Diva - Chapter 4

The next day wasn’t better.  

Neither was the day after that, nor the days following that.  Even though Ruby knew where everything was located around the studio, learned a bunch of terms she’d never heard before, and figured out how to rush everywhere - usually while carrying two or three things at once - she still failed when it came to an important piece of her job: keeping Weiss happy.

She had concluded that Weiss just wasn’t a happy person.  That wouldn't bother her so much if Weiss tolerated her, or even just ignored her, but Weiss seemed to like her less every time they saw each other.  To be fair, Weiss didn’t seem to like anyone besides Pyrrha, but still.  Ruby was trying to be helpful.

“Please don’t make me go to work today…” she groaned, draped over the back of the couch as if the soft, faded cushions might absorb her.

“That bad?” 

Sighing at Blake’s question, Ruby pushed herself upright and dragged herself to the kitchen.  There, she slumped against the island and rested her cheeks in both hands.

“She made me peel an orange for her yesterday,” she said while Blake steeped a tea bag in a steaming mug.  “Not just the outer peel though.  She made me peel the orange, then peel every slice.  Then she didn’t even eat it!”  

Blake’s brow rose as Ruby threw her hands in the air then set them on her hips and sighed.

“I ate it though.  It was pretty good if you don’t mind wasting an hour.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Blake replied, setting the tea bag on a small plate and lifting the cup to her lips.

“Keep what in mind?” Yang asked while walking into the kitchen, rustling Ruby’s hair before kissing Blake’s cheek.

“Ruby’s sharing more work stories,” Blake explained, leaning into Yang’s side when Yang turned toward Ruby.

“The wicked witch strikes again?”

“Witches are cool and not all evil,” Ruby pointed out.  “Weiss is more like…a vengeful demon whose soul got sucked into the underworld, so she spends all day searching for any shred of happiness she can strangle out of existence.”

Ruby clenched one fist as she imagined Weiss crushing the crew’s hopes and dreams in her slender, perfectly manicured grasp.  Blake and Yang, however, stared for a second before Yang chuckled.

“If she’s so bad, why do you keep going?”

“Because there are cool parts about the job,” Ruby admitted.  “I’m learning a ton about how movies are made, meeting interesting people…besides, Penny was nice enough to ask for me - I can’t quit already.  Plus, who knows, maybe she’ll warm up to me in like, a decade.”

Yang and Blake’s disbelieving glances reflected how Ruby felt about those chances, but she hid that feeling behind a smile.  The smile disappeared when her alarm went off.

“Time to go.”  She silenced the reminder and grabbed her bag.  “Gotta get Princess her coffee.”  After hugging Blake and then Yang, she flashed two thumbs up and backed toward the door.  “See you later!”

One wave and a closed door later, she took a deep breath and hurried to the bus stop.  It may have only been a few days, but her schedule was an art form by now.  Wake up, shower and dress, eat breakfast - a small one since she could eat again at work - leave early so that she could stop at the coffee shop outside the studio, get Weiss’ coffee, then catch the tram to Studio 18.

She usually arrived at the coffee shop during the morning rush, which was unfortunate since it added a half hour to her day, but she would rather wait in line than experience what Weiss was like without her morning coffee.  If anything, Ruby considered the time to be a sacrifice for the greater good of the crew.  Regardless, she shifted between her feet until her turn to order.

“What can I get you?” the young barista asked once she stepped up to the register.

“A large coffee, as black as possible.  Like, if the devil ordered coffee - whatever you’d make for him.”

“Are you saying you’re the devil?” the barista asked, smiling as she wrote the order on a cup and passed it to a coworker.

“I wish!  I just work for her.”

“Lucky you,” the girl chuckled while swiping Ruby’s card.  Once she returned it along with a receipt, Ruby pocketed both and moved aside to wait.  

With a prime location just across the street from Crescent Productions, the coffee shop was the first stop on many of the employees’ daily task lists.  Ruby could easily pick out the executives in their fancy suits and expensive watches.  The other assistants were equally easy to spot by their comfortable shoes and general restlessness to leave.  

Fortunately, the baristas worked at a breakneck speed that would qualify them to work on any set.  Drink after drink flew out the door before one of them called out, “Large black coffee?”  After squinting at the cup, she added, “Extra, extra black?”

