Conflict of Interest - Chapter 17 (Patreon)

For the second time in as many days, Ruby wanted to cancel her plans.  But again, she couldn’t cancel without answering questions, and she couldn’t answer questions without potentially giving away that she was secretly spending time with one of Vale’s most notorious defense attorneys.

Besides, she loved Dreamscaping with Blake and Yang!  Especially Blake, since Yang was a total amateur when it came to holding a dream together.  Most importantly, they knew how much she loved Dreamscaping with them, meaning they would definitely want to know what, or who, she canceled for.

With that conundrum top of mind, she sent a regretful ‘I should get going now’ message to Weiss and waited for the succinct ‘have fun’ response before setting her phone on the nightstand.  A sigh might have slipped through her lips at the same time, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on how much she wanted to see Weiss instead.

If her heart got its way, she wouldn’t have left Weiss’ house last night.  Logic, however, told her that she had to keep living her life.  The world didn’t stop spinning just because she found someone capable of holding her attention better than any computer ever had.

So, rather than continue the conversation that had hardly been interrupted since last night, she placed the small, round Dream Disk on her temple, laid down in bed, and closed her eyes.  The Dreamscape took over shortly after, and she opened her eyes to find herself standing in the middle of a large, grassy meadow.

A soft breeze bent the blades of grass around her.  Small, colorful flowers sprouted in random bunches here and there.  A cluster of trees stood in the distance.  Everything looked so realistic that if Ruby didn’t remember putting on the Dream Disk, she could easily confuse this reality for her own.

That was Dreamscape’s biggest selling point - letting people live in their dreams as they lived in real life.  While their bodies rested, their subconsciouses could experience any adventure imaginable - after dropping a few dozen credits to purchase the scenario, of course.

After repeatedly plying Blake for explanations, Ruby still couldn’t figure out how to replicate such complex, detailed dreamscapes on her own.  But very few people were talented enough to envision such detailed environments without help, and even fewer could bring them to life with the focus and clarity that Blake could.

“There she is!”

Ruby turned around and smiled when she spotted Yang and Blake walking towards her.  A city towered in the distance behind them, looking like Vale but also not.  Was it a creation of Blake’s imagination or somewhere she’d seen in her travels?  Possibly a combination of both?

“Hey!” Ruby greeted them before waving at the meadow under their feet.  “This is amazing.”

“Isn’t it?” Yang replied before giving Blake an adoring look.  “Do I have the most incredible girlfriend or what?”

A stronger breeze swept across the meadow at that moment, blending in with the dream while sticking out at the same time.  Yang didn’t notice - too busy being hopelessly in love with Blake - but Ruby felt it and smiled.

One of the most fascinating parts of dreaming was how their minds affected the environment without their realization or, in many cases, permission.  Yang was one of the worst at keeping her feelings in check - she wore her heart on her sleeve and freely broadcasted her emotions through the ever-changing color of her eyes.  Blake was the polar opposite - a nearly impossible to read, unflappable member of any dream - but her biggest weakness was Yang.

“Blake is amazing,” Ruby agreed, smiling when another breeze blew across them.  “You can admit it, Blake,” she teased.  “Otherwise, she’ll just keep saying it.”

“Maybe one day she’ll stop.”

“Like to take a breath?” Yang interrupted before grinning.  “But then I’ll start right over again - I can promise you that.”

While Yang and Blake shared a loving, devoted smile, Ruby knelt down and ran her hand across the grass.  The blades seamlessly curled and uncurled at her touch, reacting to her presence even though Blake seemed preoccupied.  Somehow, even while distracted by Yang, she kept track of every tiny piece of the dream in her mind.

“So…?” Yang asked moments later, motioning with one hand as Ruby stood and gave her a curious look.

“So...what?”

“‘So what?’  So how’d it go with Penny??”

“Oh.”  Even though Ruby had expected that question, she hadn’t figured out exactly how to answer it.  “It was fine!”

Based on the look Yang and Blake shared, that was the wrong answer.

“‘Fine?’” Blake prodded, gently suggesting Ruby should go into more detail.

“It was fun!  Did you know she designed Project Ocelot??  We spent like two hours talking about that.”

