Blind Love - WR oneshot (Patreon)

After several weeks of non-stop rain, the weather finally showed mercy.  White, fluffy clouds dotted the blue skies.  Cool, gentle breezes provided relief from the steady sunshine.  Puddles lingered on the sidewalk or pooled in the grass.

“The mayor will be there with his family.  It will be the perfect opportunity to renegotiate our agreement.”

“That’s great…” Weiss muttered while looking across the sparkling lake laying beyond the railing to her right.  The restaurant’s patio jutted out over the water, offering the perfect spot to watch paddle boats or canoes pass by.

“I need you to talk to his son again.  See if that simpleton holds any sway with his father.”

Weiss stifled a sigh while turning away from the picturesque view and back to her less quaint reality.  “Of course, father,” she replied regardless.

“Once the mayor is on our side, we’ll line up suppliers,” her father continued, ignoring her lackluster response.  His white mustache twitched with a smile, as only thoughts of business success would do.  “Then getting contracts signed will be simple,” he mused before lifting his coffee cup to his lips.

While he pondered his next steps towards the pinnacle of business, Weiss picked up her cup of tea and took a sip.  The restaurant used porcelain, an average substitute for higher-quality materials, but it hadn’t deserved her father’s ‘thinly made plastic’ disdain from earlier.  Neither had the waiter deserved to apologize for something beyond his control.

“Excuse me, sir,” the aforementioned waiter interrupted, his respectful smile reserved for Weiss’ father.  “Would you like to order something else?”

When Weiss’ father shook his head and gestured across the table, the young man visibly relaxed and turned towards Weiss.  “What about you, miss?” he asked.  “Would you like anything else?”

“No, thank you,” Weiss politely declined, much to his relief.

“You hardly eat, girl,” her father said while their waiter scurried off to tend to more hospitable patrons.

Hiding a scowl behind her cup, she said, “I had a big breakfast,” but otherwise ignored the belittlement.  If he actually cared about how much she did or did not eat, she might answer honestly.  But as long as she looked perfect, he was - well, he was hardly happy, but he left her alone.

“I can’t believe your sister didn’t make it,” he added, but Weiss tuned him out in favor of studying her nails.  Her manicure had held up well this time - no chips or cracks to be found, much to her relief.  Spending an hour in a chair pretending to be interested in the most recent gossip was dreadfully boring.  Similar to this lunch.

While her father expressed his overwhelming disappointment in Winter’s absence, regardless of her legitimate reason for not being in attendance, Weiss’ attention wandered back to the lake.  If given the opportunity, she would trade lives with any one of the people enjoying the beautiful day.  Canoeing looked peaceful.  Walking along the winding paths looked serene.  Sitting on one of the many park benches looked rejuvenating.  Even sitting at one of the other tables on the patio looked more enjoyable than the seat she currently occupied.

Gaze drifting from person to person, she tried to determine who she’d most like to swap lives with.  The middle-aged man jogging along the sidewalk?  One of the teenagers struggling with their canoe?  The elderly woman walking her adorable little dog?  Or…

Spotting someone interesting, Weiss sat up in her seat and made sure not to stare.  Instead, she cast frequent glances towards the young, slender brunette who’d just walked past the restaurant.  Her slender build and form-fitting jeans made her gait pleasurable to watch, as if she suppressed a hop or skip with each step.  Her t-shirt revealed lean, tan arms that obviously enjoyed the sun, and she lazily swung them to match her pace.  Even though she walked alone, she looked content and relaxed.

Weiss’ curiosity mounted when the girl left the sidewalk and headed towards the shoreline.  She lifted her feet carefully, likely avoiding puddles, but kept her gaze trained on the ground searching for something.

“Are you paying attention?”

Weiss’ eyes snapped back to her father, and she parroted the last words she remembered: “Friday at eight.  Wear a needlessly expensive dress.”

“Don’t be late,” he added, overlooking her personal commentary in favor of leaning back and scoffing.  “If you must bring someone, make sure they meet the minimal dress code.  I don’t know who that girl is that Winter brought last time, but her attire was embarrassingly subpar.”

