Chapter 11: Childlike Wonder

Ruby Rose

"Come now! Vámonos!"

Ruby could hear Ms. Long shouting from the stairway, her ride into town growing mildly impatient, which she could totally understand. The redhead would too, waiting this long on someone just trying to string together an outfit.

It wasn't a date, but it felt like one, so everything was meticulously planned before being almost completely abandoned for something else. After perhaps three different less functional combos, Ruby gave herself one final twirl to see what imperfections she could find. The red hoodie was a must, a crimson flare to her look, one that matched her dark leggings. Underneath the jacket was a black camisole top emblazoned with one of the many goth bands she had grown to love over the years, soft fabric and nicest trim made it the best top for the job. Over the leggings she chose the standard red and black checkered punk shirt with a friggin' fabulous pair of black boots, the kind that came with just too many buckle straps the way she loved. Perfect touch to finish her off. Make up wasn't her thing, so just a touch of violet eye shadow, a little bit of blush, but no lip stick. Couldn't figure that out anyways, perpetual clown face a much worse fate than light lips.

"Coming!" She called out, brushing out the smooth red and black hair, untangling it into the fine straight that better framed her face. Perfect, or perfect enough. Bolting up the stairs, she met the mistress of the house at the top.

"Aye, bonita Ruby. You look good!" she noted, giving her a once over in the foyer.

"Holy cow, what about you?!" the whole former rebel thing hadn't really stuck home about Envida until tonight. The person who greeted Ruby at the door wasn't the picturesque work at home mom, she was a bad ass in a leather jacket and skinny black studded jeans. She had perfect make up that accentuated her features in a dark tone, and everything from the white and red extras on her clothes to the studded bracelet made Ruby feel stupid for keeping her goth stuff locked in the closet. "You look gorgeous."

"Gracias Ruby, I have a date tonight. Your Dad is ahh, meeting up with me later." she had a cunning look and it was great to see that neither fun nor romance ended at adulthood like everyone seemed to say.

"Where to?" Ruby asked, as Envida held the door open for her step-daughter. The outside air was chilly past dusk, but everywhere, even in this village, was lights. The Vytal festival was on, despite the nip of the night air. Nothing stops the fun.

"Very far away from you kids," she replied with a good laugh, popping the car doors open and sliding inside the family car, "No eyy, offense?"

"Not even a little," Ruby answered with a bright grin sliding into the passenger seat of their little sedan. Happy to find tensions down and the comforts of friendship, the start of real family bonds, replacing them. They still argued, both her parents wanted her to pick something for a program, something practical like Engineering, a counter to Yang's shaky college record. It was another path maybe, they said engineering, something that made sense, Weiss said Creative Writing, something Ruby cared about, and Penny said when it's right which it never seemed to be.

No, Ruby thought, today is for smiles. The car jerked back into the rubble road and left her worries behind in the house.

The whole of El Vale and surrounding communities focused their holiday energy to the 'Fall Festival of Vytal', the origins of which were apparently debateable, but the result was far from it. The past few weeks were mad with set up. Lights were strung from the buildings, huge paper mache statues erected all over the city and in the last few days audio equipment was being stuffed into every corner. The streets filled with tourists from all over Spain, the whole event turning into a bit of a national happening. Tonight though was the big night. They called it the burning, and everyone was going out, plenty with dates, but also friends.

Ruby hadn't fully grasp the extent of the transformation until she hit the mountain pass over the city. Little ocean town was weaved in an immaculate spiders web of multicolored lights, as if it would trap all the winds and people inside, It vibrated and shifted shapes and bright veins between buildings blinked off and on, and even there, in the distance, it felt like she could hear music despite the space between. Portland had its festivals, plenty of them, but this was another thing entirely.

With the density of people, there was no driving deep into downtown, so Ruby could only get close from the edges, the red tiled roofed buildings mere hangers for the glowing neon lines that were now above her. The usually low key tan structures were covered in temporary paintings turned into canvases for the artistic once a year, and all the businesses were left open to the wind. No doors were closed, no street empty. Impromptu parades formed out of bar goers, many waving the Spanish flag and the symbol of Beacon's soccer team, which had won the Vytal festival tournament. They would roar and cheer, their excitement bouncing into Ruby's body, making her restless and excited.

"Do you know where you are going?" Ms. Long asked, navigating the flowing slow traffic, watching every turn so not to be stuck by a sudden car or passer by.

