Diva - Chapter 26

At long last, the whole story is out in the open. I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did! My favorite parts were often Ruby's unique metaphors and analogies. (I guess, technically, those were my metaphors, but you know...)

***

Nothing started the day off quite like getting a cup of coffee.  Of course, Ruby rarely drank coffee since she had enough energy to go around, but she still savored the coffee shop’s caffeine-infused air and bustling atmosphere.  

The baristas hurried back and forth with well-coordinated purpose.  Cups passed around before being delivered to the person waiting at the end of the bar.  The cashiers took orders quickly and efficiently.  And the customers shuffled through the line knowing that their morning pick-me-up was just minutes away from reaching their veins.

Once Ruby reached the register, the cashier flashed a quick smile before her eyes widened.  “You’re back!” she said rather than her typical greeting.

“Sure am.  For the next few months, at least.”

“You’re starting another film?” the girl asked while pulling out an empty cup and writing something on the side.

“Yup!  So everyone’ll have first-day jitters.”  Ruby felt those jitters already, like ants crawling around in her veins, but the girl laughed and started punching an order into the register.

“Just a black coffee?”

“Blacker than a black hole,” Ruby clarified before pointing at the display case.  “And one of those parfaits.”  When the cashier arched a brow, Ruby shrugged and added, “Figured I’d mix things up this morning.”

“Sounds like you’re tempting fate,” the young girl replied before ringing up the order and retrieving the clear plastic cup filled with yogurt and a mound of berries piled on top.  “Here you go,” she said after sliding the parfait and the coffee across the counter.  “Good luck!”

“Thanks.  I might need it.”

Ruby chuckled while taking her haul over to the station with various milks and creamers set out on it.  She had never stopped here before - adding milk would ruin the soul-crushingly bitter coffee - but she scanned the assortment before finding what she was searching for.  After setting the cups down, she popped the lid off of the parfait and shook some cinnamon on top.  Then she mixed it all together - sacrilege to parfait lovers everywhere - snapped the lid back in place, and headed out with both hands full.

Returning to Crescent Productions felt like going back to school after graduation.  The buildings looked the same, but she didn’t recognize any of the people.  Even the crowd waiting for the morning tram was filled with strangers, but she didn’t need to know them to recognize their restless energy.  Most were tired and nursing cups of coffee…or holding cups of coffee that weren’t theirs.

She fell into the latter group - not that she minded.  She also didn’t mind smiling at several of the workers standing nearby, hoping that they could find themselves on friendly terms before long.  Some of them smiled back, a positive sign, but she didn’t press her luck today.  She didn’t want to be that person…even though she kind of was that person.

For today, her friend-making endeavors took a backseat to making it to the studio on time.  Fortunately, the first tram arrived before long and, since she had gotten there before the morning rush, she boarded and found a seat in no time.  A young man wearing headphones sat beside her, and briefly returned her smile before crossing his arms over his chest, leaning his head back, and closing his eyes.  Ruby, meanwhile, looked out the window as the tram got on its way.

Unlike the last time she had been at Crescent Productions, she stood and - after gently rousing the young man - exited while the tram was still over half full.  Studio 6 was a mirror image of Studio 18, but its location was already proving to be a benefit.  Less time on the tram meant less time getting to work, meaning she could leave a little later, meaning a few more minutes in bed - and that last part was high on her list of priorities these days.

Upon reaching the studio door, she set down the cup of coffee so that she could pull out her badge and wave it in front of the card reader.  The red light turned green almost instantly, letting her prop open the door before retrieving the coffee and walking inside.

The studio smelled like open space and vaguely dusty air, courtesy of the remnants of sawdust that would outlive them all.  The layout was slightly different - the soundstage looked larger and the audio team had claimed the spot the video team used to have, but otherwise everything felt comfortingly familiar.  The offices and talent central were in the same place.  The wardrobe and makeup department already spilled out into the pathway.  And a box of walkies with corresponding batteries had already taken up the majority of the PA table near the front of the studio.

Ruby left her coffeeshop order at that table, picked up the box of freshly cut flowers that must have been delivered earlier that morning, and went to check out talent central.  The doors were a different color, but the gold stars bearing important names were still there.  Cardin Winchester.  Pyrrha Nikos.  And last, but certainly not least, Weiss Schnee.  