That pretty much summed up the evening.  Ruby met Penny at the innovation center, they walked through several exhibits then spent the rest of their time being complete geeks about how artificial intelligence worked and its possibilities for the future.  Ruby didn’t think Blake or Yang wanted to hear about any of that, but Yang stared at her for several seconds before finally motioning with both hands.

“And??  Do you like her?  Did you set up another date?”

“I do like her!  I don’t know about date like though…”

When Yang dropped her hands to her sides, Ruby rushed on.

“We’re just really similar!  She likes the same stuff as me, but...I dunno.  I want to be her friend!  She’s cool, and we have a lot to talk about.  I just don’t see it as...more than that...”

What Ruby wanted to say was that there were no sparks with Penny like there were with Weiss.  She couldn’t say that though.  Instead, she watched Yang turn to Blake for support.

“Told you,” Blake replied with a reassuring smile.  “Too similar.”

“Yeah yeah...alright.  Option two!”

Before Yang got too excited about that, Ruby shook her head and waved her hands.

“I think I’m good for now.  I might’ve jumped the gun a bit...”

Blake and Yang exchanged another glance at that, but Ruby shrugged away the whole ordeal.  Rather than go on dates with strangers, she’d rather spend her time with Weiss.  Seeing Weiss was exciting, new, and challenging in the way she was looking for.  Plus, she still didn’t have Weiss figured out.  She probably never would, but that was part of the fun.

Fortunately, Blake accepted the response with a small smile.  Yang studied Ruby for a few seconds longer before eventually nodding.

“If you change your mind, you’ll let us know?”

“Definitely.  And thank you for introducing me to Penny!  I think she’ll be a great friend.”

Maybe Ruby didn’t view Penny in that way, but she fully intended on hanging out again.  There was still so much she wanted to learn about artificial intelligence!  And, now that she had an expert to teach her, she couldn’t wait to race up that learning curve.

“At least you got a friend out of it,” Yang agreed while Blake met Ruby’s gaze.

“Have you figured it out yet?”

Immediately understanding what Blake was referring to, Ruby sighed.

“If I ever do, you’ll be the first to know.  I’ll be freaking out.”

“Do you want a hint?”

“No!”

When Ruby held up her hands as if that would stop any hints from appearing, Blake smiled and Yang laughed.

“I mean, not yet,” Ruby added.  “Give me more time.  I haven’t been able to work on it much since I’ve been busy.”

“Busy?” Yang immediately asked, curiosity already showing in her eyes.  “What’re you busy with?”

Internally, Ruby sighed.  Since her mind was linked to the environment, however, a very visual puff of air left her lips.

“Cases and stuff are piling up,” she fudged, hoping Yang bought the excuse and let it go.  The look Blake gave her, however, suggested she’d given away enough to cause suspicion.  Fortunately, Blake wouldn’t ask questions like Yang would.  Instead, she used a strong gust of wind to turn Yang towards her.

“Do you want to see what I made for her?”

“I actually get to see it??” Yang asked, earning a smile from Blake while the environment transformed.

“Just a peek.”

For someone unprepared for the new landscape, the differences were jarring.  The grass disappeared, leaving metal plating in its place.  Giant structures grew from seemingly nothing and towered everywhere - some made of metal, some made of wood, and several made of materials Ruby had yet to identify.

In a matter of seconds, the first section of Blake’s dream city came into focus.  As Ruby had already discovered, everything was weird here.  The only unifying factor was the floor, but even that was missing in some places.  There was an invisible set of stairs she’d tripped over more than once.  Letters, numbers, and symbols she’d never seen before covered nearly everything but, in some cases, hung in the air as if held up by invisible string.

“Wow.”  Slowly spinning in a circle, Yang tried to take in as much as she could see.  “This is…”

“Mind-bending?” Ruby offered.  Walking over to one of the walls, she gave it a good shove to push it into its proper place.  “I’ve only made it through the first five parts, but I’m pretty sure there’s a shortcut skipping right to the end.”

She watched Blake while voicing that suspicion, but Blake didn’t so much as blink.  Instead, she shrugged and calmly solved the first puzzle.

“You never know,” she teased while the walls separated and molded back together in an archway.  Looking through the archway revealed a silver road leading to a castle in the distance - what Ruby assumed to be the final section - but walking through dropped her in a sandy maze.

“In a dream, anything’s possible.”

