Diva - Chapter 11

Ruby could not stop fidgeting as she snuck another glance at Weiss, who had hardly moved let alone said anything since they left the studio in her chauffeured town car.  She just sat there, posture perfect, hands clasped in her lap, brow furrowed, and a slight scowl on her lips.  It was impossible to tell what was bothering her - was it Ruby’s presence, what happened with Cardin, or both?  

Thinking about Cardin, Ruby looked out the window and blew a long, quiet breath through her lips.  Her heart had finally stopped racing, but the lingering adrenaline made her hands shake and her knee refuse to stay still.  The constant motion was probably causing Weiss’ agitation, but Ruby had no quick means to stop it.  She didn’t want to think about what might have happened if Weiss hadn’t shown up but, absent any meaningful distraction, struggled to think about anything else.

When the car stopped at another intersection, she watched the cross traffic pass by.  Darkness had officially fallen, bringing out illuminated signs, streetlights, and headlights alike.  The glow was muted by the deeply tinted windows, but it offered some sense of liveliness to negate the stifling silence.

The stoplight turned green and the vehicle resumed moving.  She had no idea where they were going, but she hadn’t mustered the nerve to ask.  Weiss asked if she was hungry, so they must be heading to a restaurant.

“Do you always move so much?” Weiss suddenly asked. 

Ruby froze at the question but then offered an apologetic smile and, “No, not usually…”  She expected Weiss to scold her anyway, or tell her to cut it out.  But Weiss did none of those things.  Instead, her blue eyes took in Ruby’s apologetic smile and her frown deepened.

“Is it uncomfortable?” she asked, motioning to the car, but Ruby quickly shook her head.

“Not at all!  Super comfortable, actually.”  Ruby patted the leather seat and flashed a smile that did nothing to lessen Weiss’ intent gaze.  “No limo today?”

“I prefer not to draw attention to myself.”

“Ah.”  Ruby nodded before a frown slipped onto her lips.  “But a limo drops you off and picks you up every day,” she pointed out.

“Yes, but that feels…mandatory.”

Ruby mouthed the word to herself but left the question unspoken.  Weiss didn’t elaborate either.  She turned her blue gaze back to the window, so Ruby did the same.  She also clamped a hand down on her knee and glanced Weiss’ way whenever it tried to jitter.  Fortunately, Weiss seemed preoccupied by other things.

Ruby wouldn't dare ask what Weiss was ruminating on so sullenly, so she sat silently and wondered what the heck she had gotten herself into.  She should have just gone home and burrowed under the covers for the rest of the night.  Instead, she sat on pins and needles wondering what Weiss was thinking and if Weiss might chew her out for moving too much.

That regret hardly registered in her thoughts before the car came to a complete stop.  She quickly sat up and looked around to figure out where they were.  Meanwhile, Weiss pulled her long white hair up underneath a hat, donned a pair of sunglasses even though the sun had set, and slipped out of the car as soon as the chauffeur opened the door.

Caught between staying in the car alone or following, Ruby scrambled across the backseat and followed.  She gave the chauffeur an awkward thumbs-up before hurrying after Weiss, who was already approaching the entrance to a small, relatively nondescript diner.  She caught up just in time to open the door for Weiss, who walked through, glanced at the sign instructing them to seat themselves and made a beeline to a booth in the back of the restaurant.  She took the side with her back to the door, so Ruby sat across from her.  

Only then did Ruby notice that the chauffeur had followed them as well - he sat in the booth behind Weiss, facing the door.  Unperturbed by his presence, Weiss removed her sunglasses, carefully folded them, and set them beside the salt and pepper shaker near the window.  Her hat remained though, hiding her gorgeous white hair from view.

“I hope this is satisfactory,” she finally said, so Ruby looked around the retro-inspired diner with wide eyes.  

“Uh…”  Ruby’s eyes dashed from the red barstools lined up in front of the silver-edged countertop to the old-school jukebox sitting beside the front door to the old-fashioned white uniform worn by the solitary waitress.  “Why here?” she eventually asked.

“Because you said you love breakfast.”

“You remembered that?”

Weiss made a soft noise but glanced to the side as the waitress set a thick plastic menu in front of her.  “Good evening, ladies,” she said while placing a second menu in front of Ruby.  “I’ll bring you some waters,” she added before leaving without another word.

When Weiss used the very tip of her thumb and index finger to lift the cover of the menu, holding it as if it were a dirty napkin, Ruby suppressed a laugh.

“Have you ever been here before?” she asked while flipping her menu open.

“I haven’t.”  Weiss let the menu fall flat and then frowned at the options cluttering the pages.  “They have an extensive menu…”

“That’s the best part about diners.  You can order just about anything you want.”  The perk didn’t seem to resonate with Weiss, but Ruby watched her for several seconds before sitting up straighter and adding, “I have an idea.  Why don’t you order for me and I’ll order for you?”