“Soul-crushingly black,” Ruby joked as she grabbed a coffee sleeve and set the cup in it.  “Thanks!” she added, raising the cup before hurrying outside.  After a glance at her watch, she checked for oncoming traffic and, not seeing any cars, jaywalked to the sprawling Crescent Productions campus.

Morning was the busiest time of day at Crescent Productions.  Not only were office workers arriving to work at the main building - “Main B” everyone called it - but tour buses offloaded hordes of visitors, crew members rushed to their sets, and delivery trucks attempted to navigate the madness.  Cars and buses packed the parking lots, limousines ferried VIPs directly to wherever they needed to go, and people from all walks of life were seemingly everywhere.  

Ruby circumvented the crowds by using the sidewalk across the street from Main B.  As usual, a crowd of crew members waited at the tram stop.  Most carried their own cups of coffee and looked varying degrees of awake while waiting for the tram - it had just turned the corner and would pick them up any minute now.

Before celebrating her perfect timing, Ruby passed an older woman standing in the middle of the sidewalk, poring over the large, colorful map in her hands.  The maps were handed out to every visitor and should be good enough to get anyone where they needed to go.  At least, that was Ruby’s thought as she walked past.  She noticed the woman’s furrowed brow and took two more steps before sympathy caused her to stop and turn around.

“Can I help you?”  

Relief swept through the woman’s eyes, and she nodded as Ruby walked over to her.

“I’m looking for the special effects museum, but I can’t find it anywhere.”

The woman held out the map, which expanded like an accordion in her hands, and Ruby glanced at the tram - arriving now, and the passengers boarding - before moving closer to look at it.

“Special effects should be over here…” she mused, watching the tram depart out of the corner of her eye while scanning the colorful map.  She’d never been to the special effects museum before, but she had heard it mentioned several times.  

“Oh, here it is.”  Finding the name on the lengthy list and the corresponding number on the map - a miniscule square compared to the others - she tapped it with one finger.  “Looks like it’s that way.”  

She pointed in the direction of the building, and the woman looked that way before smiling.

“Thank you so much.”

“No problem.  Have a great day!”

Ruby waved before heading over to the tram stop, a pit opening in her stomach.  She glanced at her watch before blowing a breath through her lips and staring at the corner the tram would come from.  After a small eternity, it pulled around the corner and slid to a smooth stop in front of her. 

No matter how fast she raced on and grabbed a seat - the closest to the door she could find - she couldn't make the vehicle leave any faster, nor could she prompt it to skip stops where no passengers got off.  She could only sit there, knee bouncing like crazy, until Studio 18 loomed into view.

The tram hardly stopped before she hurried off, flashed her badge in front of the keypad, and rushed into the studio.  At ten minutes to eight, she walked into the lively scene of a production crew preparing for another long day.  Emerald and Velvet were just setting up breakfast while the others prepped their equipment or organized messes from yesterday.  After dropping her bag at the assistant’s corner, she grabbed her radio, signaled to Velvet that she needed a minute, and hurried to Weiss’ room.

“Please don’t be here, please don’t be here…” she muttered while knocking.  The door immediately opened and she found herself standing face to face with an angel who breathed fire like a dragon.

“You’re late.”

“Sorry, I -”

Before Ruby could explain, Weiss took the cup of coffee and brushed past.  “Don’t do it again,” she tossed over her shoulder while heading to the costume department, where she calmly sat in one of the makeup chairs and sipped her coffee.  Flabbergasted by the response, Ruby confirmed that she was still technically early, then shook her head and returned to Emerald and Velvet.  

“I swear she gets here early just to fuck with you,” Emerald teased when Ruby joined them at the breakfast table.  Ruby frowned at the thought but focused on working quickly and efficiently rather than responding.  Her gaze, however, drifted to the makeup station more than a few times.

Weiss might share a handful of words with Coco or make light conversation with Pyrrha, but mostly she just sat there, sipping her coffee and making life easy for the stylists.  Her long white hair - her most defining characteristic in all of her films - was tied up in a high ponytail and given an elegant curl.  Eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick, and blush were applied.  Everything was done under Coco’s watchful eye, probably with plenty of flattery thrown in, and she didn’t utter a complaint.

Ruby, meanwhile, cleared away the empty breakfast boxes and went to solve her daily dilemma: eight unmelted ice cubes.  She finally figured it out; at least, she hoped she did.  