That wasn’t helpful, but Ruby just said she didn’t want any hints.  One day, she would finish the tests and immediately ask Blake how she came up with everything.  Seeing as how it had taken Ruby hours just to figure out that the walls moved, that conversation was probably a ways off.

“This is incredible,” Yang said while brushing her fingers across one of the inscriptions on the archway.  The letters lit gold under her touch - a new effect added for her benefit.  “But good luck,” she added with a chuckle and shake of her head.

“I need it…” Ruby muttered while the meadow returned.  Before the environment even solidified, Yang grinned at Blake.

“What do you say, beautiful?  Ready to put our skills to the test?”

“Or kick our butts again,” Ruby added, noting Blake’s barely-concealed smile at what was to come.

“I’m always ready to do that.”

The world transformed again - this time with shiny, white, linoleum panels replacing the grassy meadow.  Fluorescent lights snuffed out the sun, and a ceiling capped their open access to the sky.  Walls sprang up everywhere, as did benches, walkways, storefronts, and people.  Lots and lots of people.  Before long, the meadow was a distant memory.  Now, they stood in the middle of a busy mall.

“So cool…” Ruby whispered while looking around.  Just like the meadow, it felt so real.  It was all in her head, but she could easily believe that they were actually out shopping together.

“Ok, the situation -”  As soon as Yang started using her ‘I’m an awesome cop’ voice, Ruby rolled her eyes but didn’t interrupt.  “Two officers patrolling a crowded mall during the holidays.  They think it’s just a typical day on the job...but is it?”

“Dum dum dummm,” Ruby added before grinning at Blake.  “This is so open-ended.”

“That’s what makes it fun!  We have no idea what’ll go wrong.  Bomb threat?  Fire?  Hostage situation?”

“Stop giving her ideas!”

“I already know what you’ll be facing,” Blake replied.  “I think you’ll enjoy it...if you figure it out fast enough.”

“That’s not ominous at all,” Yang laughed while Ruby nodded.  “I’m so ready.”

“Then after you.”  Blake motioned them forward and smiled when Yang blew a kiss her way.  “Good luck,” was the last thing she said before disappearing from view.

“How does she do that…?” Ruby muttered while staring at the spot where Blake had just been.

“Magic,” Yang joked before waving Ruby after her.  “Come on, let’s check the food court first.”

Nodding, Ruby followed Yang through the crowded hallway.  Even though shoppers were everywhere, everyone gave them a respectful distance because of their new outfits - exact replicas of patrol uniforms.

Honestly, one of the best parts about these dream sequences was that Ruby got to feel like a ‘real’ officer.  The uniform was only one piece of that though - she also got to act like a real officer, which meant keeping her eyes and ears on alert for signs of trouble.

Unfortunately, hearing anything over the drone of thousands of voices would be difficult.  Visual would also be an issue, as she couldn’t see further than ten feet without craning her neck and standing on her tiptoes.  Those two handicaps were probably central to whatever Blake had planned, but Ruby had no idea what that might be yet.

In fact, the atmosphere was so merry and bright that she couldn’t imagine anything bad happening.  If she didn’t already know this was an elaborate setup, she might be inclined to go shopping too.

“Just like being back on beat, right?” Yang said as they passed an electronics store practically swimming with shoppers.

“I wouldn’t know...” Ruby muttered, her eyes lingering on the store for an extra second before moving on.

“Ah, right.  You didn’t miss anything.”

Even though Ruby didn’t fully agree with the statement, she didn’t argue.  She wished her time at the Academy hadn’t been mere formality, but the department had already decided what position she would take upon completion.  So, rather than follow a traditional progression from cadet to patrol officer to whatever she wanted to specialize in, they’d hand-waved her through basic training and right into the tech lab.

The other tech specialists probably felt the same, or maybe they didn’t care.  Maybe she was the only one who felt like she missed out on an important part of becoming a member of Vale P.D.

“It’s really nothing special,” Yang added, somehow sensing Ruby’s feelings.  “Lots of walking, talking, and gossiping about...you know...sexual exploits.”  After glancing over one shoulder, Yang grinned and lowered her voice.  “Like, you’ll never guess what Blake and I did last -”

The end of that sentence was cut off by Yang’s yelp followed by a loud ruckus as she tripped over a trash can and crashed to the floor.  Everyone in the vicinity stopped and stared at the spectacle which, even though they weren’t real, made Ruby blush by proxy.  Yang, meanwhile, scrambled to her feet, brushed off her pants, and pretended like nothing happened.

