit on the blue side.”

“I’m partial to red though...”

“But blue’s better - trust me.”

While mulling over those choices, Yang waved Ruby through the door.   “Have a good night,” she added before walking back into the station with Casey - the two of them already discussing the merits of red versus blue.

Eager to escape further embarrassment, Ruby hurried away from the Justice Center and hopped onto the next train headed home.  She knew Yang was excited for her, but she didn’t want to make this into a huge deal.  If she over-thought it, tonight’s purpose was meeting a stranger under the pretense of becoming romantic partners.  Not only did that sound just plain weird, but it made her nervous.

So it wasn’t a big deal.  It was just...a deal.  A deal she signed up for because she wanted to feel uncomfortable and out of her element.

“It’ll be fine,” she muttered while the city passed by outside the window.  “You wanted to learn.  This is a great way to do that.”

When the man sitting beside her gave her a look and scooted further away, she cringed and stopped talking to herself.  Plenty of crazies floated around these days, but he probably didn’t think she was crazy.  He probably just...thought she needed privacy in case she was on a call.

A soft buzzing sound drew her attention to her phone then, where she found a message from Blake.

‘If you’re nervous, you can always call me.’

Smiling at the offer, Ruby typed a quick response.

‘Think I’m ok - we’re just hanging out, right?’

‘Exactly, and she’s very friendly - don’t worry.’

In a single sentence, Blake eased some of Ruby’s lingering concerns.  Even though she didn’t have much dating experience, she’d suffered through enough uncomfortable silences to know that was the last way she wanted to spend her evening.

‘And don’t listen to anything your sister says,’ Blake added a few moments later.  ‘There’s no harm in keeping things friendly.’

Re-reading that message, Ruby smiled and felt even more of the evening’s pressure lift away.  Why hadn’t she gone straight to Blake for this?  Yang’s method for getting to know people was outgoing and boisterous - just say hi!  Tell a joke!  Make them love you!  Blake, meanwhile, was similar to Ruby.

‘Thanks, Blake.  I’m excited to meet someone new!’

‘Good luck.  Let me know if you need anything.’

With those well wishes in mind, Ruby put away her phone and looked out of the window.  Blake was like a calm, mellow sister to her - a big change considering she’d grown up with Yang.

Ruby still remembered the first time she met Blake, after listening to Yang gush about this mysterious new girl for weeks.  Her first thought was that the two of them couldn’t be more different, but it didn’t take long to realize how happy they made each other.  Even though they were opposites in many ways, they shared core similarities - like morals, life goals, sense of humor - that paired them better than anyone Ruby had ever known.

These days, Ruby could turn to Blake for help.  She hoped that Blake felt the same about her, but Blake was almost fiercely independent and self-reliant.  Despite all of the time they’d spent together, Ruby still didn’t feel like she knew Blake.  What she did know was that Blake made Yang happy, which was good enough for her.

Seeing her stop up ahead, Ruby stood and waited by the door while the train slowed down.  As soon as the doors opened, she joined the crowds exiting the train and headed home.

Even though she made a big deal about having plenty of time to get ready, she needed to move fast if she wanted to arrive early.  That was why she picked her outfit the day before - so she could get home, change, and immediately head out again.

The lack of time would keep her from overthinking things while running through the motions of getting ready.  At least, that’s what she told herself while crossing the lobby, grabbing the first open elevator, and pressing the button for the top floor.  Her phone immediately buzzed in her pocket, but she pulled it out and cleared the alert.

“Yeah, yeah, I know I’m home,” she muttered before putting the device away.

Several security checks later, she walked into her apartment and dropped her bag by the door.  Her current favorite song played over the speakers as she moved further into the room, and her computer welcomed her home with a rainbow of colors and several articles she’d missed over the course of the day.

Catching up on the news would have to wait.  While heading to her bedroom, however, her gaze caught on the living room and her thoughts returned to the night before.

After accepting Weiss’ apology, Ruby suggested they watch a movie on a whim.  She’d expected Weiss to decline, or be too busy, or just not want to.  Instead, Weiss stayed, and it turned into one of the most enjoyable evenings ever.

Somewhat stupidly, Ruby considered herself a zombie expert.  Even more stupidly, she decided to announce as much when the movie started.  Then she tried to show off that knowledge and...well, it hadn’t gone very well for her.