"I'm meeting up at main square near the docks, then the pier. To see the burning." Ruby replied, focused solely on the people about, the full resturants and bars, the beautiful men and woman walking together in every pairing imaginable in equal comfort and celebration.

"Bein, that's a great show. Can you walk from here? Is bad traffic," she noted, understandably given the crowd.

"Yeah I'm good, thank you!" Ruby replied, waiting for the car to stop before she opened the door and let the music really strike her to the core, the beats heavy in the street and near deafening, but in the best possible way.

"Enjoy!" Ms. Long shouted from the front as Ruby escaped the car.

"You too!"

Alone now, the streets felt like flowing rivers of people, colored in outfits, paints and bodies. The unclear path was almost an adventure of itself, bringing to mind the elaborate stories of fantastical Carnivals and Masquerades Ruby read about in books and played in a flurry of games, adding to the unrealness of her life. Living a story, but it was real, she was real. The night was real, and it was exhilerating.

It wasn't a terribly long walk to Plaza del Mistral, one of the four main squares of the inner city and closest to the docks. It almost looked like a courtyard, but was impossibly sized, surrounded by connected tan buildings older than America itself, and a remnant of when Vale was four villages or something like that. The only way in the plaza was the many alleyways that cut their way into the center, not even a cars sized in width, each lined with bars, clubs, shops selling clothes and touristy fans in vibrant colors. Interior were all cafes with outdoor seating and all of them were packed despite the cold, each focused around the truck sized paper mache constructs, some clowns or others national heroes like Don Quijote and El Cid with cartoony features. These caricatures then surrounded the center of the square, a marble statue of Hellenic hero Achilles, ripped muscles and a boyish ideal figure armed with a spear and shield, as Yang told it, a nod to the urban myth that mistral of the four original settlements had been a Greek trade colony, though no one could prove it.

Below the statue, much more feminine, much smaller, and much more ideal, awaited Weiss, the German princess from a far away land, and Ruby's heart. She looked stunning, dressed in a white dress peacoat combo that hinted black at its ends, the longest boots Ruby had ever seen before in her life, heeled on top of that, and her usual off kilter ponytail that just help show off her perfect slender neck, it was just god damn unfair.

"Weiss!" Ruby's voice somehow cascaded over the the music and struck Weiss in the ear, as well as a few slightly annoyed party goers. Didn't matter, that snow skinned girl turned her head to Ruby and gave the meagerest of smiles, crossing her arms over her chest, as she was one to do. Of course Ruby had to come to her not the other way around. The redhead didn't mind.

"Hi!" she added, jogging right over to her, hands locked in her hoodie pockets for warmth and smile bright.

"Hello Ruby," Weiss replied with a raised and curious eye. Those blue irises scanned her, judging the outfit Ruby didn't doubt. Hopefully she didn't mind the whole like punk Goth thing, cause it was quite a bit of that offset only by a cheery grin and a can do attitude. Pass, pass, pass please. "You certainly clean up well. You look really good tonight." Heck yeah!

Inside Ruby felt like she could punch a rhino to death, outside she blushed a little and scratched the back of her head in a rather standard unassuming attitude. "Thanks Weiss, you look absolutely beautiful," Ruby mumbled barely audible, causing Weiss' eyes to open a touch wide, only a touch, happy surprised or creepy surprised? "So uhh, where's Penny?" She wasn't going to risk it.

"Oh her? I told her to meet us at Plaza del Vacuo,"

"Weiss that's on the other side of town!"

"Exactly," Weiss replied with a menacing smile, evil in her heart and a frightening willingness to rid herself of anything unwanted. Ruby remembered why she was as afraid of the heiress as she was in crush with her. "I figured out a way to deal with that nuisance indefinitely." Oh dear lord she had her killed.

"Friends!" The familiar sound of Penny's voice whipped Ruby right around, eyes glimmering in almost tears as she charged right at the little Yorkish ginger. Dressed with a bit more of a cute tomboy look, Penny wore an open green flannel shirt with dim red stripes that complimented her hair, all worn over a beige blouse. Add the blue denim jeans cuffed to the knee, one slightly shorter than the other and her usual little bow she looked just precious.

"Penny oh thank god! I thought you got taken out German mafia style!" The two girls collided into a bear hug. Ruby out of worry, Penny just because.

"Don't be dramatic I was joking, she was just late." Weiss mumbled watching the two idiots try to pick each other up and nearly tripping each other up in the process. Ruby didn't mind though, part of friendship was trusting she could look stupid in front of either of them, letting it be funny awkward as they tried to decide the bear hug order. Weiss was less amused, eyes looking down to her phone with a quick striking temper "Wait, both of you are late!"