A subtle tingle traveled through her skin as she opened the door to Weiss’ room.  The extravagantly furnished interior fit Weiss’ status: an expensive white sofa with matching white chairs that looked extremely comfortable, a dark wood coffee table, matching desk and chair, big-screen television, and a mini fridge humming in the background.

While perfectly pleasant, the room lacked the finer details to make it a home away from home.  Or, at least, to make it somewhere that Weiss might want to spend a great deal of her time over the next few months.  That was where Ruby came in.  

She filled the empty vase on the coffee table with water and arranged several fresh white lilies inside.  The water wouldn't cloud for another few hours and the flowers looked healthy enough that they wouldn't drop petals anytime soon.  The rest of the flowers went to Pyrrha’s room, then Ruby returned to Weiss’ with two glasses, no fingerprints, and bottled water more expensive than most meals she ordered at restaurants.  She then added the unmelted ice cubes - because who ruined expensive water with regular ice?  More bottles of water went into the mini fridge and the sodas were cleared out - Weiss wouldn't touch those anyway.  

That was where Ruby’s setup typically ended, but today she unzipped her bag and tugged out the blanket she had stuffed in there that morning.  She held the light-blue and white fabric up to her nose and inhaled the faint scent of vanilla before setting it on one of the chairs.  Next, she found her sketchbook at the bottom of her bag, flipped it open to the doodle she had made on the bus, and carefully tore it out.  The quick sketch of Weiss - a cartoon version with big, shimmering eyes - with a cartoon version of Ruby kissing her cheek, stood perfectly between the two water glasses.

Standing back, Ruby surveyed her creation before nodding and heading out to find more to do.  She hardly closed the door before Glynda caught her attention with a short wave and walked over.

“Good morning, Ruby,” Glynda greeted her politely.  “I’m glad you were able to come back.  Good PAs are hard to find.”

“Happy to be here,” Ruby replied, beaming at the uncommon compliment from their lead producer.  

“Before everyone else gets here, I wanted to ask - since Velvet’s at Vale Vogue now, do you want to cover Pyrrha?”

A laugh nearly slipped through Ruby’s lips, but she covered it by clearing her throat and then smiling.

“Thanks, but I’d like to stick with Weiss.  I like working with her.”

‘But it’s Pyrrha Nikos,’ Glynda seemed to say as she peered at Ruby over her glasses.  Anyone who knew anything about Pyrrha knew what an absolute joy she was to work with.  On the flip side, anyone who had spent five minutes with Weiss understood that they should prefer stepping into a bear trap.  Faced with Ruby’s unwavering opinion, however, Glynda eventually nodded.

“That makes things easy then.  Our new PA will work with Pyrrha.  Can you help her set up once she gets here?”

“Sure!  Absolutely.”  

Sensing the conversation coming to a close, especially since Ozpin just arrived with his cane and coffee, Ruby bowed and backed away.  As soon as she spun around and spotted Jaune’s baffled expression, however, she groaned.

“Did you just bow to Glynda?” he asked once she walked over to him.

“Maybe.”  While he chuckled, she blew a breath through her lips and then grinned.  “But hey, Jaune!” she greeted him with a pat on the shoulder.  “Excited to be back?”

“Mostly,” he replied with a self-explanatory shrug toward the piles of cables just waiting to tangle themselves.  “I didn’t think you’d be here.”

“What can I say…Weiss is very persuasive when she wants to be.  Which is all the time, so of course I’m here.”

“Weiss convinced you to come back?  How’d she do that?”

Thinking about the myriad methods of persuasion Weiss had at her disposal, many of which she had no qualms about using, Ruby smiled to herself.  With Jaune still waiting for a response, however, she said, “She asked nicely.”

“‘Nicely,’” Jaune repeated before shaking his head.  “I don’t think that word’s ever been used to describe anything about her.”

“Unlike Pyrrha, right?”

Ruby grinned and nudged Jaune’s elbow while a blush flared on his cheeks.

“Pyrrha is - you know - very nice -”

“Uh huh…and did you spend any time with this ‘very nice,’ very beautiful person while we were away?”

“We, uh, might’ve seen each other one or two times…”

“How many times, exactly?” Ruby pressed, her smiling widening as his blush deepened.

“I don’t know…I’ve kind of lost count.”

“‘Lost count?’  Jaune!  That sounds like way more than ‘one or two times!’”

Ruby laughed while he scrambled for an explanation that wouldn't highlight how hopelessly in love with Pyrrha he was.  And Ruby waited for his response because she really wanted to know how he would spin it this time.