On the plus side, she’d never heard Weiss laugh so much.

For someone so serious, Weiss found Ruby’s horrible predictions so amusing that at one point there were actually tears in her eyes.  That encouraged Ruby to make a bigger fool of herself, for which she’d been rewarded each and every time.

Now she wanted to find an even more ridiculous film and see what happened.  Those plans would have to wait, however, since she really needed to get ready for her...date.

“Nothing to worry about…” she assured herself while changing into an outfit she hardly ever wore so didn’t feel completely comfortable in.

A few days ago, she thought this was what she wanted.  Today, she considered canceling.  Unfortunately, she couldn’t cancel without Yang finding out.  And if Yang found out, she would ask questions.

If there was any drawback to having a detective as a sister, it was that secrets were practically impossible to keep.  The only way to keep something from Yang was by asking her to let it go or hoping she was too busy with her own life to notice.  Considering how excited she was, the probability of her not noticing was slim to none.

Besides, Ruby would feel guilty about asking for help only to back out.  Apparently, Yang and Blake put a lot of thought into picking the ‘perfect’ person.  Ruby owed it to them to show up.

After slipping on a pair of earrings with several hidden functions, one of which acted as an emergency beacon if needed, she studied her reflection in the mirror and eventually nodded.  Part of her didn’t see the need to dress up more than usual - wasn’t that a little untruthful? - but another part of her wanted to make a good first impression.  Plus, she was the one who wanted the experience.  If she didn’t put forth her best effort, how would she gain any meaningful knowledge?

She reminded herself of that while determining that she was ready.  Before she left her room, however, her phone buzzed with another message.  Spotting a singular ‘W’ on the screen, she immediately smiled.

It had only been a day since Weiss showed up asking for forgiveness, but their relationship already felt...different.  The most obvious change was the rate of their messages, which had continued all day with practically no interruption.  And Weiss’ words felt almost...softer...or even more interested in learning about Ruby than before.

Ruby believed Weiss when she said that recruitment was off the table.  Now, they had nothing to gain from spending time together other than enjoying their conversations.  And she was enjoying them now more than ever.

‘Are you ready?’ Weiss’ message said - simple and direct like she tended to be.

‘Think so,’ Ruby typed back while sitting on the edge of her bed.

‘Picked your outfit?’

Glancing at the mirror, Ruby shrugged at her reflection.

‘Think so,’ she typed again.

‘Picture.’

Ruby smiled at the blunt request, which came across stronger via text than it would have in person.  Regardless, she could hear the firm tone Weiss would have said it in and see the look in Weiss’ eyes when she realized how demanding it sounded.

‘I can help coordinate accessories if you want,’ came a quick additional message.  Its purpose was to soften the first - a huge deviation from the demanding, unreasonable persona Weiss used with everyone else.

After standing up and snapping a photo of herself, Ruby stared at the screen for several seconds before pressing send.  For some reason, she was nervous and anxious to hear Weiss’ response.  Probably because Weiss always looked so beautiful...what would she think of Ruby’s outfit?  Would she have a thousand small critiques or suggested changes?

‘You look perfect.’

Heart fluttering, Ruby blinked to make sure she read it right.

‘I mean your outfit is perfect,’ Weiss’ follow-up message said.  ‘I wouldn’t change a thing.’

Even though Weiss tried to erase what she said, it was still there on Ruby’s screen, making her heart do little flips in her chest.  If Weiss thought she looked perfect, she wasn’t changing anything.  And maybe she would wear this more often.

Before she could say thanks, however, another message arrived.

‘Can you let me know when you’re home?  Doesn’t matter how late.’

Ruby wanted to read into the request but already knew Weiss’ explanation.  There were some weird people around these days, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

‘Sure.  As soon as I’m home.’

‘Thank you.’

With that response in hand and her time officially up, Ruby grabbed her wallet and headed to the door.  She was only halfway there when her phone buzzed again - this time with a simple ‘I hope you have a good time.’

That message, more than anything, made Ruby want to see Weiss instead.  Seeing Weiss would be fun and exciting like always, but...she already made plans.  She should stick to them.

Fortunately, the evening shouldn’t last long.  Since dinners were uncomfortable if conversation stalled, she’d suggested meeting at the innovation center.  She’d already been there several times, but the technology on display was assured to keep them talking.  At least, it would keep her talking.

