Chapter 8

Weiss retreated into her office, followed by Pyrrha and Ren, the latter carrying the bag of food. Ruby placed her container of food on her chair and rolled it into the office behind them. The others adjusted the furniture, moving the chairs that usually sat before Weiss' desk nearer to it, leaving an open space on one side for Ruby. The desk was already cleared off, allowing Ren to start laying out the meal. Ruby rolled her chair up to her assigned place, moving the food to the desk before taking a seat. Weiss reached into a drawer, producing four sets of metal utensils, while Pyrrha pulled a bottle of seltzer from a refrigerator hidden in one of the cabinets that lined the walls.

"I'm guessing this is kind of a tradition for you guys?" Ruby suggested.

"You could say that." Weiss confirmed. "We've been doing this...well, almost since I hired them. Before that I would have lunch with Velvet on Tuesdays."

"She's not joining us?" Ruby asked.

"Velvet keeps herself far too busy I'm afraid." Weiss noted. "She makes daily visits to other SDC locations around Atlas, mostly to make random inspections, but sometimes to deal with human/Faunus conflicts."

"Couldn't someone else do that?" Ruby pressed.

"Yes, but Velvet insists upon doing it herself." Pyrrha sighed.

"When I moved you to SFO, I'd hoped she might delegate some responsibilities to you." Weiss explained. "But she's always been a bit stubborn."

"So, Ruby, how have you been adjusting?" Pyrrha asked as the group began to eat their respective meals.

"Really well." Ruby replied. "I think I'm getting the hang of this job. Now that I know where most of the departments are, navigating this place is much easier. Penny helps too."

"That's good, but I wasn't just asking about work." Pyrrha refocused. "Are you liking Atlas? Any luck finding an apartment?"

"Oh shoot, I knew I was forgetting something." Weiss cut in. "Ruby, the SDC offers assistance to employees searching for housing."

"That's alright, I already found a place." Ruby waved her off. "I ran into an old friend who lives a bit north of here, and I'm staying there for now. I'm really liking Atlas so far, it's exciting."

"That's great to hear." Pyrrha cheered. "This place can be a bit overwhelming for newcomers. Having a connection like that can only help."

The conversation paused for a few minutes as the group focused on their lunches. Weiss was the first to finish, eating only a salad and some grilled chicken. "So Ren, what have you been working on?"

"We're in the final stages of development for the civilian model of the prosthetic control interface." Ren replied. "After a few refinements, we'll be ready to go into proper trials."

"I'm guessing that's what we'll be using when our project gets going?" Ruby surmised.

"Yes." Pyrrha confirmed. "We'll be designing the robotics while Ren and his team finalize their design."

"Cool." Ruby nodded. "Any idea how long it'll be?"

"I honestly have no idea." Weiss admitted. "Redesigns like this can take a few weeks or a few months, depending on how smoothly the process goes."

"You know, if there are other projects I can help with in the meantime, I'd be happy to assist." Pyrrha volunteered. "Working in SFO is nice, but there's not much for me to do."

"I'm still hoping Velvet will see the light and delegate some responsibility." Weiss stated. "I'll see if I can't convince her."

"Well, what have you been up to Weiss?" Pyrrha asked.

"Aside from the usual meetings and keeping the company from falling apart?" Weiss smirked. "I've been planning the charity gala...and dreading what stunt Whitley will pull this time."

"Whitley?" Ruby quirked her head.

"My brother." Weiss explained. "He has a habit of causing trouble, for me and the company. I'd rather deal with mother's shenanigans."

"Do I even want to know?" Ruby asked.

"Probably not." Weiss responded. "Unless you love family drama."

"Uh...I'll pass." Ruby chuckled uneasily. She looked once more at Pyrrha's rather simple attire, a stark contrast to the elaborate clothes worn by Ren and Weiss. "So um...I was wondering, what exactly is the dress code? The employee handbook mentions one, but also says it can vary by position."

"Business casual is fine." Weiss answered. "I just don't want my secretary looking like a slob. As long as you don't show up in sweatpants and a tank top, I think you'll be fine."

"Okay, cool." Ruby acknowledged.

Weiss looked to Ren and Pyrrha. "Before I forget, have the two of you...had any luck?"

Pyrrha placed her hand on Ren's knee as he smiled at her fondly. "Not yet just, but we're trying." Ren replied.

"Luck with what?" Ruby asked.