“Maybe that’s why Winter likes her…” Weiss muttered under her breath.

“Speak up when you talk.”

“I said you’re right, father,” she corrected with a forced smile.  “She could have worn something nicer.”

“Winter should know better.  If she must associate with someone like that, at least have the decency to buy her an outfit.”

“Yes, what was she thinking…” Weiss replied, making sure she didn’t mumble while her attention drifted away from her father’s inevitable judgment of Winter’s unacceptably poor ‘friend.’

The brunette walked along the muddy shoreline now, gently tossing a small rock up and down in one hand.  Every few steps, she stooped down and picked up another stone, then scavenged for more.  Eventually, she’d collected a small armful, which were then unceremoniously dropped at the water’s edge.

All save for one, however.  The remaining rock remained in her hand as she walked away from the water.  About twenty feet away, she turned towards the lake, took a deep breath, and then broke into a run.

Before Weiss understood what was happening, the girl planted her foot at the grass’ edge and chucked the rock towards the fountain in the center of the lake.  It disappeared with nothing more than a small splash, and the girl nodded to herself before collecting another stone from the pile.  Weiss, meanwhile, tilted her head.

“Don’t forget to go with your mother to get your dress,” her father rambled on.  “It’ll be ready any day now.”

“Of course, father,” Weiss obediently replied, but her attention hardly strayed from the brunette as another rock flew across the water.

There didn’t seem to be an objective outside of throwing the stones as far as possible, which only furthered Weiss’ intrigue.  While her father dictated the next few weeks of her life to her, intent upon amassing more wealth than they already had, this charming stranger had an entirely different, somewhat silly goal.  Regardless of how silly it seemed, however, Weiss couldn't help rooting for her, and sharing a little of her celebration when a particularly well-thrown rock sailed further than the others.

“That only leaves the Spring Gala to attend to, but I’ll give you those details later.”

Finally, Weiss turned back to her father.  “The Spring Gala?” she repeated.  “But you said I didn’t have to be there.”

“I changed my mind.”  Weiss opened her mouth to protest, but his phone interrupted.  “Hello?” he said upon answering.  The caller’s response made his brow furrow and his mouth turn with a frown, but he said nothing more than a curt, “I’ll be right there,” before ending the call.

The response, combined with him standing up and dropping a bill on the table, considerably brightened Weiss’ mood.  “I’m needed at the office,” he explained.  “I’ll send James to take you home.”

“Yes, father,” she said as he strode out of the restaurant.  “Because I can’t get home on my own…” she muttered under her breath once he was gone.

Freed of his imposing presence, she could…well, she couldn't do whatever she wanted, but she could relax without the ever-present risk of a scolding.  These days, she understood why Winter had stopped catering to his every whim.  Sit straighter.  Make eye contact.  Enunciate.  As horrible as the admonishments were, being perfect for every hour of every day was arguably worse.

Tapping her nails on the side of her tea cup, she glanced around the busy restaurant before her focus returned to her new muse.  The pile of rocks had dwindled, but the brunette hadn’t grown tired of her task.  Grab one of the stones, back up several steps, race forward and throw, watch where it landed, repeat.

There was something cathartic about watching the simple sequence of events take place.  That, and Weiss thoroughly enjoyed the glimpses of muscles flexing in the brunette’s arm as the rocks were released.

Just when Weiss wondered what would happen when the pile of stones disappeared, the brunette made another run across the grass, drew her arm back and planted her foot, but this time her foot flew out from under her before the rock ever left her hand.  Weiss’ heart stopped as a yelp preceded her crashing to the ground and sliding down the hill until her shoes dipped into the water.

Weiss quickly pushed herself to her feet, but she settled back into her seat when the girl rolled onto her side and touched the back of her head.  That was when she - and Weiss, from a distance - noticed the mud covering her hand, and covering her back from head to toe.  Rather than jump to her feet or throw a fit at the colossal mess, she looked up at the sky and plopped back into the mud, an unexpected-yet-adorable capitulation that brought a small smile to Weiss’ lips.