"More like the three of us!" a voice called out from behind with a screeching enthusiasm that could only be their resident bright eyed dutch girl. Nora was here in a short pink sundress, which Ruby immediately noticed was worn with short-shorts hiding underneath, completely in disregard of the fall air.

"Four of us Nora," Ren complained, coming behind her in a loose fitting green shirt and baggy pants complete with what could only be described as jesus sandles, "Wait did you seriously forget to count me?"

"Oh come on Ren! We're like together!" Nora replied, swinging her actually fairly buff arm around Ren, pulling him into a headlock that, either from sleepiness or experience, he did not resist. "I mean not like together together. I more meant like you know we spend a lot of time together and it's like we're the same person, no wait that's creepy…" The young man beneath her arm just chuckled, either from that or the shade of pink on her cheeks.

"Ren. I don't see you out much," Weiss noted, speaking directly to the trapped boy. Ruby resisted making a crack about her finally talking to someone her own height, but a revisit of the old, is Ruby one inch taller talk wasn't worth it.

"Hi Weiss. Yeah wasn't my idea, Nora tends to drag me around."

"I can sympathize," Weiss shot a loot at Ruby, but the girl replied with a stuck out tongue and a smile, "But today I think I'm the source of your trouble, or maybe Penny's seeing as no one mentioned a bigger group. Hope you don't mind."

"It'll be fun," Ren answered back, signalling Nora to release him from his arm cage. Ruby was happy to see them talk, or just Weiss talking to anyone without needing her to facilitate the conversation. This was a solid idea, and one at a time the princess was going to grow on them quick.

"Get ready!" Penny yelped from behind Ruby, jumping on her back and knocking the girl from her thoughts back into the plaza with everyone else.

"Jesus Penny!" Ruby let out, trying desperately not to fall with the added weight, girl was way heavier than she looked. She must work out like a son of a gun. "Well guys! Time to move out!"

"Wow, it's huge.. Let's burn it!" Ruby called out on the pier, finally smashing her way with the rest to the front of the crowd, the mass of people so tightly packed she swore nuclear fusion might begin. It wasn't too bad, Weiss was pressed tightly against her shoulder leaving her giddy in a way that only a middle schooler would over something so small. On the other side it wasn't that shocking. Everyone was here to see the same thing, the largest of the festive statues, a monument of paper mache, a multicolored elephant stood on an artificial island, meant only for this display, its body wrapped around a false tower that seemed to stretch three stories high, the pointed tip going even farther, clown masks and multicolored animal features coming from every corner of this pyre of paper.

"Be patient! They're still setting it up I think," Weiss urged, the festival workers distinctive by their black, probably fire retardant, body suits and white and red festival masks were about, dumping fluid and setting up some sort of sparker. They would have been invisible if not for the white masks that made them look like ghosts in the night air, glinting only be the vibrant web of lights that reached out to the street like thin multicolored fingers into the sea. The frosty air was chilling to the bone, and Ruby couldn't wait to see this baby burn.

"It's only a few moments now friend!" Penny announced with an eye on the clock, festivities starting at nine and ending at one, the sun a distant memory now.

"I'm so excited! Please tell me it's going to go boom Ren?!"

"No Nora."

"Can I make it go boom?"

"No Nora." The two of them were having their own banter between Penny and the other pair. Ruby noticed Ren was hugging Nora from behind, helping her keep warm in the icy wind perhaps? It was cute and gave Ruby a risky idea.

"What are you doing?" Weiss mumbled, but it was too late, Ruby was dead set on slipping her hand into her's before her courage was gone for good.

"My hand's cold," she excused sliding the german's fingers between her own, feeling a shocking sensation, "Wow why are your hands so friggin' cold!"

"Do I look like I have good circulation!" Weiss yelled back, right into Ruby's ear, "And if it's so cold why haven't you let go!?"

"Friends it's starting!" Penny roared right with the crowed as the music started up, a pumping party song, bass signaling the workers to hit it, a blaze, a small spark, burst up the fluid,veins of flames running tall to the center, it didn't take long for the bottom to begin burning, the orange burned up and a vortex spiralled up with the music striking heavy.