“Camera Boy.”  

Jaune flinched, but Ruby’s heart soared as the voice interrupted.  Weiss strode over to them as if they should have been expecting her, hips swaying in her designer skirt while a designer handbag hung from the crook of one arm.  She had swept her hair into a long braid that trailed down her back.  Yet it was the sparkle in her blue eyes that made Ruby beam as if she just found an ice cream shop giving out free ice cream.

Weiss tried to suppress a smile in return, but her lips betrayed her.  She smiled at Ruby before regarding Jaune with something closer to passive disinterest.

“How’s Pyrrha?” she came right out and asked.  “Are you two dating yet?”

“Oh, uh - that’s - well -”

“Is that a yes?” Weiss pressed while Jaune fumbled for words.  “Is that a yes?” she asked Ruby next, so Ruby grinned and nudged Jaune’s side.

“If it is a ‘yes,’ you should tell her before she gets huffy about it.”

On cue, Weiss scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. 

“See?”  Ruby earned an eyeroll when she motioned Weiss’ way, but Jaune glanced between them, swallowed, and opened his mouth.  His gaze then snapped to someone over their shoulders, and he waved.

“H-hey Pyrrha!  Good morning.  Nice to see you here.  I mean again.  Here again.”

“Good morning, Jaune,” Pyrrha replied, smiling softly as she joined them.  Jaune lit up like she just told him it was his birthday, and her smile warmed to match.  Weiss, meanwhile, studied their reactions and let a pleased smirk slide into place.

“Pyrrha, it seems we have some catching up to do.”

The comment broke them out of their daze, causing both of them to blush and look away from each other.  Weiss shot Ruby a disbelieving look, to which Ruby softly laughed and watched the embarrassment slowly disappear.  Pyrrha recovered first, but she still cleared her throat before meeting Weiss’ gaze.

“We do,” she admitted before pointedly turning to Ruby.  “It’s good to see you, Ruby,” she said while hugging Ruby.  “I’m glad you came back.  I’m pretty sure this is the longest Weiss has ever kept an assistant.”  Pyrrha’s emerald gaze flitted Weiss’ way.  “I wonder why that is…”

Ruby beamed at Weiss, who blushed and stared at the other side of the studio rather than engage.  Pyrrha, of course, immediately noticed the uncharacteristic response.

“It seems like we do have some catching up to do,” she mused before sending Ruby a brilliant smile.  “Tell me, Ruby, what have you been up to lately?”

“Uh…”  Ruby glanced at Weiss, which was a mistake, before rubbing the back of her neck.  “I got a new apartment!”  Her voice came out a bit squeaky, so she cleared it and added, “It’s near downtown.  Nothing fancy, but it’s nice to have my own space.”

“That’s wonderful.  And you stay there every night, do you?”

“Uh…”  

Ruby resolved herself not to look at Weiss, but she didn’t know how to answer that without lying to Pyrrha.  And who could ever lie to Pyrrha?

“Of course she doesn’t,” Weiss cut in.  Ruby’s brow rose at the remark, yet Pyrrha beamed as if she had expected it before turning to Weiss with a remarkably innocent expression.

“Oh, really?  Why not?”

With everyone watching, Weiss ground her jaw back and forth before squaring her shoulders.  “Because it would be impractical to go all the way back there when she could just stay at my place.”

Ruby’s cheeks warmed as Pyrrha’s delighted laugh filled what would otherwise be stunned silence.

“I’m so happy for you.  Both of you.”  Pyrrha hugged Weiss first, though Weiss looked a little chagrined to fully return the embrace, before hugging Ruby and whispering, “Let’s catch up later.”

When Pyrrha pulled away and waited for a response, Ruby grinned and nodded.  Satisfied, Pyrrha squeezed Ruby’s shoulders and nearly reached out to Jaune before stopping herself at the last second.  “Would you like to eat lunch with me today?” she asked while clasping her hands in front of her instead.

“Y-yeah!  Of course.  Whatever you want.”

“‘Whatever you want?’” Weiss repeated while Pyrrha softly blushed, smiled at Jaune and Ruby, and ducked out of the conversation.  “We still need to talk about Boy Wonder!” Weiss called after her, but she just waved over her shoulder and made a hasty retreat into her room. 

“‘Boy Wonder’ is better than ‘Banana Head,’ I guess…” Jaune mumbled, but cringed when Weiss shot him a challenging look.  “Oh, someone needs to put these out!” he added, grabbing a big coil of camera cords.  “So I should - yeah, I’ll do that.”