“Heard you loud and clear,” she muttered to herself while her cheeks reddened.  After taking a deep breath, she straightened her posture and smiled.  “But really, it’s just a lot of walking around hoping something happens only to immediately wish it hadn’t.”

“I guess...”

As horrible as some of the stories sounded, Ruby still would have liked the experience.  That didn’t matter much these days, however, as the only time she used the skills she’d learned was during these training dreams with Yang.

“Think these work?”

Rather than dwell on that topic, Ruby pulled a stun baton from her belt and tested the weight of it in her hand.  Yang, meanwhile, unclipped hers and hit the button.  Loud static crackled across the top of the device - the sound making Ruby instinctually shy away.

“We can try it out.”

“Don’t you dare!”  When Yang moved towards a random mall walker, Ruby reached out to stop her only to remember she couldn’t physically move other dreamers.  “Yang!” she said instead, puffing out her cheeks when Yang laughed and clipped the weapon back to her belt.

“How did you ever get promoted?” Ruby grumbled as Yang’s laughter trailed off.

“By taking risks!”  While Ruby rolled her eyes, Yang led them to the railing above the food court and waved at the sea of people below.  “Looks pretty tame, right?”

After scanning the food court and finding nothing out of place, Ruby repeated the process with the upstairs corridors.  The sheer amount of people made this feel impossible, and the size of the building didn’t help.  For all they knew the crime was happening on the opposite side of the mall right now, in which case they’d never see or hear about it in time.

“Wait a second.”  When Yang held up a hand, Ruby immediately froze.  “Do you feel like someone’s watching us?”

“That would be Blake.  And she’s probably laughing while we walk around like idiots.”

Even though Yang chuckled at the response, her attention remained elsewhere.  The sudden focus quickly rubbed off on Ruby, who sensed the shift in atmosphere right along with her increasing adrenaline.

In moments like this, she couldn’t tell if she was actually picking up something wrong, if she was reacting to Yang, or a bit of both.  If Yang hadn’t pointed it out, would she have noticed the tingle at the edge of her mind alerting her to something?

There wasn’t time to figure that out right now, as they both turned in a slow circle searching for the source of the disturbance.  But with so many people around, spotting one bad actor was impossible.

“Dammit…” Yang breathed out after her initial sweep came up empty.  Ruby had equally bad luck, but she knew that the moment must be close at hand.  What did Blake say...that they would enjoy it if they figured it out fast enough?

Searching the upstairs landing one more time, Ruby tried to figure out what she was missing.  The toy store was packed.  The electronics store was packed.  The Dreamscape store was packed.  The jewelry store wasn’t as busy, but that stuff was expensive.

“Shit - they’re credit mining.”

“What?”

By the time Ruby turned around, Yang was walking purposefully towards the jewelry store.

“How do you know?” Ruby asked while matching Yang’s pace.

“Four people - one in each corner.  Separated the employees while the fifth waits near the registers.”

Everything Yang said was true, and now Ruby couldn’t unsee the scheme taking place.  By spreading the employees as far apart as possible, the security cameras panned to their widest angles to keep everyone in view.  The resulting loss of detail allowed certain mining devices to remain undetected even if in the palms of the perpetrators’ hands.

“Follow my lead,” Yang whispered while approaching the store’s entrance.  The two people nearest to the exit looked at them while the other three glanced over out of the corners of their eyes - definitely up to something.

Ruby had no idea how Yang planned to handle this, but she was on high alert in case she was needed.  For all they knew, the schemers were armed and, at five versus two, had the advantage if they put up a fight.

“Stay by the door,” Yang added in a low voice.  “If anyone makes a break for it, take them out.”

‘Taking someone out’ wasn’t exactly Ruby’s style, but she obediently hung by the door while Yang walked over to the man near the registers.  Even though she smiled and started what looked like a friendly conversation, the tenseness in the room quickly doubled.

Ruby tried to look nonchalant while observing, but she felt the two people closest to the exit sizing her up.  They didn’t know whether or not they’d been found out, so they kept up their slow, disjointed conversations with the employees.  The atmosphere of the store, however, felt like a rubber band stretched to its limit.