"Oh my god, it's beautiful," Weiss barely made herself heard over the music. The spiral fires caught everything in moments and suddenly it was all burning, the elephant was spewing fire from it's paper trunk, the eyes burned out into crimson lights, the tower of clowns were caught in reds and oranges, some deeper parts even in blue, yet it kept its form. The statue was not ruined by the fire, it was completed with it. Suddenly it wasn't cold, it was hot, the searing flames kissed Ruby's cheeks in waves, and though she was several hundred feet away, the pyre felt just like a campfire as it licks the hands of a frosty camper.

Despite the heat, Weiss and Ruby were still holding hands, and Ren and Nora each other. The fire was gorgeous, but the Rose girl turned away, to look at her crush, thankful for what she saw, a rare treasure no one would believe existed. Weiss wasn't just smiling, something that was rare gift but not one that never graced their friendship, this was more. To see the silver girl have such childlike wonder, to see her stare eyes wide, mouth pulled open in a full smile, to see amazement on her face, brought that same expression to Ruby. It was the best event of the festival.

Though the memory would be immortal in her mind, every moment is transient, and everything that burns must exhaust itself with time. The wind spun the quickly forming ash out into the sea. bits of it falling about, but most fell apart eventually, the exoskeleton of the statue standing as its paper skin burned off into piles of flame. The largest of these pyres like a Beacon, others would begin to burn all over the city as this one died a slow death.

"Ren we should see if we can get closer! I wanna see the inside!" Nora announced eyes alight with adventure and an inhuman drive. This girl was walking trouble, and it was so hard not to love it.

"Nora I don't think we can do that, plus we would need a boat right?" Ruby cut her off, trying her best to be reasonable with her before it gave Ren a heart attack.

"We can swim! Trust me I just need to get over this thing!" Nora actually started climbing, though she barely got one hand on the crowd barricade before Ren was on her, pulling her down by the waist before she got herself arrested.

"Nora no!" Ruby never heard Ren shout before, wasn't even that loud, but damn did its rarity make it impressive.

"I got her!" Penny jumped in, grasping another weight on the girl's arm. Still she struggled, a titan in a tiny body.

"But I wanna!" Nora whined. Ruby considered adding her meager weight to the pile, but Weiss' hand was still clutching hers, and now pulling.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, turning to see her special friend tugging her with a desperate look.

"We have to hurry I want to see the others!" She was acting like a child and it just melted Ruby into bits.

"But the others?" Ruby asked, knowing it didn't matter, they were still messing around, not even noticing the Weiss pulling on her, nor the crowd rushing all over the city.

"Now!" Weiss turned to run, but didn't let go, near tripping Ruby as they lurched forward down the red cobble stone streets away from the pier and into the bright city lights. The town had changed even in the little time between the walk down and up like an evolving maze with full open air dance floors for dead ends and streams of people replacing the usual walls. Fog rolled in, partially artificial, partially smoke, but all turning different colors with the flashing of slow strobes.

All through the path they ran, ran despite Weiss' heels, regardless of the unathletic choking breaths that progressively were becoming giggles as each one ran out of energy. Yet they pushed forward, returning to to Plaza Del Mistral, the burnings already begun, big, beautiful, balls of bloody fire as Penny would say. It wasn't as impressive, but left them no less wonderstruck.

"They're amazing. I had heard, but I never thought it would be like this," Weiss voiced, looking at the statue of Don Quijote burn apart, the donkey melting down first into a pile of ash, these smaller ones allowed much closer access, the heat you could almost touch it.

"Yang told me about this, said she wanted me to see it so badly with her, but that was when we were little. Glad to see it...with you though," Ruby replied, hoping not to say too much with the added you, but she didn't seem to mind, Weiss was too busy being a kid for once.

"I am too. Thank you for coming," she responded blue eyes locked on the red fire, just like Ruby's silver, but still they both took their fair share of glances.

"Well it's not over yet, still more to see." Ruby felt a touch of the wanderlust Weiss had before. She could do this all night, run around the world together.

"Yeah, but maybe this plaza is," Weiss announced pointing at the firefighters who were washing away the dying statues, and sometimes to the behest of the crowd turned their hose to the sky, dropping a torrent of cold water down on the fire burnt watchers, "Really don't feel like getting drenched."

"I don't know, I wouldn't mind seeing you get wet," Ruby replied casually, not noticing the shocked look on Weiss' face.

"Ruby!"

"What? It would be funny! like it's not that much, if your peacoat gets wet the fire will...dry...it." Weiss was cracking into full laughter, covering her mouth with her hand politely. "I'm a profound brand of stupid. Sorry." Ruby felt her cheeks highlight, this time not from the heat or the coastal winds.