What was the point in drinking ridiculously expensive water if the ice cubes were made from regular tap water?  Once they melted, they diluted the pristine princess water that Weiss obviously coveted.  So, in a stroke of genius that may have been Yang’s idea, Ruby bought plastic ice cube molds that would melt but never into the drink.  To increase her odds of success, she put those ice cubes into a bucket of regular ice to keep them frozen and waited until Weiss was nearly done with hair and makeup before rushing them into the room.

Weiss shot her a suspicious glance while brushing past, but Ruby smiled and said nothing.  Either Weiss would like it or hate it; Ruby wanted to know which, but Cinder motioned Ruby over to her.

“Video needs help,” Cinder said as soon as Ruby reached her.  A point in the video department’s direction was the only other instruction given before Cinder moved on to her next task.  Ruby, meanwhile, rushed over to the video department and sought out the person who looked least busy.

“Cinder said you need help?” she asked the older gentleman, who nodded and picked up a large, white board.

“We need someone to hold this.”

He picked up the board with one hand and held it out for Ruby.  Despite being surprisingly light, its large size made it unwieldy to hold steady without spreading both of her arms out wide.

“Like this?” she asked, holding it squarely in front of her so she could see nothing but its backing.  “Higher,” she heard him say, so she raised it higher, waited for a second, then lifted it higher still.

“Perfect,” he said when it covered her head and shoulders only.  “Now just stay there…” 

She remained motionless, but every passing second made her realize she should have asked how long this would take before picking up the board.  From what she had learned, this could take a few minutes or a few hours.  If the latter turned out to be true, her arms would surely start shaking and she would wish she had taken a bathroom break beforehand.

“Got it,” he remarked several minutes later.  She breathed a sigh of relief and set the board down. 

“Anything else?”

He shook his head, so she returned to the front of the soundstage to find something else to do.  Cinder seemed to have a never-ending list of tasks to hand out but, before Ruby found the assistant director, someone tall and handsome fell into step beside her.

“You’re always in a rush,” Cardin commented, playfully matching her stride until she stopped and turned toward him.

“There’s, uh, a lot to do, I guess.”

“Right, right, but it feels like we haven’t gotten to talk since you started.”  Now that he had her full attention, he smiled and leaned against one of the backdrops, displaying his considerable biceps as he did so.  “What’s your story?” he asked, his expression brightening when she glanced at his arms.

“Uh, well, I grew up in Patch,” Ruby began, trying to hold his intent blue eyes but talking faster when that gaze started dropping.  “Then I moved to Vale for school, and my sister ended up staying here so I did, too.”  

“You’re from Patch?”  He looked up only when Ruby crossed her arms over her chest and nodded.  “That’s cool.  I was there last month, hit up the beaches.  Some hot babes there.”

“The beaches are nice,” she mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck.  His smile widened as he straightened up to his full height and edged forward.

“Hey, I have an idea.”  He lowered his voice and leaned down so that he didn’t tower over her as much.  “I need someone to run lines with while Pyrrha and Ice Queen do their scene.”  He waved toward the soundstage and then grinned at her.  “Promise it’ll be more fun than whatever Weiss has planned for you.”

“Oh.  Really?  You want me to -?”

“Don’t you have work to do?” 

Ruby cringed at the demanding tone, but her lifeforce slipped away when she noticed Weiss standing beside them, hands on her hips and a scowl on her lips.

“Chill, Weiss.  We were just chatting.”

“And now you’re done ‘just chatting.’”

When Weiss crossed her arms and set her jaw, Cardin raised his hands and backed away.  He winked at Ruby before seeking out Emerald near the stage, leaving Ruby to face Weiss’ smoldering fury alone.

“Sorry, I was just -”

“Gossiping, I know.”  Weiss rolled her eyes and then glared after Cardin.  “What did he want?” she demanded, turning that harsh blue gaze back on Ruby.

“Oh, he just - he wanted to run lines while you and Pyrrha do your scene.” 

Ruby motioned to the soundstage, yet Weiss’ frown deepened.  When Weiss didn’t stomp away or add a critical retort, however, Ruby shuffled her feet and eventually asked, “Do you…need something?” 

After glancing at the booklet in her hands, Weiss shoved it at Ruby.  

“Highlight my lines.”