Doubly fortunately, she’d insisted that no one use the word ‘date.’  Even though she considered it a date, and Yang considered it a date, and Blake considered it a date, she didn’t want to put any undue pressure on anyone.  It wasn’t an official date.  It was just...two people seeing if they hit it off.

Even after the last-minute conversation with Weiss, Ruby arrived at the innovation center several minutes early.  Rather than go inside the giant, futuristic-looking building, she stood outside the entrance and kept an eye out for someone matching Yang’s description.  Well, someone matching Yang’s description plus the quick search she did for a photograph.

She didn’t look up any other information though!  Even though she’d wanted to, she figured it would come off as creepy if she already had background knowledge.  So all she had was a photo and the sparse details Yang provided.

Penny Polendina had long, orange hair, a nice smile, and freckles scattered across her cheeks and nose.  She worked with artificial intelligence, which Ruby was admittedly more than a little curious about.  And she was also very timely.

“I’m sorry I’m late!” she said while hurrying up to Ruby.

“Actually, you’re right on time,” Ruby replied before extending her hand.  “Hi, I’m Ruby.”

“Penny.”  After shaking Ruby’s hand, Penny smiled - a bright, cheerful smile that lit up her emerald green eyes.  “You look just like your photo!”

“Blake gave you a photo?” Ruby asked, feeling even more surprised when Penny nodded.

“Of course.  How else would I know what you looked like?”

Thankfully, the question was rhetorical.

Maybe Yang knew Ruby would run a search anyway.  Or maybe she thought it was more interesting if Ruby didn’t know who she was looking for.  Why else would a detective use descriptors like ‘tall-ish’ and ‘long-ish hair?’

Making a mental note to pester Yang about it later, Ruby let the subject drop and motioned towards the door.

“Want to go in?”

“I’d love to!”

Smiling at the enthusiastic response, Ruby held the door and followed Penny into the innovation center.  The large, circular atrium contained a reception desk near the main entrance and several small exhibits around the walls.  The displays in this area were relatively well-known though, and nowhere near as interesting as some of the pieces inside.

“Have you been here before?” Ruby asked while they crossed the clean, linoleum floors.

“Several times!  It’s one of my favorite places in Vale.”

“Mine too!” Ruby agreed with another smile.

What were the chances that they both loved this place?  Tech-heads either loved it or hated it depending on their desire to learn.  Seeing as how her lifelong goal was learning as much as possible, she loved it.  Maybe Penny was a kindred spirit?

When they reached the ticket counter and Penny reached over to pay, Ruby raced forward and set her hand on the scanner before it picked up Penny’s bracelet.

“I got it,” she said before playing off the moment with a casual shrug.

Yang told Ruby that she had to pay.  Had to.  As in, she might be disowned if she didn’t.  Fortunately, Penny stepped away with a smile, and Ruby tapped her bracelet to the register before accepting their passes in return.

“Maybe I can pay next time,” Penny suggested while accepting her ticket from Ruby, who smiled at the offer.

“Deal.”

Honestly, Penny’s willingness to come back was a positive sign.  Ruby dragged Yang here the first time and knew a second would only happen if Yang forgot her birthday or something egregious like that.  Blake had been much more interested but prying her away from Yang’s side was practically impossible these days.

“Do you remember when they installed this?” Penny asked while scanning her ticket at the full-sized holobarrier separating the exhibition hall from the entryway.  Not wanting to be locked out, Ruby quickly did the same and hurried through as soon as the barrier lowered.

“They used to have those gates like the stadiums do,” she answered.  “Those were functional, but this is...thematic.”

When Penny giggled at the term, Ruby glanced over and smiled.  From first impressions, Penny was cute, friendly, and interested in science or learning.  It was too early to make more of a determination than that though.

“Do you want to check out the wearables first?” Ruby asked, gesturing towards the electronic banner displaying the exhibit’s name.

“Oh, I love this section!”

With Penny’s exuberance marking their course, they walked into the first section of the innovation center and discovered something neither of them seemed to have expected - something new.

“When did this get here??” Ruby asked before hurrying over to the glass case in the center of the room and leaning close to study the contents inside.