"You are such an innocent little flower child of a dolt, oh my," Weiss couldn't stop laughing, but held it together long enough to take a deep breath, gave a chuckle and offered her hand, "Shall we be off?"

"Lets."

For an hour and a half they wandered, drifting from plaza to plaza, traipsing from red brick to red brick, past fountains covered in lights and taking brief seconds to join the dance floors they turned the remnants of the burnings into. Never a single place for long, grabbing only a drink or two at a local cafe where they took a hydration and bathroom break. It was here Ruby broke down from guilt and texted Penny. She had parted with Nora and Ren at the bar and wandered with a few friends, they both agreed to accidentally meet at the last big burning in Plaza del Vale.

Weiss wasn't surprised, or pleased to see Penny there, but soon enough their weird hate thing faded back into friendly banter. Ruby knew they would get along, and though special time with Weiss alone was wonderful, tonight was about breaking her out of the social shell she had hid herself in since she got here. Part two was approaching, the Final burning a short break before Ruby dragged her to the pub.

Here they replicated the Beacon statues,the two knights and the wolf, about two stories tall and burning apart into nothing. The knights standing strong long before the wolf crumbled, perhaps the poetic pyrotechnics were intentional, regardless Ruby thought it was wonderful.

Other students were there, though Ruby barely spoke to them, the twins Malachite along with their dates could be found near scattered students from her english course. As soon as the statue crumbled, the festival roared its last roar before dispersing into the bars and clubs and plaza dance floors. The families left for home and the old left for bed, leaving only the young or the festive out to rule the rest of the night. They, like so many others, departed for their own place.

Weiss was none the wiser at first, tossing stories back and forth about their respective high schools and countries, unaware that the neon alleyways they walked, the cobble pathways between building not fit for a car, were towards the bar. It wasn't until Penny, walking backwards carefully between the paved blocks of stone, became eclipsed by the lights, people, and sound, backed into the front of the pub, its black wooden doors forced open by the mass going in and out and cheers rocking the world came from both inside and those whom waited in the night air.

"I was wondering why we passed the schools, you are taking me to a bar?" Weiss noted with a slight chuckle, eyes squinted at Ruby with an incredulous look, "Just so you know I'm not a queer bar sort of lesbian, I prefer coffee to beer."

"A, it's not a bar it's a pub! B, it's not just a queer pub it's an everyone pub, and lastly, C, what do you mean by that?!" Ruby crossed her arms and returned a glare, Weiss did the same of course, but with more of a smirk then a scowl, convinced of her superior position. Whatever superior position she thought she had, if any, was only because of some high heels and silly misconceptions of Ruby's sunny disposition somehow meaning she was just a "kid", patently false.

"You look like a, what is the word in english, teetotaler?" Weiss cut back,flicking back some of her pony tail.

"As if I don't like tea!" Ruby replied with confidence that shattered as both her and Penny had a decent laugh.

"Come on friends, we can settle this inside yeah?" Penny offered, giving both of them an opportunity for peace. Ruby nodded, but remembered Weiss' declaration against bars. It was up to her, and the redhead didn't push. Her plan was to change the way people thought about her, and that wasn't happening without Weiss being able to be comfortable.

"Alright," she conceded, fixing her alabaster hair once again, "for you Ruby. Just this once."

Once inside the extent of the college's influence on the bar could be felt like Ruby had never seen it. The wooden little dinky place was packed full, the bar pool tables and games loaded with guys and gals from all over the university. The inside was aflutter with life, foreigners from all over chatting energetically in a thousand tongues, only the smallest lines of space formed to make rivers of moving people and the over-worked waitstaff. Fox was about, the dark skinned spaniard running drinks passed them before they could say hi. There was a new one, some asian man, massive guy, sending orders to the back. All the TVs were replaying the soccer matches from the tournament, each one with a unique set of subtitles. Seating was sparse, and the people so unfamiliar, till from the darkness in the elevated seating for only Beacon students came to life, Blake's hand raised voice calling out for Ruby, even if it was drowned by the others.

Despite that the redhead caught it and dragged her companions through the thin opening to the slight stairs. Suddenly it was all familiar faces. Ren sat cornered with Nora, who was waging a war with her second plate of food, the dutch girl's energy only maintained with equivalent appetite. Velvet was another lovely wall flower, dressed in a thin everyday brown parka, the hood down and white frilly fuzz framing her head. She wore dark leggings with a dim gold skirt that flowed as she moved. Jaune could be found on his phone, usual blue jeans and white shirt that went well with his gold hair, but otherwise seemed bland. Blake of course was there, not in a work uniform but instead a stylish dress shirt that came up a little short, skin tight black jeans that exemplified what Yang openly described as the Bella-booty, protected by a folded down bit of cloth that Ruby thought of as a cute little buttcape. She had heels that rivaled Weiss' and of course the black bow at the top of her head. Despite being off work, Ruby did note the sets of drinks in her hand.