“Would you like anything else, Miss Schnee?”

Startled by the interruption, Weiss discovered that their waiter had returned to check on her.  In the midst of shaking her head, she paused and glanced at the brunette still laying on the lake’s muddy bank.

“Yes, I believe I would like something,” she admitted.  “But I think I’ll need to get it myself.”  His brow creased at the response, but she opened her purse, doubled her father’s meager tip, and stood up.  “Thank you for your help,” she added before making her way across the patio and through the restaurant’s interior.

Once outside the front entrance, she followed the sidewalk leading to the lake.  Several passersby cast glances her way - she’d chosen an outfit suitable for meeting her father, not for taking a leisurely stroll - but she ignored the looks and headed towards where she’d last seen the brunette.

The short walk offered a moment to savor the sun’s warmth and the smell of recently fallen rain.  Raindrops still glistened on leaves and blades of grass, glittering around the park in tiny sparkles.  But nothing sparkled as grandly as the surface of the lake reflecting the midday sun, practically beckoning her closer.

Her eyes lingered on the water for only a second before searching the bank.  Upon finding the brunette, still laying in the mud as if lounging on the beach, Weiss smiled and walked closer.  Unfortunately, the sidewalk maintained a stubborn distance from the water, forcing her to pause several yards away and look around.

She probably looked even more out of place than she felt right now.  She had no reason to speak to this stranger, nor did she have an adequate excuse for passing by; to reach the shoreline, she had to cross the wet, muddy grass.  In heels.

Her father would tell her to wait at the restaurant until their chauffeur arrived.  Don’t cause a scene - just sit there and look pretty like the obedient daughter she was.  The thought hardly flitted into her mind before she stepped off of the sidewalk.  Her left heel immediately sank into the soggy ground, but she pulled it free and carried on.  She could turn around at any time - the brunette hadn’t noticed her yet - but something spurred her forward.  Call it curiosity.  Call it rebellion.  Whatever it might be, it propelled her to the edge of the grass, not six feet from the resting girl.

The next part proved more difficult but, after wetting her lips and gently clearing her throat, Weiss said, “Excuse me?  Are you alright?”

The girl sat up at the question and, when she turned around and saw Weiss standing there, her eyes widened and she quickly popped to her feet. “Yeah, I’m fine!” she said while wiping her muddy hands on the front of her jeans, leaving brown smudges behind.  “Totally fine,” she added.  “Just, you know, took a little spill.  It’s slippery!”

That slippery slope had smeared mud down her back and sides - mud had even gotten into her hair - but she admirably played off her appearance.  Up close, she stood as tall as Weiss without the benefit of heels, and when she smiled - as embarrassed as it may be - her gorgeous silver eyes validated Weiss’ decision to walk over.

“May I ask what you’re doing?” Weiss said, waving to the solitary stone that hadn’t made its way into the lake.

“Oh, uh, you can.”  The brunette rubbed the back of her neck, re-covering her hand in mud, before a shy smile slipped onto her lips.  “But it’s kind of dumb, and you’re really pretty so I don’t want you to think I’m dumb.”

That wasn’t the first time Weiss had been called ‘pretty,’ but it was the first time butterflies accompanied the compliment.  “You’re trying to hit the fountain?” she guessed, unable to stop a smile from appearing.

“No, well, it’d be awesome if I could!”  The mere idea delighted the girl, whose eyes regained their sparkle, accompanied by a big grin.  Seconds later, and without further prompting, her flimsy resistance to offering the truth disappeared.  “Ok, basically, my sister and I have this dumb competition to see who can throw a rock the furthest.  She always wins, so I was…practicing.”

“I see.”  Weiss bit her lip to hold back another smile.  Rather suddenly, her emotions wanted to get the best of her, but she cleared her throat and added, “That’s not dumb at all.  It sounds like…a healthy competition.”

“I think so too!”  Now grinning from ear to ear, the girl chuckled to herself and shook her head.  “I mean, define ‘healthy’ though.  We get a little competitive sometimes.”