As he hastily left her presence, Weiss rolled her eyes and turned to Ruby.

“They’re dating now, right?” she asked again.

“I don’t know if you’d call it ‘dating,’ but it sounds like they’ve been seeing each other a lot.”

“‘Seeing each other a lot,’” Weiss repeated before blowing a breath through her lips.  “If they moved any slower, they’d be moving backward.”

“It’s kind of sweet, isn’t it?”

“You mean frustrating.”

“Frustratingly sweet.”

“Kind of like you right now,” Weiss quipped and, despite winning the argument with that comeback, melted into a more relaxed posture when Ruby laughed.  It wasn’t a completely relaxed posture, but the galaxies had to align before Weiss ever fully and truly relaxed.  Such a miracle was unlikely when so many coworkers and strangers arrived for the day, all of them glancing at Weiss at least once.

“Oh, I got your coffee.”  Ruby gently guided Weiss to the PA station, where she picked up the cup of coffee and brandished it like one of those women paid to model products on game shows.  When Weiss reached for it, however, she pulled it back and held out the yogurt instead.  “Which you can have once you’ve eaten something.”

“Coffee is a meal,” Weiss argued for the hundredth time but accepted the parfait without much more fight.  Her brow furrowed as she inspected it as if searching for signs of contamination.

“I didn’t spit in it,” Ruby joked, but nothing more than a flicker of a smile made it past Weiss’ guardrails.  Sensing something more important lurking under the surface, she touched Weiss’ hand and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Weiss tapped the plastic spoon against the parfait cup and nearly said ‘nothing.’  Ruby practically read the word scroll through her blue eyes.  But, when Ruby inched closer and nodded for Weiss to speak her mind, she sighed and said, “You left early.”

“Yeah, sorry, I had to go back to my apartment to change.”  Ruby motioned to her outfit, which was much more work-worthy, but Weiss’ expression remained unchanged.

“You didn’t even let James drive you.”

“I wanted to make sure he was there if you needed to go somewhere.”

Weiss pursed her lips at that response but eventually shook her head.

“You could just leave more clothes at my place.  Then we could come to work together.”

“I…could.”  That solution had flitted through Ruby’s mind this morning but flitted out just as quickly.  Now, she searched Weiss’ eyes for the words left unsaid.  “But I have to be here earlier than you…” she pointed out.

“I can always work on lines in my room.”

“And I have to pick up your coffee on the way.”

“I can come with you and order for myself.”

“You…could.”  The baristas would have a field day if that happened, but Ruby tilted her head and smiled.  “Is that something you want?”

“Yes.”

“Ok, then…sure!  I’ll bring more clothes over, and we can come to work together.”

Theoretically, that solved the problem, yet Weiss worried at her lower lip and kept tapping the spoon on her cup.

“You could bring over some of your art supplies, too, if you wanted,” she eventually added.  “You said the sun room would be a great place to paint, and I don’t mind if you set everything up in there.  Or I could just buy you another set of everything so you don’t have to move things back and forth.”

Weiss motioned with one hand as if Ruby’s response wouldn't bother her one way or the other, but Ruby caught that perfect, slender hand and gave it a tender squeeze.

“What’re you actually saying, Weiss?”

Ruby would wait all day if that was how long the answer took, but Weiss held her gaze, took a deep breath, and released it in a long exhale.

“I’m saying…I missed you this morning, and I’d like to miss you less.”

“Ok,” Ruby replied, unable to contain a smile.  “Then we’ll make that happen.”

Weiss searched Ruby’s eyes for honesty before her gaze dipped to Ruby’s lips.  Her tongue darted across hers, but then she cleared her throat, lifted the parfait cup to her nose, and hummed.

“I love cinnamon,” she commented before sticking the spoon in and taking a bite.  “They should make cinnamon-flavored yogurt.”

“I’m sure they would if you asked them to.  Or agreed to be the spokeswoman.”

“I swore I’d never do a commercial again.”

“Sounds like there’s a story there…”  When Weiss shrugged and stuck another spoonful of yogurt into her mouth, Ruby lightly tickled her side.  “You’re going to tell me, aren’t you?”

“Maybe later.”

“Like later today?”

“Or later this year,” Weiss replied before batting her eyes.  She could look as innocent as a cherub sometimes - minus the chubby cheeks and curly hair, of course - but Ruby knew better than to believe the ruse.  Weiss had a reason for everything she said and did; Ruby’s job was figuring out what that reason was.