Ren and Pyrrha exchanged a glance, the former nodding. "We're trying to have a child." Pyrrha answered.

"I love kids!" Ruby cheered. She was about to say more when her scroll beeped. She pulled it from her pocket and slid it open to find a new text message from Yang. "Oh, that's my sister…" She unlocked the device to read it. "There's a video too…that's adorable!"

"What is it?" Pyrrha asked.

"It's our dog Zwei...well just watch." Ruby held up the device, playing the video. It showed the corgi jumping in and out of a huge pile of leaves. The animal looked positively ecstatic as it froliced.

"I always wanted a dog…" Weiss noted wistfully.

"I've got some more videos, hold on." Ruby swiped and tapped at the screen, growing increasingly frustrated. "Stupid scroll...stop freezing...come on...what…" She sighed in defeat as the device ground to a halt. "I really need a new one."

Weiss looked at the scroll. "Ah, that's a five year old model, yes?" Ruby paused to think before nodding in confirmation. "As an SDC employee, you're entitled to a free scroll every three years." She stood, walking over to one of the cabinets. After a few seconds of searching she grabbed a small white box, bringing it over to Ruby. "They're both SDC products, so you should just have to swap your card over."

"Really?" Ruby gasped. "But this is brand new!"

"It's a perk of working for the SDC." Pyrrha added. "Managers get to test out prototypes as well."

"Oh, this is so cool!" Ruby squealed. "Thank you so much!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Don't mention it. And do read the entirety of the employee handbook. All your potential benefits are listed."

For the rest of Tuesday, Ruby was riding high. Not only did she now possess a brand new scroll - such was her excitement that the tech geek inside her nearly broke through her professional demeanor - she had a new circle of friends, one of them the woman in charge of the world's largest company no less. It was something she could never have expected. Ruby was not anti-social, but she was definitely socially awkward and introverted. By high school she had built up a decent circle of friends, only to be forced into starting anew when she went to university. She made a few friends there, but not many, and by the time she graduated none with whom she regularly spent time. Yang had become her best friend, maybe her only friend, and as busy as Ruby was, that was just fine.

Finding Sun in Atlas had been a shock, and an invaluable head start. Pyrrha's outgoing nature made her another easy friend, and with Ren and Weiss added by association, she found herself surrounded by kind people who could help guide her through the sudden changes she was facing. It was not all sunshine and rainbows however. Once again she arrived at the apartment after work in time to hear Sun and Blake getting frisky. Sun promised to try to get Blake to start earlier in order to avoid the embarrassing situation, but noted that she had a very strict routine that was difficult to alter. On Wednesday nothing had changed, though Sun once again said he would talk to Blake about it.

At work, Wednesday had been a bit more hectic than the two days that preceded it. It was not as bad as Friday, but Ruby found herself racing around the building more often than not, and again she was forced to eat her lunch on the move. Her leg acted up a bit, but frequent breaks kept it from becoming a serious problem. A glass of wine back at the apartment solved any issues with her injury. All in all she was getting along rather well, though the end of week crunch still loomed. At least she knew where to go after work for a good drink...or five. Maybe she would even make more friends.

Thursday began as a rather quiet day for Ruby. Taking Weiss' earlier suggestion, she took the time to go through the employee handbook. It was an impressive tome, about the size of an average novel. She could skip some parts because they only pertained to specific jobs, but there was still a lot of ground to cover. She would get to it all eventually...probably. At least Penny was there to answer any specific questions Ruby had.

By midmorning Ruby had only been tasked with one delivery, though Weiss had also asked her to pick up a package via the earpiece while she was away from her desk. After that Ruby sat down to relax a bit, using the opportunity to check Weiss' schedule for the rest of the day. It was mostly empty, just a single meeting after lunch. Still, she did not doubt for a moment that Weiss was extremely busy.

Ruby's relaxation was interrupted as the elevator arrived with a bing. There were no visitors scheduled, and Weiss had not informed her of any expected deliveries, so Ruby was a bit curious. She hoped it might be Pyrrha coming to chat, but when the elevator doors slid open, they revealed someone new. The woman had shoulder length brown hair topped with a beret, her eyes hidden by dark sunglasses. She wore tight leather pants, a brown sweatshirt, what looked like a loose corset, and an elaborate belt. Ruby swore she knew the woman from somewhere, but she could not quite place it.