“Ah.  Older sister?”

“Yeah!  How’d you know?”

“I have an older sister too,” Weiss explained.  “And we also get a little competitive sometimes.”

“But she always wins at everything?  Like, even when she’s not trying or doesn’t even have any experience with whatever it is?”

“Especially then.”  Weiss playfully scoffed and shook her head.  “I don’t know how she does it -”

“- but that’s what makes her awesome,” the brunette concluded before beaming at Weiss, who repaid that smile with one of her own.  “I’m Ruby, by the way,” the brunette added, sticking out her hand only to withdraw it as soon as she saw how dirty it was.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ruby.”  Forgoing the handshake, Weiss offered a polite nod.  “You can call me Weiss.”

“That’s a pretty name.  For a pretty - I mean, for you.”

Suddenly bashful, Ruby looked at the ground.  Spotting the forlorn rock sitting by her feet, she picked it up and lightly tossed it to herself.  Weiss, meanwhile, felt her cheeks warm.  Before wasting her energy blaming the sun, she cleared her throat and nodded at the rock.

“May I?”

When Weiss held out her hand, Ruby grinned and set the stone in Weiss’ palm.  It was heavier than expected, though she didn’t often go around collecting stones - she usually went out of her way to avoid them, actually.

“That way?” she asked, pointing in the general direction of the fountain.

“Yup!”

Weiss nodded once before focusing on her objective.  Ruby watched, open curiosity in her silver eyes, as Weiss drew her arm back and threw the stone as far as possible.  Compared to the range Ruby had achieved earlier, the rock sailed only a fraction of the distance before falling into the water with a plop.

“Well,” Weiss huffed before brushing off her hands.  “If it’s any consolation, you’re far better than me.”

“Are you kidding?  That had to be top ten for a standing throw.  And in heels!”

Ruby motioned to Weiss’ heels, which mud had ruined beyond repair by now, but Weiss looked down and smiled.  That throw had been subpar, and it was fair to say as much.  With her upbringing, Weiss expected to excel at anything she attempted, even some ridiculous rock throwing competition.  Ruby, however, looked thrilled that Weiss had even bothered.

“May I try again?”

“Absolutely!”

Smiling widening, Ruby patted her pockets before glancing to her right and left - her short, mud-tipped hair flipping both directions in the process.  Not finding what she was looking for, she held up one finger before jogging a short distance away, and Weiss stifled the urge to laugh at the sheet of mud covering her back.  Not an inch of white could be found on her shirt, nor an inch of blue on her jeans.  Unperturbed, Ruby collected another handful of rocks and hurried back with them.

“Sorry, they’re kind of dirty.  But I can wash them off for you first.”

“Wash them?”

“Yeah!”  Lighting up at the idea, Ruby rushed over to the lake, tripped over her own feet, and flung the stones everywhere while falling into the water.  Weiss opened her mouth and stepped forward to help, but Ruby quickly hopped to her feet.  “I’m fine,” she said before Weiss asked.  “Totally fine.  Just, uh, clumsy.”

While Weiss bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing at the water dripping from Ruby’s clothes - some of the mud had been washed away, at least - Ruby sloshed around in the lake before finding one of the stones.  “Aha!” she softly exclaimed before, inexplicably, ‘drying’ the stone on her shirt.  “One clean rock for the lady,” she said while wading out of the water and delivering it to Weiss.

Weiss wanted to point out that the price for the clean, somewhat-dry rock was Ruby dunking herself in the lake, but Ruby seemed undisturbed by the trade-off.  In any other circumstance, Weiss would feel guilty about the end result - the dirty, sopping-wet girl standing in front of her - but Ruby’s unwavering grin held any remorse at bay.  Instead, Weiss flipped the cold stone over in her palm and turned towards the lake.

“Any pointers?”

“Try not to fall!”

When Ruby dissolved into giggles, Weiss’ heart soared.  “I think I can do that,” she murmured, picking a direction and planting her feet.