“Hey, Ruby!” someone called out before Ruby pressed for more details.  When she turned around and saw Oscar hurrying into the studio, she smiled and waved.  Oscar, on the other hand, spotted Weiss and swerved as if he just realized he was driving on the wrong side of the road.  Glynda motioned him over then, presenting a recovery from the awkward entrance, but Weiss very audibly sighed.  

“I forgot he’d be here…”

Ruby glanced between Weiss and Oscar before settling on Weiss.  “You don’t like Oscar?”

“He follows you around like a baby duck, still has to order off the kids’ menu, and is clearly in love with you.  What’s not to like?”

“Are you…jealous?”

“Of course not.  Jealousy implies I want something he has, which I most certainly do not.”

When Weiss crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her chin up in an adorable pout, Ruby grinned and, after a quick glance around, kissed her cheek.  “Cute,” she added after pulling away and, despite a soft blush starting to show, Weiss sighed and rolled her eyes.

“I shouldn’t have taught you that.”

“Oh, you taught me that?” Ruby teased.  “You’re right.  I didn’t know the word before I met you.  Completely didn’t exist in my vocabulary.”

“Yet another thing you learned from me.”  Weiss’ leery gaze returned to Oscar as he hesitantly approached the PA table, but he wisely gave her a wide berth while dropping off his bag and motioning to Ruby that he was going to talk to Jaune.  Ruby nodded and, once he was out of earshot, turned back to Weiss.

“He’s a good guy though, and he was really supportive when I told him about us.  Well, somewhat supportive.  He still thinks you’re kind of mean.”

“I am mean.”

“Eh.”  Ruby shrugged but then laughed when Weiss arched one brow.  “You’re an incredible actress,” Ruby said, and she almost leaned in to kiss Weiss’ cheek before spotting a wildfire raging toward them wearing a red dress with gold accents that looked like flames.

“Schedule.”  Cinder shoved a sheet of paper against Ruby’s stomach and carried on with a “Good to see you,” for Weiss.  The sound of her heels clicking across the cement floor offered a peek into her mood, which several other crewmates experienced firsthand as she flicked or whipped sheets of paper in their direction like the world’s most sadistic paperboy.

“Oh, joy.”  Once Cinder joined Ozpin to go over the day’s plans, Ruby glanced at the schedule before folding it up and shoving it in her pocket.  “I’m so glad Cinder’s back.”

“Like her or not, she does a good job keeping us on track.”

“Yes, fear is a great motivator.”

“It is, isn’t it…”  Weiss snuck a look at Ruby and smiled when Ruby chuckled.  “Don’t worry,” she added, turning her body into Ruby in a way that almost convinced Ruby to wrap an arm around her waist.  “Cinder can’t do anything to you anymore.  If she tries, she’ll have to answer to me.”

Weiss flashed a dangerous smile with the claim, and Ruby shuddered.

“Do I even want to know what you’d do to her?”

“Let’s just say…I can make her life a living hell.”

“You’ll summon demons??” 

“Oh, worse than demons.”  Weiss glanced to the side before leaning closer and lowering her voice.  “I can cause delays.”

“You’ll mess up her precious schedule??” Ruby gasped.  Weiss nodded.  “That means you’ll have to work more, you know.”

“So?”  Weiss added a defiant shrug.  “I have everything I need right here.”

In a single sentence, Weiss shot a harpoon through Ruby’s heart and pulled it out like a trophy.  

“You’ll literally kill me one day,” Ruby groaned, clamping a hand over where her heart used to be.  Weiss smiled but otherwise acted as if it was nothing.  As if it should be obvious that she would work longer since they would still be together.

Ruby might consider herself a budding expert in all things related to Weiss, but she would never claim that anything Weiss did was obvious.  Maybe one day she would be able to…in a distant future that she daydreamed about often.

But Weiss’ thoughts were relatively straightforward for one subject, who strolled through the door with typical bluster and bravado.  Weiss instantly scowled - her hackles raised like a guard dog ready to attack - but, oblivious as ever, Cardin sauntered over to them.

“Ice Queen!” he greeted Weiss, offering a high five that only intensified her glare.  “Cold as ever,” he remarked before turning his grin to Ruby.  “Ruby!  Yo, this is great.  Weiss is nicer when you’re here.”