"Blake! Guys!" the red head called out, rushing over to the smiles of her friends. They were all compacted in this special space, still forced around three tables and the back wall. Penny was quick to slide in besides Nora, stealing a chip from her plate and swinging about her legs. Weiss was more conservative, Blake and her sharing a look almost immediately. Neither sat and Ruby nearly groaned, taking her seat by Penny, motioning for Weiss to follow. She did not, too busy in a glare battle to see which of the two children would sit down first.

"Hello lads and lasses," Coco called out with her usual charm, nearly throwing a drink at one patron as she passed, the flamboyant flare to her always perfect. She kept the sunglasses on, though it seemed a tad superfluous, her beret was crisp despite her constant working, and fashionable corset and long sleeve combo looking styling. "Penny," she added, pointed down toward the ginger's miss matched legs, "your cuffs are off."

"Oh hey, that is a problem," Penny replied with a smile, quickly fixing the imbalance.

"I sense you always let your mother dress you?" Coco questioned, a bit of a diva.

"Nope my dads did."

"Dads?"

"Hey Coco, I got this table," Blake cut in, turning away from her seat and right towards the bar.

"No, you aren't working tonight, now shut your pretty little mouth and enjoy your day off." Coco spun Blake right around, and with an odd amount of grace pseudo-shoved her right into her seat, the young student planting her patootie where she wanted it.

"Coco-"

"If I see you making one more drink I'm going to hand-cuff ya to that damn table, and I promise it will not be that kinky fun. Aye?" Coco commanded with her as usual frighteningly cool tone that danced too well between serious and whimsical. To this Blake could do little more than nod and roll her eyes. "So what are ya having to drink?" The strange girl continued, her red dyed twirl of hair end of hers highlighting her facial features as she looked over everyone, stopping at Weiss, "You're new face. Habla Inglés?"

"Yes, I'm Deutsch, German still in Irish English right?" Weiss answered mechanically, awkwardly sitting down between Blake and Ruby, sandwiched between the polar opposite intentions.

"Trust my boots, not my accent, I'm French, what'll you have?" Coco replied with immediate comfort, unaffected by her patron's lack of approachability. Weiss waved her over, the girl leaning down to hear an order near whispered like some secret mix. "Yea that's an easy mix."

"Thank you, my name is Weiss Schnee by the way." A good approach to being friendly and of course Coco returned a pleasant smile, either unaware or immune to the silly College social politics

"My name is Coco Adel, pleasure. I've heard a lot about you from Ruby. And everyone else?" A rush of orders came at her all at once, a competition of items from Nora alone who seemed to want a different drink every second. Ruby sat in happy silence, swinging her legs undisturbed till Weiss poked at her belly for attention.

"Huh?" she asked, looking back at Weiss whom started at her quizzically.

"You talk about me?" The glare she gave Ruby seemed both accusatory and curious, like she was waiting to know whether to be surprised or offended, making the defendant a little nervous.

"Yeah, sometimes?" Ruby replied with a light chuckle, scratching the back of her head as was her custom.

"What do you say?" Weiss mumbled in a low voice, squinting harshly.

"I don't know, about how you're really smart, music stuff if they will listen, I don't know, stories too of all the fun stuff we do. Like tonight." Ruby felt herself turn a little red, but Weiss' eyes went wide with not unpleasant surprise.

"You're not saying I'm a bitch are you?" Ruby was caught so off guard she snorted a laugh.

"No, never," she let out as soon as she could catch her laugh. Weiss smiled a little, shoulders relaxed and body eased just a little. Ruby thought it was a silly question, but considering the betrayals of the past, it was understandable, so she smiled back unabashedly

"Thank you," Weiss whispered squeezing Ruby's arm, "because if you do I will get revenge so terrible nations would quake." When had threats become funny? Yet it made both of them laugh till Coco tapped her on the shoulder.

"And Ruby, you'll have your usual?" The usual being milk, something normally Ruby drank with pride knowing her bones were strong and liver hearty, but with the crush here, ordering super special drinks. She could not be seen as weak, alcohol had to be consumed, for the bae.