While Ruby smiled at the suggestion, Weiss looked up and frowned.

“Why would we do that when we’re both here?”

“Because it - nevermind.  It was just supposed to be fun.”

Ruby waved away the dumb idea and stared down at the menu.  Weiss, however, frowned at her for some time before saying, “Fine.”  When Ruby looked up, certain that she had heard wrong, Weiss flashed a smile and added, “Surprise me.”

Heart warming at the nicest iteration of that phrase she’d ever heard, she scanned the menu with Weiss in mind.  She glanced up and bit back a smile when Weiss flipped the second page with just as much reluctance as the first.  Based on her pinched brow and the way her light blue eyes scanned every word, she took her responsibility seriously.  And Ruby couldn't help but feel a bit of anticipation when their waitress returned with two glasses of water.

“Ready to order?” she asked after setting the glasses in front of them.  Ruby glanced at Weiss, who motioned for her to go first, so she gestured with her menu to Weiss.

“She’ll have the yogurt parfait with seasonal berries and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.” 

Their waitress wrote down the order before turning to Weiss, who ducked her head so that her hat further concealed her face.  “And she’ll have the chocolate chip pancakes with extra whipped cream and a glass of chocolate milk.”

None the wiser, the waitress jotted down the order and left after a cordial, “Those will be out soon.”

“Milk?” Ruby asked as soon as the woman was out of earshot.  

“It matches your…youthful energy.”

“Are you calling me a child?”  Weiss shook her head and opened her mouth, but Ruby chuckled.  “Chocolate chip pancakes and chocolate milk is literally the best combination ever.  Great choice.”

Weiss relaxed at the compliment.  She even almost smiled.  Or it looked like she considered smiling but ultimately decided not to.  Instead, she folded her hands on the table in front of her, drawing Ruby’s gaze to the perfect manicure and perfect, slender fingers.  

Coco’s words returned to her mind at the precise moment their waitress swooped past their table with two more glasses - one filled with milk and the other with orange juice.  “Your food will be ready soon,” she said before disappearing to help the only other customer in the diner: an older gentleman who was reading the newspaper and mostly ignoring the plate in front of him.

“They rely on hyperbole…” Weiss muttered while lifting the orange juice to her nose and sniffing.  It must not have passed her rigorous standards because she returned it to the table without taking a sip.  Ruby, meanwhile, tried her glass of chocolate milk and found it to be more than satisfactory.  Milk was milk, after all - pretty much standardized in the taste department.  As soon as she set her glass down, however, silence descended over the table.

Ruby cleared her throat and opened her mouth to say something, but her typical stream of consciousness dried up before any words appeared.  She shut her mouth and looked around the diner instead.  This was the longest they had ever spent together without Weiss storming off or making Ruby get something for her.  They had never even had a real conversation before, let alone shared a meal.  Was this only some act of pity after what happened with Cardin?  

But ‘pity’ couldn't possibly be an emotion that Weiss possessed.

From a million miles away, someone might believe that they were just two friends grabbing a late-night meal.  Simply glancing at Weiss disintegrated that mirage.  The hat might have kept their waitress in the dark, but Ruby had a front-row view of Weiss’ enchanting blue eyes and mesmerizing beauty.  

Ruby might be at ease someplace like this, but Weiss might as well be a fish out of water.  She kept her posture straight and rigid even though the worn-in booths practically forced them to slump.  Her gaze remained trained on the window beside them, watching infrequent cars pass, while one index finger lightly tapped the back of her other hand.  She looked as uncomfortable as Ruby felt but made no attempt to break the silence, leaving Ruby scrambling for something to say.  Fortunately, a glimmer of hope appeared when their waitress delivered a cup of coffee to Weiss’ chauffeur.

“Does he follow you everywhere?” Ruby asked, subtly nodding to the man when Weiss finally looked at her.

“Typically, yes.  For security purposes.”

“Right.  That makes sense.”  Ruby nodded but, feeling the silence creeping back in, kept talking.  “Does he get to eat?  Or is he like, ‘on the job?’”

That blue gaze studied her for what felt like ages.  Then the most miraculous thing happened: Weiss’ mouth twitched with a smile.  “Of course he gets to eat,” she said before turning in her seat.  “What did you order, James?”

“I ordered an omelet, Miss.”

“That sounds decent,” Weiss replied before turning back to Ruby with a subtly vindicated gaze.

“I’m glad you let him eat,” Ruby muttered before fiddling with the silverware lying on a paper napkin in front of her.  She had a lot of questions about who James was and what he did, but it didn’t feel like her place to ask.  She had probably already asked too much.

The wall of silence rolled toward them again, but this time Weiss lightly cleared her throat and shifted in her seat.

“So, you’re trying to move out of your sister’s place?”

Ruby tried not to let her surprise show, but she was still floored that Weiss listened to anything she said let alone remembered it.