“Don’t push your luck…” Weiss grumbled under her breath, but Cardin must not have heard her.  If he did, he wrote down a death wish by holding his arms out to Ruby and asking, “Can I give you a hug?”

Ruby glanced at Weiss, who was busy murdering Cardin with her eyes, then shrugged and said, “Sure, Cardin.”  She didn’t know what to expect while leaning into his arms, but he gave a decent hug.  It helped that he was big and warm, but he didn’t squeeze too tightly or too loosely.  He wore too much cologne though, which tickled her nose even after he let go and she backed away.

“Thanks for asking first,” she made sure to tell him.

“‘Course.  This whole ‘consent’ thing is like the world’s best-kept secret.  Like, last night I was at the club and asked this super hot chick if I could sleep with her.  She and her best friend were really into that.  They were also kind of really into each other…”

His brow briefly furrowed before he shrugged and regained his cocky smile.  Ruby glanced at Weiss, who looked like she just stuck her nose in a dumpster, before chuckling to herself.

“That’s…great, Cardin.  Maybe Cinder can work with you on oversharing next.”

“Oh, I gotta tell her how it went!”

He patted Ruby’s shoulder before hurrying off to interrupt Cinder’s conversation, which Cinder was so pleased about.  Ruby, meanwhile, watched him piss off the surliest member of the crew before shaking her head.

“He’s…better, right?  At least he’s asking permission.”

“He’s too dumb to even understand what he’s doing,” Weiss snapped before nodding to Ruby’s shirt.  “You have to burn that now.  You just got his…essence…all over it.”

“No way.  Some crazy Winchestmonster will buy this online!”

When Ruby grinned, Weiss sighed and shook her head.  “I can’t believe he got that to stick…” she mumbled to herself, so Ruby gently poked her side.

“Aw…do you want a cool nickname?”

“I have plenty of cool nicknames.  Ice Queen, Ice Princess, Frosty Bit-”

“Woah!” Ruby interrupted, holding up both hands and waving them in front of her.  “Who calls you that??”

“My former business manager.”  Weiss scowled for a moment before cheering up.  “But now she’s rotting in prison for embezzlement.”

Ruby’s mouth hung open for several moments before she shook her head.

“Ok, I have lots of questions.  But first - are you ok?”  

She gently squeezed Weiss’ elbow, but Weiss’ brow furrowed at the reassuring gesture.

“Of course I am.  Why wouldn't I be?”

“Just checking.”  Spotting not even a drop of hurt or grievance in Weiss’ eyes, Ruby let the subject go for now.  “And I like this shirt, so I’m keeping it.”

“I’ll buy you a new one.”

“Nice try,” Ruby replied with a shake of her head.  “But you already used your free pass this week.”

Ruby grinned at what had become one of the defining compromises of their relationship, but Weiss sighed.

“I still think I should get more than one.”

“Then you should’ve negotiated better!”

“I was…distracted.”  

Weiss’ eyes unfocused at the memory, sending a thrill racing down Ruby’s spine.  Escaping that negotiation with Weiss agreeing to buy Ruby only one thing per week was the heist of the century, in Ruby’s opinion.  Recognizing Weiss’ displeasure, however, she offered a truce.

“How about we renegotiate after a year?  Then you can…be better prepared.”

Ruby expected Weiss to counter with six months or less.  Instead, a slow, gorgeous smile appeared.

“‘After a year?’” Weiss repeated, clueing Ruby into the part she had focused on.  Perhaps that was planning too far into the future, but the delighted sparkle in Weiss’ eyes convinced Ruby not to take it back.

“Uh, right,” she said instead, glancing at the floor before meeting Weiss’ gaze.  “That seems fair, doesn’t it?”

Weiss cataloged every second of Ruby’s reaction before giving a decisive nod.  “You won’t distract me next time,” she added.  “So enjoy your win while it lasts.”

Based on Ruby’s overzealous heartbeat, she would enjoy every second regardless of whether she was winning or losing.  Weiss just set a date for months from now, suggesting she also saw them still together in the future, and that bit of knowledge would live in Ruby’s thoughts for the rest of the day.  

Fortunately, a diversion showed up to save her from embarrassing herself by gushing about how excited she was.  That diversion appeared in the form of a deliveryman wheeling in several large boxes on a hand truck.

“I forgot how nice the free food is,” she said while motioning the deliveryman to the eating area.  “I can’t wait to eat.”

Her stomach grumbled on cue, so Weiss frowned and asked, “Did you not eat this morning?”