To the uninformed, it looked like a regular ring.  But it did so much more than a boring piece of jewelry.  Jammed into the miniscule strip of metal were full network capabilities, advanced scramblers, an enormous memory bank, and several interesting decryption sequences.  But the coolest part was the upgrade potential - tracking beacons, stun sensors...the possibilities were endless.  Hence the name - the EnduRing.

“Have you ever used one?” Ruby asked while Penny gave the ring a thoughtful once-over.

“Several times, mostly at work.”

“Lucky...I can’t convince the department to buy one, and they’re still too pricey for me to buy one on my own.”

“You work for the police, right?”

“In the tech lab.  So I’m not tackling bad guys or anything like that.”

The last thing Ruby wanted was for Penny to get the wrong idea about her job.  Fortunately, Penny seemed to understand the difference between a patrol officer and a tech specialist - one got all the glory and praise for bravery.  The other was...well, her.

“Only three thousand have been made so far,” Penny added before walking around the case and kneeling down to look at the bottom of the ring.  “This is number two hundred and seventy-three.”

“How do you know that?”

Kneeling down like Penny just had, Ruby found a tiny number inscribed in the bottom of the device.  If someone didn’t know it was already there, it would be easy to miss.

“My father owns the company manufacturing them.”

“Your dad owns Pietro Robotics??”  When Penny nodded, Ruby’s surprise and excitement grew.  “That’s awesome!  You must know a lot about their new Ocelot software then?”

“I actually designed it.”

While Penny smiled at the admission, Ruby’s jaw nearly unhinged and hit the floor.

“Wait a second,” Ruby said, waving her hands while trying to grasp what was happening.  “You designed Project Ocelot??”

“Well, not entirely by myself.  A few other engineers helped with the functionalities.”

“Still!”  Ruby couldn’t believe it.  Of all the people Blake and Yang could have set her up with, they chose a literal genius who’d created one of the coolest new A.I. systems in existence.  “Wait, how do you know Blake?”

“We’ve worked together trying to integrate Dreamscape with an artificial system.”

“That sounds…”

“Complicated?” Penny suggested after Ruby trailed off.

“Very complicated,” Ruby agreed.  She couldn’t even imagine a Dreamscape with advanced artificial intelligence built in.  What could a system like that do?

“Ok,” she said before shaking her head again.  “Not to sound like a total nerd, but can I pick your brain about some stuff?”

“Sure!  How advanced is your knowledge of artificial systems?”

“Um...moderately advanced?”

“Are you familiar with the Theory of Mind?” Penny followed up with, and Ruby grinned.

“Yes.”

“Can you build a neural network?”

Ruby’s smile disappeared at the question.

“Blake’s the expert on brain stuff,” she admitted.  “Not me.”

“That’s fine,” Penny replied with a kind smile.  “There’s actually an Ocelot exhibit on the third floor.  I can show you how it works?”

The offer was so incredible, Ruby could hardly believe her ears.  The lead engineer of one of the coolest and most complicated recent advances in A.I. was offering to personally explain how it worked?  She could ask any question she wanted and Penny would humor her with answers?

“That would be awesome,” Ruby replied with a big smile, willingly following Penny towards the staircase.  “Thanks for meeting me tonight, by the way.”

“You’re welcome!  It’s hard to make friends when I work so much, but Blake said I should make the time - I’m glad I did.”

“I am too.  And I’d love to be friends.”

When Penny beamed at the response, Ruby smiled and relaxed in return.

It sounded like Penny only wanted to make friends, which was perfect for Ruby.  They would actually be great friends.  Beyond that...it felt like something was missing.

Ruby’s mind tried to drift to Weiss at that moment, but she refocused on Penny before becoming distracted.  This ‘date’ was far more illuminating than expected, as she’d already learned something new and made an important realization about her feelings.

She liked Penny, and she was having fun, but it wasn’t the same as how she felt with Weiss.  Weiss made her feel incredible and light and happy with just a look or glance or tiny, expertly-concealed smile.  Weiss made her want to tease or joke or make a fool of herself just to earn one of those rare, beautiful laughs.

Weiss was different…but Ruby had already known that.  Maybe it was time to accept that Weiss being different made Ruby want to be with her in a different way.

But first, Ruby had to cram as much knowledge into her brain as the next few hours allowed.  By the end of the night, maybe she would be able to build a neural network.