"Good morning ma'am, how can I help you?" Ruby asked.

The woman strode up to Ruby's desk. "Is Ms. Schnee available?" Her stance exuded strength and confidence, but her voice wavered.

"Who may I-" Ruby started.

"I will inform Ms. Schnee of your arrival Ms. Adel." Penny interrupted.

"Thanks Penny." The woman mumbled.

"Adel...Coco Adel?" Ruby asked. "Like the fashion line? I thought I recognized you."

"Yeah...that's me." Coco sighed.

"Are you alright?" Ruby pressed. The juxtaposition between Coco's appearance and speech was jarring.

"Ms. Schnee will see you now." Penny spoke up before Coco could reply.

"Thanks." Coco walked to Weiss' office door, slipped inside and closed it behind her.

"Is she alright?" Ruby asked, turning to Penny.

"I do not know." Penny admitted. "I have never known her to behave in this way."

"She's been here before?" Ruby inquired.

"Ms. Adel and Ms. Schnee are longtime friends." Penny explained. "Though I have not seen Ms. Adel in some time. I hope everything is alright."

"Me too Penny." Ruby added.

"Coco, what brings you here?" Weiss asked. Coco did not answer, instead walking forward and slumping into one of the chairs before Weiss' desk. "What's wrong?"

"It's gone...it's all gone." Coco managed. Though tinted, her glasses did not hide the blank gaze behind them.

"What's gone?" Weiss move to take the chair beside Coco, sliding it closer and taking her hand. "What happened?"

"My company...I'm ruined." Coco struggled to hold back tears. "I was doing so well...then the retailers stopped stocking my line...the investors gave up on me...I tried to shift to direct sales but it was too late. There's no money left. I've got nothing."

"Wha-how?" Weiss was taken aback. She had heard nothing of Adel Apparel's financial struggles.

"It doesn't matter how." Coco continued. "The assets are going up for auction on Monday to pay the creditors. I'll be lucky if I come away with anything."

"I'm so sorry." Weiss leaned in closer, noticing the tears streaking down Coco's face. "How much is it all worth?"

"Nothing anymore." Coco lamented.

"No, the assets, what's the expected auction value?" Weiss pressed.

"I don't know, maybe three million lien?" Coco guessed. "Who cares?"

"I care Coco." Weiss stated, standing. "Three million...not a lien below five million is worthy of you." She scoffed, walking around her desk to pull something from a drawer and scribbling on it. "Here." She slid forward a cheque, Coco blinked at the number before her, written in Weiss' usual, perfect cursive. "I'm buying your assets, and settling your debts."

"I'm not here for you to bail me out." Coco refused, pulling free her glasses to peer up at her friend. "I know we're friends, but this is business, you have your own to run."

"Then...why are you here?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know, not for money, I just..." Coco sighed, dropping the glasses to bury her face in her hands. "I guess I just wanted a shoulder to cry on."

"Well too bad." Weiss stood firm. "I'm buying your company, and merging it with the SDC."

"You don't want to buy a failed clothing company." Coco protested. "I don't want pity."

"Coco, I insist." Weiss walked around her desk, sitting beside Coco once more. "This isn't pity, this is me taking a chance on my oldest friend. I don't know what went wrong, but I know you can turn this around. With funding and some support, you'll be back on your feet by the next fiscal year."

"Did your father teach you nothing?" Coco scoffed. "Throwing good money after bad...it's-"

"I don't care what my father taught me." Weiss interrupted. "I've learned to follow my instincts, and they're telling me you're worth the risk." Coco looked about to speak, but Weiss cut her off before she had the chance. "I won't take no for an answer. You know I won't."

"Yeah...I know." Coco managed a smile, wiping away stray tears. She picked up her glasses once more, folding them into her pocket. "Thank you Weiss, I'll never forget this. I owe you-"

"Nothing Coco." Weiss cut in. "You taught me the importance of forging my own path, regardless of what anyone thought. You can't place a monetary value on that."

"Apparently it's worth five million lien." Coco chuckled, a hint of warmth returning to her voice. She shifted in her chair, leaning forward to pull Weiss into a firm but brief hug. "So, now that you're the owner of Adel Apparel, what do you plan to do with the company?"

"Well, I think it's about time the SDC had an exclusive, limited run clothing line." Weiss declared. "You'll have to close down for a little while, but I'll keep all your employees on, and after a little rebranding and promotion, you'll be ready to give it another shot."