Thumbing through the thick booklet, which looked like it held every line for every scene in the movie, Ruby felt her brow lift.

“All of them?  That’ll take a while…”

“And?” 

Recognizing a challenge when she heard one, Ruby simply said, “You got it.  Anything else?” 

“Surprise me.”

Weiss’ fake smile said ‘get away from me’ far better than encouraging further conversation, so Ruby nodded and went to find a highlighter.

After explaining her new task to Cinder, who muttered something that Ruby would assume she misheard but that made Emerald laugh, she grabbed a seat at the tiny PA table and got to work.  The rest of the crew carried on without her, setting up with the same speed and vigor as previous days.

As the morning progressed, the crappy task became a blessing in disguise.  In between highlights or while flipping pages, Ruby had a bird’s eye view of the action.  She watched the sound guys angling their microphones, the lighting department testing the lights in coordination with the video crew, the actors practicing their movements down to subtle hair flips and hand gestures.

The set had been transformed into an interrogation room.  A solitary table stood in the center, with two chairs on either side and a mirror on one wall.  Everything was gray or beige, making Pyrrha’s red hair even more striking.  Weiss’ blue-and-white outfit also provided a nice contrast to the dreary environment, but their personas brought the scene to life.

Ruby had only witnessed several days of filming, but the casting department had done a spectacular job.  Cardin perfectly embodied a cocky ex-sailor with a weirdly charming quality, like you wanted to punch him in the face but also wouldn't mind grabbing a drink and listening to his stories.  Pyrrha’s desire to help others felt so genuine that Ruby often wondered if she was acting at all.  Then there was Weiss…

Weiss was smug.  Conniving.  She did and said everything with the certainty of someone who knew that they had already won.  She had everyone right where she wanted them, and there was nothing they could do about it.  The self-satisfied aura was on full display as she sat at the plain gray table while Pyrrha stood on the other side.  The hint of a smile, the sharpness in her blue eyes, even the way she folded her hands and crossed her legs exuded indifference to the predicament she found herself in.

Weiss might be demanding and difficult to please, but watching her act was…impressive.  It felt as if she had superior control over her expressions, her tone of voice, her movements, even her emotions.

Ruby’s highlighting slowed down every time the crew fell silent and the actors ran through their rehearsal.  In particular, she listened to Weiss’ lines.  Whether loud, soft, or somewhere in between, Weiss’ words were always clear.  Ruby wasn’t the only one hanging on to each one, waiting for the next to be spoken in a uniquely perfect harmony.

Ruby was the only one who jumped when an obnoxiously loud ring interrupted Pyrrha’s line.  Recognizing her ringtone, she scrambled to silence it, but the damage had already been done.  

“Sorry,” she said, her cheeks red-hot as the entire production team stared at her.  Most people shook their heads or shrugged and moved on, but Cinder’s glare drilled holes right through her.  Then Cinder opened her mouth to say something - likely something very unkind - but Weiss crossed her arms and beat her to it.

“Why don’t you answer it?” 

The building went deathly quiet after the pointed question.  Realizing that Weiss was waiting for an answer, Ruby forced a smile and licked her suddenly parched lips.

“Sorry.  I thought I turned it off.”

“Obviously, you didn’t.  Now that you’ve interrupted, you might as well take the call, don’t you think?”

“Weiss,” Pyrrha said, gently touching Weiss’ elbow and motioning to the stage.  “It was an honest mistake.  Let’s just start over.”

Weiss clenched her jaw and considered her options before snapping, “Fine,” and turning away.  The entire set seemed to exhale as a potential blow-up defused, but a rock had settled in the pit of Ruby’s stomach.  Not even Pyrrha’s apologetic smile helped ease the feeling.  Emerald mouthing, “Smooth,” helped even less.

Cinder’s annoyed expression made it clear that Ruby had just committed a grave mistake, but Ozpin distracted Cinder’s wrath with a question.  Seconds, then minutes, passed.  The set returned to normal, the scene progressed from rehearsal to being captured on film, but Ruby hardly looked up from the booklet of lines in front of her.  She highlighted quips, quotes, and monologues alike, working so fast that her mind hardly registered the words.

She only took a break to help set up lunch and then went right back to work.  Ozpin released them shortly after, much to the relief of her cramped hand and depressed mood.  Spotting Weiss heading out for the night, she grabbed the lines and met her halfway to the door.