Yet Yang kept talking, acting as if nothing was wrong while the others grew antsy, making Ruby antsy too.  If someone made a run for it, she had to be ready.  So, as slowly as possible, she lowered her left hand towards her baton.

Suddenly, the rubber band snapped.

The two men closest to the exit took off towards opposite corners of the doorway.  Grabbing the baton and hitting the switch, Ruby managed to jab one in the side, sending him crashing to the floor in pain, but the other sprinted out of the store and into the crowded mall.  Without thinking, she took off after him.

“Ruby!” Yang called after her, but she was already sprinting through the crowds in pursuit.

The perpetrator pushed and shoved people out of the way in his haste, but she skirted between shoppers while keeping an eye on him at the same time.  He was headed towards the exit, or so she thought, but then he ducked down the hallway leading to the restrooms.

Fewer people in this hallway meant he could sprint ahead while Ruby struggled to catch up.  She was fast, but he was at least a foot taller than her and in equally good shape.  Still, she held pace and watched him shove open the door leading into the back passageways of the mall.

As soon as she rushed through the doorway, she knew she made a mistake.  But there was no time to correct the error as the door slammed into her shoulder and sent her crashing to the ground.  Before she could even hope of regaining her feet, he stepped out from behind the door and drew his weapon.

He didn’t aim at her though.  He did nothing more than prove he was armed before vanishing into thin air, leaving her lying there with a throbbing shoulder and pounding heart.

“Ruby!”  Sliding around the corner, Yang sighed in relief and hurried over.  “You ok?”

“Yeah…” Ruby muttered while pushing herself to her feet and dusting off her pants.  Replaying what just happened, she sighed and shook her head.  “That was my fault.  I shouldn’t have chased -”

“It’s fine.”  When Ruby shook her head again, Yang nodded.  “It is.  I would’ve done the same thing.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t.”

“Only because I was at the back of the store.”

Ruby sincerely doubted Yang would make such a rookie mistake, which only made this more frustrating.  After running hundreds of these simulations, how was she still making such boneheaded errors?  When would she stop blindly following her instincts?

“Are you ok?”  Reappearing by their side, Blake gave Ruby a concerned look.  “I tried not to get you too hard…”

“I’m ok.”  Ruby moved her limbs to show she was uninjured.  “Only thing that hurts is my ego…”

“Hey, it’s no big deal,” Yang repeated, reaching out to pat Ruby’s shoulder only to pause and offer a reassuring smile instead.  “Want to try again?  I bet Blake can cook up something else.”

Ordinarily, the answer was yes.  For as frustrating as it was to mess up, Ruby loved running these simulations and pretending that she and Yang were partners stopping crime together.  In another life, they were both cops, or both detectives, or even superheroes, risking their lives for those in need.

Right now, however, she felt pretty defeated.  Surprisingly, she knew exactly what - or who - could cheer her up.

“Actually, can you wake me up now?”

“Right now?”  Blake tilted her head at the unexpected question.  “But it’s the middle of the night.”

“That’s ok.  Just realized I have some stuff to do.”  When Blake and Yang exchanged glances, Ruby noticed Yang’s eyes turn a deeper shade of purple - curious purple.  “It’s a work thing,” she added before Yang started asking questions.  “Want to get to it before I forget.”

Fortunately, they knew her well enough to know that some of her best work came at strange hours.  Or they knew that asking lots of questions wouldn’t get them many answers right now.

“Sure,” Blake replied before glancing Yang’s way.  “I guess that means we have the night to ourselves.”

As soon as Yang grinned at the implication, Ruby rolled her eyes and clasped her hands together.

“Please, please wake me up now.”

The next second, Ruby opened her eyes and saw her bedroom ceiling up above.  Sitting up with a yawn, she tossed the Dream Disk onto the bedstand and picked up her phone.  It was late, but hopefully not too late.  The only way to find out was by sending a message.

‘Still up?’

Prepared for an answer that might not arrive until the morning, she hardly lowered her phone before it buzzed with a response.

‘Yes.’

Yes.  Yes.  Weiss was still awake.

But she could be minutes away from going to sleep.  Or was she a night owl too?