"No!" Ruby muttered, nearly hiccuping, "Uhh, for tonight get me what uhhh, Velvet ordered." She could only hope Velvet had a light taste.

"You're getting a cherry vodka cocktail?" Coco for the first time ever, lowered her sunglasses just a little to stare Ruby right in the eyes. She knows!

"Yes!" Ruby reaffirmed to the surprise of everyone, mostly Coco, who seemed to barely control herself.

"Oh I can't wait to tell Yang," Coco noted, turning with her orders to the bar itself, and everyone fell into animate discussions. Blake snuck away, but in her absence Velvet and Weiss actually started talking, sharing the most basic of hellos, more conversation than they had ever had before. Jaune got involved at the mention of Weiss' childhood growing up in a modern castle called Weissenburg, which was apparently different from Weißenburg, a place of huge white halls and massive garden estates the likes of which Ruby simply could not imagine, though she did note that it was home to a quiet expansive family, and was owned in parts, one whole section turned into a tourist attraction. Yet the the sheer size of it, a five story castle the width of several buildings made Ruby a little nervous of any Schnee sleep over. Her little spanish keep of a house wasn't really going to cut it.

Soon enough Coco returned with the drinks and everyone was talking. Weiss' unapproachableness became the center of attention, even Coco found the time to be especially attentive. She was the new kid in a way and suddenly Ruby was the gatekeeper to all her little eccentricities. The silver girl's collection of stuffed, teddy bear, dogs at home or how Weiss had never driven a car before in her rich little life, adding on to that Ruby happened to slip how one night the two of them might have borrowed one of the golf carts professors used around the university to teach her how to drive, well kind of drive.

"Well I never Ruby! I have you all know, I have never broken the law!" Weiss declared interrupting the tale of exploits and wonder. Whether it was excitement over the hungry eyes of Ruby's captured audience, or the acid tasting cherry mess she had just downed to match with Weiss' consumption glass for glass, but either way she didn't feel quite done with her story!

"So you didn't get scared and force me to drive it back after we got to our first sharp turn?" Ruby dared, pointing her finger at the red colored Weiss.

"Shut up you said you wouldn't ever tell!" Weiss punched Ruby's shoulder but she just laughed it off, enjoying the tantrum too much.

"Oh my god, Glynda will destroy you!" Velvet announced trying so hard to hold in her laughter, but failing miserably.

"No she won't because no one is telling her such awful lies! Got it?!" Weiss was so angry, but all it seemed was cute. Now everyone was laughing and smiling and joking with her around her.

"Alright princess, we'll keep your secret." Even Blake, though few noticed her return till she spoke, seemed to enjoy this. Mom had always told Ruby familiarity might breed contempt, but almost always ended hate, which never made a lot of sense, though she guessed this is what it meant. They were political enemies before, but in this bar they were just some university girls, might even be friends.

"I'm not going to have to bribe you now am I?"

"I'm a better sport than that," Blake replied with a smile, "Plus me and Yang stole a couple once too, but we were piss drunk so that's our excuse."

"Well I might not be, but Ruby's going to be if she keeps up like this," Weiss remarked, switching the topic over to little old Ruby, whom was so innocently nursing her cherry death drink. It tasted so bad and felt weird in her mostly empty stomach.

"What?" Ruby punctuated with a tiny burp.

"How many of those have you had?" Weiss asked intensely.

"How many of yours have you had?" Ruby shot back.

"I'm on my fourth."

"Oh my god, same!" Ruby felt herself laugh, she didn't really know why. Weiss found it less funny, rubbing her temples in frustration. With a shake of the head, and a lean forward, Weiss moved in for a whisper.

"Ruby, you idiot, I'm ordering watered down drinks just to be social. Neither of us drink." That was the loudest whisper Ruby had ever heard. On the plus side, she definitely wasn't out drunk by Weiss. On the less plus side she was perhaps drunk. She didn't feel that drunk, more like everything she did or said ran on a delay. Or maybe thats what being drunk was. If so Ruby felt horribly disappointed.

"Hey Weiss, I got you something!" Coco's voice turned all heads, including the two of theirs, she was coming out of the stream of people, which had gotten a touch thinner. She carried a small acoustic guitar. "I hear you're some sort of music genius, I wanna hear you play. I barely touch the thing any more."

"No," Weiss said flatly, but Coco was undeterred.

"You know you want to."

"No one would hear it."