"Rebranding...I feel like marketing was one of the things that brought me down." Coco sighed. "I always knew how to market myself, but a company…"

"Don't worry, I know just the person to help." Weiss grinned. "Actually, I think you've met before."

Coco quirked her brow. "Really?"

Weiss moved back to her desk, picking up the phone and punching in an extension. After a moment she clearly got a response. "Pyrrha, is Velvet still here?" Weiss enjoyed the look of surprise on Coco's face. "Good. She is being temporarily reassigned." There was a pause, presumably as Pyrrha spoke. "Yes, and for the time being, consider yourself promoted. Congratulations, you are now the interim head of Schnee Faunus Outreach." After a few moments Weiss hung up the phone. "I do hope you will work well together." She smirked.

Coco smiled, but it soon turned bitter. "Velvet...I've been neglecting her. I've been so busy trying to keep the company going...we haven't even been on a date in weeks."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to spend with her now." Weiss encouraged. "She gets to help you out, and maybe being away from it for a while will show her that she doesn't have to do everything herself for SFO to function smoothly."

"Weiss...have I ever told you how much I love you?" Coco managed.

Weiss could not suppress a laugh. "Only every time we've met since I was ten years old."

Velvet tapped her foot, leaning against the elevator rail and mulling over the verbal pile-driving she would be delivering to Weiss in a minute. It was not the first time the CEO had made a sudden decision that needed opposing. Weiss was not perfect. No one was perfect. The only thing perfect about Weiss was that fair floss hair of hers, and her singing voice, and her posture...but she was not perfect. She was a stubborn ass at times, and to make such a sudden change without explanation was tailor made to get Velvet's hackles up.

Velvet had done her job without pause or fail for six years. She had endured racism, constant jibes from her kind about being under the heel of humanity, and even physical violence. It was worth it, because success meant advancing the cause of Human/Faunus relations. And, gods bless her, but now Pyrrha was taking her place? For what purpose? What the hell was more important than the job to which she had dedicated her life?

The elevator chimed, the door opened, and Velvet found her answer. "Coco." She sighed, smiling. She had not seen Coco in what felt like months, and as she exited the elevator to meet her in a crushing embrace, she realized just how badly she had missed her lover. "Gods I've missed you." She whispered, breathing in the musky chocolate scent that hung heavily upon Coco's form. She heard the rapidly beating heart beneath her lower ear.

"I've missed you too Bun." Coco whispered into a higher ear, planting a kiss upon the furry appendage. "So, so much."

"What have you been doing?" Velvet asked. "Why are you here?" She pulled back to meet her lover's gaze. A pang of worry shot through her chest as she took in the ruddy, tear stained cheeks. "What happened?" She said as she cupped her cheek.

Coco covered Velvet's hand with her own. "The company went under...I've been fighting to keep it afloat. I didn't want you to worry."

"Babe…" Velvet sighed, pulling Coco down into a brief kiss. In a way, it was a relief that the problem was external. She had feared Coco had been suffering a different crisis, that perhaps their relationship had become inconvenient, or - even worse - that she had found another...but no. This was nothing so devastating, to Velvet at least. But it was still a shock. "I love you. I always worry about you."

"I know, I know." Coco murmured, bumping their foreheads together. "I love you too."

"So how are we going to fix this?" Velvet asked.

"By taking some time off to recuperate." Weiss cut in from behind. Velvet peered over Coco's shoulder to stare blankly at her friend.

"You couldn't have warned me?" Velvet pressed.

"I wanted to surprise you." Weiss smiled.

"Of course you did." Velvet rolled her eyes. "Are you sure Pyrrha can handle it? The other branches are used to dealing with me."

"I have faith in her, and besides, she's going stir crazy without something to truly focus upon." Weiss assured her.

Velvet nodded, sighing. She looked up at Coco, meeting her gaze once more. "Come on babe, let's go home."

"Mine or yours?" Coco half smirked.

"Mine, where you belong." Velvet stated, taking Coco's hand. "Thank you Weiss. And you too Ruby."

"Thank you Velvet, nice to meet you Coco!" Ruby called.

Coco waved lazily behind her as they entered the elevator, and smiled as the door closed, Velvet's hand clutched firmly within her own. After the stresses of the day's events, it was like clinging to a rock surrounded by rapids. And that rock was warm.