That didn’t matter right now.  What mattered was that she was still awake and possibly free to talk.  This was why Ruby should have decided what she wanted to say before sending the first message.  Now, her heart raced while trying to craft the perfect response.

‘Want to hang out?’

As soon as she sent the message, she regretted it.  ‘Hang out?’  That sounded so juvenile...

‘Sure.  Come over?’

She hardly processed the response before jumping out of bed, throwing on the first presentable outfit her hands landed upon, and racing out of her apartment.  Her holomask slipped into place soon after she stepped into the elevator, giving her a new identity by the time she reached the lobby.

It had only been a day since they saw each other last, but she still couldn’t wait to see Weiss again.  That budding excitement made the train ride feel twice as long as usual, but she busied herself with masking her trail in the off-chance someone took an interest in her late-night activities.  Unlikely, but at least it passed the time until she made it to the right train stop.

Soon after, she walked along a wide street lined by immaculately maintained houses.  With how limited space was these days, only the wealthiest and most successful could afford the luxury of a personal home.  In that sense, of course Weiss owned one.

But Weiss was so much more than just successful and wealthy.

Unlike Ruby’s first visit, she didn’t hesitate out front.  Instead, she hurried to the side path she’d spotted yesterday and made her way to the backyard.  A locked gate stood between her and her destination, but the encryption wasn’t nearly high enough to keep a decent hacker out.  She would fix that later, but right now she let herself into the backyard, locked the gate behind her, and walked over to the backdoor.

After ringing the bell, she sent an additional ‘I’m here - out back’ as reassurance.  That left her impatiently shuffling her feet on the back step, but it wasn’t long before footsteps approached the door.  And only a few seconds longer before it opened.

As soon as Ruby saw Weiss, who looked as gorgeous as ever even without the power skirts and blouses, she smiled.

“Hey,” Weiss greeted her with one of those hidden smiles practically begging to be brought into the light.

“Hey,” Ruby replied, her own smile possibly blinding by now.

When Weiss stepped aside and beckoned her through the door, she walked inside and made her way to the entryway.  She was in Weiss’ house again - how crazy was that?  Not only was she here again, but she didn’t even feel uncomfortable.

“Sorry for bothering you so late,” she said once she remembered her manners.

“It’s ok.  I was just working.”

As if to prove that point, Weiss motioned towards her desk in the living room.  Glancing that way, Ruby immediately noticed something important - the computer screen was still on, and the papers hadn’t been flipped over.

For some dumb reason, the fact that Weiss hadn’t turned over the papers made Ruby happier than ever.  Because Weiss didn’t need to hide anything.  Ruby wasn’t here to snoop.  She was here because she really, really wanted to see Weiss.

When Weiss noticed Ruby’s glance towards the desk, she looked that way but didn’t say anything.  Instead, she turned back to Ruby with clear blue eyes and that same almost-there smile.  In that moment, she looked relaxed, happy, and - somehow - more gorgeous than ever.  Could Ruby tell Weiss that she looked pretty or was that too much?

It was probably too much.

“Why are you up so late?” Weiss asked to fill the silence, returning Ruby’s thoughts to the dream sequence with another twinge of disappointment.

“You’ll think it’s lame if I tell you.”

“Try me.”

When Weiss waved one hand and patiently waited for the explanation, Ruby discovered that she wasn’t afraid to provide this ‘lame’ information.  For as intimidating as Weiss was in the courtroom, outside of that she was...kind, thoughtful, and knew how to make Ruby smile or laugh.

“Ok,” she quickly acquiesced.  “Every few weeks, I Dreamscape with Blake and Yang.  Blake runs sequences where Yang and I are cops trying to stop crimes.”

Weiss’ brow briefly rose at the admission, then she relaxed into a smile.

“That doesn’t sound lame.  That sounds like a great way to hone your skills, especially if you have a talented theorist running the sequence.”

“Exactly!”  Honestly, Ruby loved that she hardly ever had to explain her reasoning to Weiss.  “It’s a lot of fun too, but Yang’s so much better than me.  My instincts just aren’t as good as hers.”

“You probably have excellent instincts, but she benefits from being closer to the person running the show.”

“I don’t know about that...one of the first things the Academy teaches you is not to chase - and that’s exactly what I did.”

“Those rules can’t possibly apply to every situation you’ll face in the line of duty.  They’re guidelines, nothing more.  Blindly following them is probably the worst thing you could do.”