Determined to impress this time, she drew her arm back with purpose - so much purpose that her left foot quickly slid forward.  Her heart leapt into her throat at the sudden loss of balance, but Ruby caught her by the arm before she made an absolute fool of herself.

“Woah there,” Ruby said while holding Weiss steady.  “You alright?” she asked and, when Weiss nodded, giggled again.  “Told you it was slippery!”

“You weren’t wrong.”  Weiss blushed at the near embarrassment, but her heart fluttered when she glanced over and found herself staring deep into vivid silver eyes.  Ruby’s nose crinkled with another smile, and Weiss whispered a quick, “Thank you,” before turning away.

“No problem.”  Ruby finally released Weiss’ arm but, as soon as she did, let out a half-gasp, half-startled squeak.  “Oh, shoot.  I’m sorry!”

Brow furrowing, Weiss looked down and discovered light brown finger marks on the sleeve of her jacket.  Her mind instinctively recoiled from the blemish - her father would be outraged - but the feeling faded almost as quickly as it appeared.

“It’s fine,” she breathed out as her shoulders relaxed and her mood brightened.  “I’ll just buy a new one.”

“Buy a -?”  Ruby shook her head and tried again.  “But you could just…wash it?”

“You’re right.  Then there’s no need for an apology, is there?”

“Where I’m from, you apologize when you get muddy handprints all over a pretty girl’s jacket!”

“Then I’d like to know where you’re from,” Weiss replied, her heart fluttering more each time Ruby called her ‘pretty.’  If Ruby had any idea what impact she was having, she didn’t show it; she just smiled and started listing off places on her fingers.

“Grew up in Patch, went to school in Vale, moved to Menagerie when my sister followed a girl there, and now I’m…here.”

Ruby brushed a hand through her hair, grimacing when she found more mud, but brightened like a sunrise when a laugh slipped through Weiss’ lips.

“How do you find Atlas?” she asked, hoping to extend the interaction as long as possible.

“Cold, mostly.  But then there’s days like this -”  Ruby held out her arms and looked up at the sun before beaming at Weiss.  “And there’s some great people.  Like, you know, the ones who don’t mind that I’m covered in mud and lake water and stuff…”  Ruby trailed off and glanced at her feet, but Weiss’ smile grew.

“Would you like to have lunch with me?” she asked without a second thought.  “My treat.”  She motioned towards the patio she sat at moments prior, but Ruby glanced that way and made a face.

“Uh, I don’t mind getting lunch, but that place is super fancy.  What if they won’t let me sit in their expensive chairs?”

“Then I buy the restaurant and make them.”

For a split second, the response caught Ruby by surprise.  A smile soon followed, as they seemed prone to do, and a delighted giggle captured even more of Weiss’ heart.  “Or we go somewhere else,” Weiss added, her own smile growing as Ruby grinned and nodded.

“If you’re really ok with it, then yeah, I’d love to.”

Ruby offered her elbow, but her eyes widened when she realized, again, just how dirty she was.  Before she pulled away, however, Weiss looped an arm through hers and smiled, earning one of the biggest, most genuine and excited smiles in return.  The side of Weiss’ jacket would be filthy in no time, but that minor inconvenience paled in comparison to her fluttering heart and light steps as they left the shoreline behind.

Covered in mud…water-logged sneakers…hair sticking in every direction, also covered in mud…

From outward appearances, Ruby was far from perfect.  But she smiled at practically everything.  She held Weiss’ elbow so caringly as they crossed the uneven ground.  And she didn’t seem to care that she looked the part of someone who’d just fallen into the lake.

Regardless of what others saw, Weiss’ heart said loud and clear: there was something…inexplicably perfect…about the mud-covered girl beside her.  Lunch should provide more answers, but if Weiss still felt this way after…she would suggest that they get dinner.  Then possibly a movie.  And breakfast tomorrow, followed by a visit to Ruby’s favorite museum or other hangout spot.  Or they could just walk around, maybe find more stones to throw.  Whatever it took to get to know each other better, and figure out what this was meant to be.