“Finished.”  Ruby held out the booklet, which Weiss accepted with a nod.  When she turned to leave, however, Ruby stepped over and added, “Sorry about the phone thing.  It won’t happen again, promise.”

For a second, Weiss looked like she wouldn’t respond at all.  Then she calmly said, “If it happens again, you’ll be fired,” and walked away.  Watching that million-dollar figure leave the studio, joined by a burly man who Ruby had come to recognize as Weiss’ chauffeur or bodyguard, she sighed and let her shoulders slump to their lowest point.  

“Try not to beat yourself up over it.”  Ruby looked up when Pyrrha stopped beside her.  “Mistakes happen all the time.  That’s why teamwork is important.”

“Guess you could say I wasn’t a good teammate then.”

“You’re still learning,” Pyrrha replied with a kind, patient smile.  “Everyone pretends like they’re experts, but we’ve all been there.  I think you’re doing a wonderful job.”

The genuine words accompanied by a genuine smile took a needle to the balloon of disappointment in Ruby’s chest.  “Thanks, Pyrrha,” she said as the pressure released.  “Working with paint is a lot easier than working with people.”

“‘Paint?’”

“Oh, yeah, I’m a - I guess you could say an artist in my free time.”

“Ah.”  Pyrrha looked like she might ask for more detail.  Instead, she said, “Considering who you’re working with, I’m pretty sure anything is easier.”

Pyrrha’s soft laughter lifted Ruby’s spirits, and a smile was much easier to come by when Velvet joined them.

“Hey, Ruby.  Want to come out for drinks with us?”  Velvet gestured to Emerald, who sat on top of the assistant’s table near the door.  “To celebrate surviving the first week.” 

“That sounds awesome right now.  Count me in.”

“Great.”  Velvet smiled at the positive response before turning to Pyrrha.  “Would you like to come, too?”

“I’d love to, but I have an evening engagement.  Next time though.” 

The decline might have been expected, but Pyrrha’s sincerity suggested that she would have joined if she were free.  That sincerity extended to the encouraging smile she gave Ruby, along with a soft touch on the shoulder, before heading out.  Another muscular man in a suit waited for her at the door, which he opened before trailing her outside.  

Noticing that she wasn’t the only one watching Pyrrha leave - a certain cameraman’s gaze lingered while his hands mindlessly coiled power cords - Ruby shared a knowing look with Velvet before both of them laughed.

“Are you ready?” Velvet then asked, so Ruby checked her pockets and nodded.

“Let me just get my bag,” she said, hurrying over to Emerald and grabbing her bag from under the table.

“Ready, nerds?” Emerald asked and, once she had everyone’s attention, led the way out of Studio 18.

“There’s this cute little place nearby,” Velvet explained while they waited for the tram.  “It’s pretty popular around here.  Lots of people go to network.”

“Or to get plastered,” Emerald added before nudging Ruby’s shoulder.  “Which probably sounds great to you right about now.”

“I won’t turn down a drink,” Ruby admitted, smiling when Emerald laughed.

“You’re lucky Cinder didn’t drop you on the spot.”

“It was an honest mistake,” Velvet said as they boarded the tram.  “It could’ve happened to any of us.”

Emerald rolled her eyes and took a seat near the window.  Ruby sat beside her, with Velvet on the other side of the aisle.

“I’ve seen worse,” Velvet continued as the tram slid away from the studio.  “Besides, they were only rehearsing.”

“Weiss was rehearsing,” Emerald pointed out.  “You broke the princess’ concentration.  Pretty sure that’s a capital offense.” 

Emerald chuckled and rested an elbow against the windowsill, but Velvet leaned closer to Ruby and lowered her voice.  “Don’t listen to her,” she advised with a meaningful glance Emerald’s way.  “No one will even remember tomorrow.”

Ruby would remember, but she smiled at Velvet for the reassurance before looking through the tram’s front windshield.  “Do you usually go out at the end of the week?” she asked as the production lot’s entrance neared.

“Depends on the week.”

“Or how busy it was, how we feel,” Velvet elaborated.  “Since it’s your first week, we figured now would be a good time.”

“Get you up to speed on all the gossip,” Emerald added, nudging Ruby’s elbow as the tram stopped in front of another studio.  