The forcefulness in Weiss’ response made Ruby smile - not because she believed it was right, but because Weiss was arguing for her right now.  One of Vale’s fiercest, most talented debaters...on her side.

“But Yang has more patrol experience than I do,” Ruby pointed out to see what would happen.  “Actually, I don’t have any patrol experience.”

“I don’t care if she just won officer of the year - never underestimate the power of familiarity.  Without even realizing it, Blake could be leaving clues in the sequence that only Yang would pick up on.”

“But -”

Before Ruby offered another argument, Weiss stepped forward and set her hand on Ruby’s arm.  The gentle touch silenced her as much as the resolute look in Weiss’ eyes did.

“If you wanted to be an officer, you’d be a damn good one - and not just because you actually know the laws.  You’re smart, you’re brave, and you care about helping others.  If you think your sister is better just because she has more experience, I’ll prove to you that she’s not.”

Ruby’s smile widened at the response, especially when the resolve in Weiss’ eyes never weakened.  Realistically, they both knew that Yang was a better officer and detective based on years of experience alone.  Arguing otherwise was a lost cause - Weiss knew it, but her willingness to take up a doomed argument on Ruby’s behalf made her feel incredibly special.

Vale’s winningest defense attorney...voluntarily taking a loss just to make Ruby feel better.

Overrun by gratitude, happiness, and so many other positive emotions - all directed at Weiss - Ruby thought nothing of reaching out and gently tucking a strand of Weiss’ hair behind her ear.

“You’re incredible…” Ruby whispered at the same time, smiling as Weiss’ eyes locked onto hers.

For a second, they remained frozen like that, with Ruby’s fingertips lightly brushing Weiss’ ear while Weiss’ eyes intently searched hers.  For possibly the first time ever, Weiss looked like she didn’t know what to say.  Ruby didn’t either, but her heart filled in the silence with emotions she couldn’t put into words.

When Weiss’ lips parted and her blue eyes dipped ever so slightly, Ruby’s heart jumped.  Without a second thought, Ruby leaned forward and kissed her.

Or maybe Weiss kissed her.

That didn’t matter with Weiss’ lips on hers.  Nor did it matter with Weiss pressed close enough to smell her shampoo or perfume...and feel the gentle warmth of her skin as her fingers grazed Ruby’s cheek.

The kiss lasted only a second before Ruby pulled away and watched Weiss’ eyes flutter open, revealing a shade of light blue that made her heart stutter.

Then she realized what just happened, and watched the same realization spark in Weiss’ eyes.  But, for a brief moment, neither of them moved.  They just stared at each other, still pressed close yet at an utter loss for words, until Weiss lowered her hand and backed away.

“I’m sorry -”

Before Ruby could finish an apology, Weiss shook her head and stared at the corner of the desk.

“It’s...fine.”

It didn’t feel fine, but Ruby didn’t know what to say or do to fix it.  Ask Weiss to elaborate?  Attempt to put her own racing thoughts into words?  Just stand there, stare, and wonder how she found the courage to kiss the gorgeous, unbelievable person in front of her?

She wanted to kiss Weiss again.  She wanted to experience more of the softest, gentlest side Weiss had to offer.  She wanted to feel Weiss’ lips on hers.  She wanted to embrace the desire racing through her veins.  She wanted to know what happened next, and she wanted Weiss to be the one she answered those questions with.

But with Weiss refusing to make eye contact, Ruby didn’t want to push her luck.

“Actually, I should...I should probably go…” she whispered while backing away.  “Sorry for bothering you, but I...just remembered that I have a lot of work to do.”

“That’s alright...I do too.”

The last thing Ruby wanted to do was leave, but she had so many thoughts to go through - and Weiss probably felt the same.  Those thoughts weren’t translating into words for either of them, which meant...which meant they should separate and figure out what just happened.

So, when Weiss didn’t make any indication she had more to say, Ruby fitted her holomask around her ear and slipped out the backdoor without another word.  The cold night air greeted her as she hurried home, but she paid the chill no mind while replaying that memory over and over again.

That was really unexpected.  Really awesome, but really unexpected.  She’d been so excited just to see Weiss, then she kissed her.

Now...she hoped she didn’t just mess everything up.  Because she really, really wanted to do that again.