"Hey," Coco shouted behind her, "Shut up!" The pub at large didn't shut down, but did get a touch quieter, their sectioned off part even more quiet.

Wasn't long before a short chant of "Do it!" that may or may not have been started by Ruby, she would not confess if anyone asked her. This worked, and Weiss relented, taking up the instrument handed to her, much like the others she stock piled in her room, though she seemed to awkwardly feel the instrument for it's eccentricities that Ruby could not see. "So I suppose I should play something Irish? Since it's like a pub," she strummed once and winced, "How out of tune did you let it get?!"

"Like I said, I don't play it much." Weiss ignored Coco, focusing on the knobs at the top, turning them and strumming to find her notes, slowly turning the guitar to its finely tuned original state, whatever that was. Then she played. Not much at first, a few strums, solitary notes that meant nothing in particular order.

"Of all the money, that e'r I had, I spent it all in good company...and all the harm that e'r I done, Alas it was to none, but me...and all I've done, for want of wit, to memory now, I can't recall...so fill to me, the parting glass...good night and joy be with you all"

There was a softness to her voice, an impressively replicated accent, each couplet rhyme had its own tugs on the guitar, but only to back up the vocals. Ruby could listen to her sing for days, it was entrancing, and as the music filled her, the redhead felt sleepy, alcohol running in her blood helping that along she was sure. Weiss added a tap to her foot after a short break in lines, and with the beat followed the second half of her song.

"Of all the comrades that e'r I had they're sorry for my going away...and all the loves e'r I've loved, they all wish me one more day to stay...But since it falls, onto my lot, that should rise, and you should...not, I'll gently rise and softly call, good night and joy be with you all." It was a short little song, one that better illustrated her voice than the accompanying guitar. Finishing she received a modest applause from their section of the pub, though talking resumed elsewhere. She played another song after, but Ruby could feel herself slip, it was harder to think, and she was more tired now than ever.

Perhaps it was a song later, or two, but eventually it stopped, and Ruby's eyes remained closed and somehow pressed against Weiss' shoulder. There was laughing and talking, the social barrier had finally been shattered completely. Yet despite the noise, the only thing that stirred her was the singer's voice.

"Ruby you're sleeping on me."

"I know it's nice."

"You're drunk."

"Sorry."

"It's okay." There was a pause, least Ruby thought there was, "I had fun. We should do this more."

"Yeah, I really want more days like this, the two of us. I like being together." Fear hadn't come to mind, it would later.

"Maybe we can set a day." That would be nice. Almost a date, a real one though. She was afraid to ask, but this was closer. She wanted that.

"Yeah."

"Hold on, I need to use the restroom." Hands lifted Ruby's head and she found it pressed against another's shoulder. It was warm

"Hi friend." Penny or is it still Weiss?

"Hi friend."

"You okay? Too much to drink?"

"Nope, just sleepy." That was a lie.

"I wanted to ask you something, privately, but it was hard to get you away from Weiss. You awake enough to listen?"

"Yeah." Wait where was Weiss?

"Ruby, I like you."

"I like you too." Everyone was great.

"You do!" Why wouldn't I? "I mean, I just I thought maybe you were, well with Weiss. Nevermind, I don't mean to rush you, but would you like to go on a date?"

"Yeah." She would very much like a date with Weiss.

****Hello everyone! Sorry for the lateness, medical issues still are on the forefront of my plate right now I hope you understand and editing issues! This is likely the second chapter I've most thought about and at over 7k words which I know is stupid big and I'm sorry, I think it shows. This is based heavily, though not exactly, on my time in Alicante during La Falles, which is one of my favorite things I've ever done by a mile. Highly recommend the festival to any tourist looking for something unique. Note the main La Falles is in Valencia, but I personally was in Alicante.

On a side note I love that Weiss and and Blake wear actual peoples clothes in their Alternate outfits. Literally two hours and a skype call were had designing everyone's outfits. Thank you Snow-White-and-little-red for the help and also for editing assistance thanks to Arkapella and TCR. LazyKatze is on hiatus for another week so editors are always needed. Also I have a new tumblr booking-and-blogging where I will post updates answer all questions and screw around. Still learning how the system works so things are a little weird.

On the last note I want to say my song of choice is in memory of Monty Oum, the original song much more heavily involved guitar, but in this case I felt it important to choose a song about parting as a last goodbye. Also goodbye to fellow writer Yellowsign. They favorited choice when it was just starting, now they won't get to see it end. That hit me. Rest in peace, both of them. Goodnight everyone.