A handful of workers boarded before they were on their way again, pulled seamlessly through the lot by the wires overhead and metal rails below.  Soft, often-tired conversation enveloped them as the tram filled with passengers before reaching the final stop.  There, everyone departed and scattered in every direction.  Ruby, meanwhile, motioned for Emerald and Velvet to lead the way.

On a Friday evening, traffic clogged the streets and pedestrians filled the sidewalks.  After waiting at the intersection, the three of them crossed the street and walked several blocks toward the lake.  Groups of people packed the restaurant patios or waited outside the entrance for a table.  The shops had already closed for the evening, but their illuminated front windows offered glimpses of expensive shoes or clothing.  

Amid the liveliness, Emerald opened a large wooden door and waved them through.  Loud music reached Ruby’s ears first.  The lingering scent of alcohol and fried foods wafted by her nose shortly after.  Her eyes took an extra second adjusting to the low light but, once they did, she discovered a packed house.

“I’ll grab drinks,” Emerald said while moving toward the crowded bar.  “What do you want?”

“A raspberry fizz, please,” Velvet replied.

Emerald nodded and then pointed at Ruby.  “You?”

“Uh…whatever you’re having.”  Emerald vaguely sneered at the response but nodded and joined the people waiting to order, or people just sitting and watching one of the many television screens mounted near the ceiling.

“Let’s find a place to sit,” Velvet added before leading Ruby in the opposite direction.

Despite the small exterior, the bar’s interior was quite large.  It even had an outdoor patio where more tables, chairs, and stone benches built around fire pits offered places to sit with friends and coworkers alike.  As fortune had it, a small spot near one of the fire pits was available, offering them the chance to sit while waiting for Emerald’s return.

“Lots of schmoozing going on.”  Once they sat down, Velvet nodded toward two men in suits.  “This is how a lot of people find their next job.  I’ve never enjoyed it; I’d rather just do my job and, if someone wants to work with me again, that’s great.”

“That sounds way cheaper than going out all the time,” Ruby mused, catching snippets of their conversation before turning away.  “Thanks for inviting me.  This really is a whole new world.”

“It’s definitely something.”  Eyes landing somewhere over Ruby’s shoulder, Velvet sat up straighter and added, “That was fast.”

“Lines are for sissies,” Emerald replied while handing a fizzing red drink to Velvet.  She then reshuffled the two identical glasses in her left hand and gave one to Ruby.  “Hope you like bourbon,” she said, sitting beside Ruby and sipping from her glass.  When Ruby reached for her wallet, however, Emerald waved off the motion and added, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.  You’ll just owe me.”

Ruby hesitated at Emerald’s sly smile but eventually withdrew her hand and said, “Thank you.”  Emerald had already moved on, leaning forward and glancing around to see if anyone was listening in. 

“Alright, I’ll start.  This morning, Cardin was telling me all about these three girls he hooked up with last night.  He swears they were triplets, but he was so drunk that he can’t even remember their names.”

Ruby wrinkled her nose at the crude gossip, but Velvet shook her head and said, “I don’t know how you work with him.”

“Sure, he’s gross.  But he’s also my ticket out of here.”

When Emerald shrugged and sipped her drink, Ruby shared a confused glance with Velvet before saying, “What, like, you’re going to marry him or something?” 

Velvet hid a laugh behind her glass while Emerald glared.  “I’d rather drink poison,” she snapped, though her scowl soon turned into a smirk.  “Speaking of poison…how’s our leading lady?”

“Oh, she’s amazing.”  Ruby leaned back and threw on a bright smile.  “A joy to be around.  Really, I can’t imagine my life without her.”

“Fucking liar,” Emerald said, her eyes glinting in the light of the fire as she laughed.

“She’s not that bad,” Velvet argued, but Emerald scoffed and pointed her drink at Ruby.

“She just spent all day highlighting lines.  How’s that not the most belittling shit you’ve ever heard?”

“That was an unusual request…” Velvet admitted, shifting in her seat and avoiding Ruby’s gaze.  “But she’s always been polite to me.”

“Because you’re protected by Pyrrha’s shield of perpetual niceness,” Emerald muttered before taking a longer drink from her glass.

“Is Pyrrha really as sweet as she seems?” Ruby asked, sipping from her glass and trying not to cough as the drink burned on the way down.

“Oh, absolutely.  I adore working with her.  She’s actually helping me find work as a photographer.”