“I had our leftovers from last night!  But this is breakfast.”

“The best meal of the day, I know.”  Weiss waved away the fact of life and cast Ruby a sideways glance.  “If we’re coming to work together, we could get a real breakfast on the way here.”

“You mean, like, a pre-breakfast to this breakfast?”

“You’ll still eat here, won't you…” Weiss sighed.

Ruby beamed and nodded, but then glanced at the breakfast area when Oscar started setting up.  “I should help,” she said, but Weiss inched closer to her side before she could even think about moving away. 

“But we’re not finished talking yet.”

Ruby glanced at Oscar, who seemed to have everything under control, before looking at Weiss.

“You realize that I’ll have to do other things when we’re here, right?  I doubt Cinder will let me just hang out with you all day.”

“Isn’t catering to me your job?”

“No, catering to you is my pleasure.”  

Weiss hummed at the response, and her tongue dashed across her lips.

“I suppose I’ll let you do other work-related tasks -”

“Thank you.”

“If you make up for it after work.”

“Oh?”  Ruby’s brow rose in tandem with the temperature on her cheeks.  “What do you have in mind?”

Weiss reached up and straightened the collar of Ruby’s shirt, her deft fingers sliding across Ruby’s collarbone in a far too intimate way.  “I can think of several things…” she mused, then looked up and smirked upon confirming that she had Ruby’s undivided attention.  What she did with that undivided attention always differed.  At work, unfortunately, her own attention drifted to the side, and her brow briefly furrowed, as someone else arrived for the day.

“Oh, lovely,” Weiss huffed as the young brunette looked around the studio in awe.  “We got another new one.”

“I didn’t look that new, did I?”

“You did.”

Ruby didn’t know why she expected a sugar-coated answer.  She shook her head and nudged Weiss’ side instead.  “Well, come on then,” she added.  “Let’s be nice.”

“Ruby -” Weiss started as Ruby caught the girl’s attention with a wave.  “I’m not nice,” Weiss hissed as Ruby motioned the girl over.

“That’s such a lie,” Ruby whispered back before throwing on a bright smile for the new girl, whose gaze immediately went to Weiss.  “Hey!” Ruby greeted her to regain her attention.  “Are you the new PA?”

“Production assistant?” the girl clarified.  Her gaze flitted to Weiss again, which made Weiss subtly clench her jaw, but she waited for Ruby’s nod before adding, “That’s me.  I’m Claire.”

“Nice to meet you, Claire.  I’m Ruby, and this is -”

“You’re Weiss Schnee,” Claire said, sounding and looking aghast at Weiss’ presence.

“Were you hired for your observational skills?” Weiss quipped.

“Wow.”  Ruby laughed and shook her head at Weiss.  “You can flip on a dime.”

“On less than a dime, actually.”

“Cute.”  Ruby smiled and reassuringly touched Weiss’ side before turning back to Claire.  “Don’t worry - her bark’s worse than her bite.  And I’ve experienced both, so I’d know.”

“Ruby!” Weiss gasped, swatting Ruby’s shoulder.  When Claire’s eyes widened and flitted between them, Weiss shook her head and glowered - or tried to, but it looked more like an adorable pout than a fearsome glower to Ruby.

“I’m a PA, too,” Ruby explained.  “If you want, you can help Oscar finish setting up breakfast.”  She pointed out Oscar at the meal area.  “Then we can give you a tour and set you up with a walkie.  Sound good?”

“Yeah, of course!  I can do that.”  Claire glanced at Weiss again - Ruby had only started recognizing the sheer number of glances Weiss got once they started dating - before backing away with a little wave.

“Are you trying to destroy my reputation?” Weiss asked as soon as the young girl turned away.

“Yes.”

Taken aback, Weiss shook her head and asked, “Why?”

“Because I want everyone to see what a kind, wonderful person you are.  Is that so bad?”  When Weiss’ brow furrowed, Ruby pressed her finger to Weiss’ forehead so that the wrinkles smoothed away.  “And if someone takes advantage of how nice you are, I’ll tie them up and toss them off a bridge.”

Despite Ruby using her best menacing voice, Weiss scoffed and said, “You’re too nice to do anything like that.”

“Maybe.  But I can be passive-aggressive, snappy, and rude.”

“You just described me.”