“Photographer?”

“My dream job,” Velvet explained, gently rolling her glass around in one hand.  “Pyrrha has contacts at several modeling agencies, so she’s getting me in touch with some of the directors.”

“See?  That’s a good person.”  After motioning her drink toward Velvet, Emerald turned to Ruby and added, “Weiss would literally push you in front of a train and not notice you get splattered all over the tracks.”

“She’d notice if blood and guts got on her outfit,” Ruby joked.  “Then she’d probably sue me even though I’m dead.”

Ruby smiled when Emerald laughed at the hypothetical scenario.  Velvet cracked a smile before shifting in her seat and asking, “So, Ruby, what were you doing before this?”

“Oh, I’m an artist.  Or I want to be.  Does it count if I don’t get paid?”

“No,” Emerald huffed over her glass.

“That sounds wonderful,” Velvet replied, regardless.  “I’d love to see your work if you’re willing to share.”

“Sure!  I’ll bring some photos for you.”

While Velvet smiled and nodded, Ruby beamed at the genuine interest. 

“An artist and a photographer…” Emerald mused before shaking her head.  “What a group.”

“What about you?” Ruby asked.

“Oh, me?”  Emerald feigned surprise at the question.  “I’m a grifter.”  Ruby brow rose, but Emerald laughed and added, “I’m here for the money.  As long as I get paid, I’ll deal with the shit.”

“That’s…one way to look at it.”

“It’s just a job.”  Emerald set her glass beside her and sent a dubious look to a young man who considered sitting nearby.  He decided to sit elsewhere, so she turned back and rubbed her hands together.  “Ok, Velvet - dish.  What’s going on with Pyrrha and Camera Boy?”

“Nothing,” Velvet sighed.  “I overheard them discussing scary movies today, but that’s about it.”

“Tell me it’s not creepy to have some dude leering at you behind a camera.”

“He’s sweet though.”

“But Pyrrha could have anyone she wants - literally anyone - and she chooses that doofus?”  Emerald scoffed and picked up her drink. 

“He’s really nice,” Ruby offered in Pyrrha’s defense.  “Maybe she just wants a simple, laid-back relationship.”

“She won’t have a relationship at all at the rate they’re moving…” Emerald grumbled, to which Velvet laughed and said, “I agree with you there.”

“Maybe we can help them?” Ruby offered, but Emerald brushed off the idea.

“You know who I’m more interested in?” she asked before leveling Velvet with a knowing look.  “You and Coco.”

Velvet’s eyes widened, and she glanced at Ruby before leaning away and shaking her head.  “We’re friends.  She’s just -”

“Tall, attractive, flirting with you all the time?”

“She’s very nice,” Velvet corrected, though her blush suggested ‘very nice’ didn’t fully encapsulate her feelings.

“What about you?” Ruby asked before Emerald pressed the subject.  Once she had Emerald’s attention, she motioned with one hand.  “Who’re you into?  Besides Cardin, obviously.”

“Or Cinder,” Velvet mumbled over the top of her glass.  Emerald’s gaze flashed to the side at Velvet’s comment, but she quickly regained her swagger.  

“Ha ha,” she directed to Ruby.  “At least Velvet and I have options.”

“Hey!  I have options.”

“Bullshit,” Emerald laughed before pausing.  “Wait.  I forgot Pyrrha likes doofuses.”

Ruby rolled her eyes when Emerald nudged her side and laughed some more.  Before long, Emerald cleared her throat and held her glass out in front of her.  “Alright, a toast,” she said while Velvet and Ruby did the same.  “To the sweetest person alive, a literal demon, and a boy so stupid he’d walk right into a bear trap if no one stopped him.”

“To actors,” Velvet concluded.  “And all of their…idiosyncrasies.”

“To actors,” Ruby repeated before taking a drink.  Her cheeks were already starting to feel warm and her eyes droopy from a long day, but Emerald turned toward her with a challenging, if not bemused, gaze.

“So next week you’ll figure out how to control Little Miss Princess, right?”

“Of course,” Ruby replied without hesitation, adding a bright smile and nod.  “Piece of cake.”

Emerald laughed at the lie, but Ruby laughed at the idea of anyone exerting even a semblance of control over Weiss.  Ruby could only worry about what she could control though.  At the very least, she would make sure to turn off her phone.