“Did I?”  Ruby tapped her chin and grinned when Weiss huffed.  “Fine, maybe I’m no good at dishing out punishments, but I promise I’m here for you.  Through good or bad.  Through perky new PAs or snappy ADs or embezzling business managers.”

When Ruby squeezed Weiss’ hand with the promise, her heart swelled when Weiss finally smiled.

“I guess that doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Right?”  Beaming now, Ruby had every intention of stealing another kiss before another interruption walked through the doors.  This one was tall, wearing an impeccable outfit to rival Weiss’, and designer shades that didn't come off even indoors.

Coco spotted the two of them and immediately altered her path.  Even behind those sunglasses, Ruby felt a discerning gaze interpreting every detail in the scene in front of her.

“You’re together?” were the first words out of her mouth, combined with a gesture between them.  Once Ruby beamed, Coco nodded and said, “Good.  Your hands fit.”

Weiss’ brow knit at the remark while Ruby intertwined their fingers and said, “I think so, too.”

“How’s your sister?” Coco asked next, consciously or accidentally leaving Weiss in the dark.

“She’s great!  Loves her new job.  She won’t stop talking about it, actually.  It’s kind of annoying.”  Ruby chuckled while Coco nodded at the update.  “How’s Velvet?” Ruby asked.  “Didn’t she start last week?”

“She did, and she’s killing it already.  Shouldn’t be long before we see her work on the cover.”

“Guess I’ll be signing up for a Vale Vogue subscription!”

“I already have one,” Weiss replied, nodding when Ruby glanced her way.

“And I have outfits for you to try on,” Coco told Weiss.

“I’ll help her with those!”

Weiss arched a brow at Ruby’s quick response while Coco tilted her sunglasses down to look at them.  “I’m sure you will,” she said, adding a wink before making her way over to wardrobe.  Weiss, meanwhile, scoffed and turned to Ruby.

“Is that how this works now?  You’re my handler?”

“I think I handle you pretty well.”

“Do you?”  Despite the tone, Weiss held back a smile when Ruby nodded.  “Alright, Miss PA.  Why don’t you show me how well you ‘handle’ me?”

Weiss crossed her arms over her chest, so Ruby’s eyes darted around the studio.

“Right here?”

“Why not?” 

Ruby knew a challenge when its pretty blue eyes stared her down.  The hardest part was deciphering what Weiss actually wanted.  They had agreed not to hide their relationship, but Weiss wasn’t huge on shouting about her personal life from the rooftops either.  Having experienced some of the ways people overstepped boundaries with her, Ruby understood why.  But they were at work and, as Weiss also said, the studio operated under different rules.

First, Ruby reached out and took both of Weiss’ hands in hers.  Then she met Weiss’ clear blue gaze and held on even as her pulse began racing.

“I’m so happy to be back here with you,” she said before leaning in and capturing Weiss’ lips with hers.

The kiss would have been short and sweet had Weiss not responded with passion bordering on hunger.  The response took Ruby by surprise, but she quickly caught up and matched Weiss’ rhythm.  

No matter how many times they kissed, she came away thinking that Weiss was the world’s best kisser.  Actors and actresses might be written into kissing scenes with her, but none of them would ever experience the kisses that Ruby did.  Real kisses.  Unscripted kisses.  Kisses that were never sold for an audience.

Yet they still had an audience, and someone in that audience whistled before Ruby could lose herself to that moment.  A blush flared on her cheeks instead, but Weiss hummed against her lips before moving away.

“Good.  Now get your breakfast and meet me in my room.”

“But -”

“No buts,” Weiss said, brushing off the excuse and walking away, leaving Ruby smiling after her.  She still had the parfait clutched in one hand, which she took another bite of before ducking into her room.  Ruby, meanwhile, glanced at the abandoned coffee on the PA table and chuckled to herself.

“Yes, ma’am,” she said before hurrying to help set up the rest of breakfast.  Then she could give the new PA a tour while the crew ate, then she could get her own food and join Weiss in her room.  

Beyond that, she had no idea what to expect from today or any of the days on their schedule.  The one thing she knew, and the one thing she was most excited about, was helping others see that one of the most demanding, finicky divas in the industry was actually a total sweetheart with a slightly prickly exterior.  

Such a large change in opinion might take more than one film, in which case, she would just take more breaks from painting.  She was, after all, patient, persistent, a little hard-headed, and - now more than ever - knew to dig a little deeper before accepting the world at face value.  Sometimes, things were exactly as they seemed.  Other times…the Empress of Evil could become the love of someone’s life.