“Yeah,” she answered instead.  “She just got engaged, so I want them to have their own space.  Plus, it’s haunted.”

“Haunted?” Weiss asked while Ruby grimaced at letting that part slip.  Weiss instantly picked up on the reaction and a knowing smile slipped onto her lips.  “Oh.  ‘Haunted.’”

She put the word in the most delicate air quotes Ruby had ever seen, which Ruby tried not to stare at before nodding.

“Uh, right, plus it’ll be nice to have a place of my own.  Probably past time but, you know - life.”

“I do know life,” Weiss mused.  She tapped her fingers on the table before adding, “It’s an admirable goal…doing that for your sister.”

Wondering if she just hallucinated that last part, Ruby stared at Weiss for a solid three seconds before rushing out, “Thank you.”  

Weiss merely nodded and finally took a sip of her orange juice.  It might have only been Ruby’s imagination that Weiss resisted the urge to cringe, but the reaction fit Weiss’ persona so perfectly that Ruby smiled.  

“Bad?” she asked while Weiss calmly yet hastily returned the glass to the table.

“I wouldn't describe it as ‘good,’ but I’ll survive.  Most likely.”

The added-on comment fit so smoothly into the response that Ruby nearly wrote it off.  Then she noticed something - the slightest, most subtle sense of expectation in Weiss’ eyes - and laughed.

“Can you imagine?” she asked while a smile flitted across Weiss’ lips.  “I’d have to tell everyone that a glass of orange juice did you in.”

“I’m sure they’d be disappointed it wasn’t a semi-truck or pit of lava.”

“Both incredible ways to go,” Ruby conceded.  “What would happen to the movie though?  Would it be canceled?”

“They would replace me and start over or change the ending and aggressively market it as my last film.”  Weiss’ brow furrowed slightly as she glanced out the window and quietly added, “Pyrrha’s the only one who would care.”

Ruby frowned at the matter-of-fact remark but, before she pointed out how many adoring fans Weiss had around the globe, their waitress returned with two plates in hand.  “Alright, ladies,” she said while setting the first - a larger plate holding three enormous pancakes fully covered by whipped cream - in front of Ruby.  “The chocolate chip pancakes - extra whip - and a parfait.”

The second, smaller plate held a spoon and a parfait glass filled with white, creamy yogurt and a mountain of berries piled on top.  As soon as that was in front of Weiss, their waitress clasped her hands together and said, “Enjoy,” before leaving them be.

Weiss inspected her food with a hypercritical gaze, slowly turning the plate so that she could see the glass from all sides.  Ruby, on the other hand, grabbed a fork and knife and started cutting up her pancakes.

“How’d you and Pyrrha become friends?” she asked while doing so, hoping to lead them away from the prior conversation but also curious to learn more about the one good relationship Weiss seemed to have.

“We were seated next to each other at a charity dinner.”  While Ruby shoved several pieces of pancake into her mouth, Weiss picked up her spoon and tapped one of the raspberries on top of the parfait.  “I thought it was an act at first,” she admitted.  “But no, she’s just an incredibly sweet person.”

“How could anyone pretend to be that nice?” Ruby asked between bites, but Weiss leveled her with a firm, slightly sad gaze.

“In this industry, the best acting happens off screen.”  Ruby’s brow rose, but Weiss eventually sighed and poked a blueberry off of the mountain of fruit.  “Besides,” she added while pushing it around the plate with her spoon.  “Who’s genuinely that kind?  She’s practically asking to be taken advantage of.”

“Does she?  Get taken advantage of?”

“All the time.”  

Weiss scowled while Ruby frowned at the thought of anyone using Pyrrha’s inherent niceness for personal gain.  If Ruby and Pyrrha were closer friends, she might feel as strongly about it as Weiss obviously did.  Weiss, meanwhile, eventually shook her head.  

“You know what she says though?  ‘I have more than enough to give.’  Tell me that’s not the most typical Pyrrha response you’ve ever heard.”

“That sounds exactly like something she’d say.”

Weiss hummed at the agreement and finally tried a small spoonful of yogurt.  She didn’t immediately spit it out or make a face, so it must have tasted decent.  Or she was too distracted remembering her early friendship with Pyrrha to pay attention to the subpar meal.

“We exchanged numbers before leaving,” she eventually added.  “I never expected to hear from her again, but she invited me to lunch a few days later.  And we just…kept in touch from then on.”

“Then decided to do a movie together?” Ruby asked, but Weiss shook her head.

“When they cast me, I asked who they had in mind for Grace.  They had a decent list, but I said I knew the perfect person, and it all came together from there.”

“That’s really cool.  You got her a job.”

“And I’ve had plenty of people removed from jobs, so I don’t think that’s something worth celebrating.”

“...oh.”  

Ruby had no idea how else to respond to that clipped statement, so she stared at her plate for several moments before spearing another piece of pancake and stuffing it in her mouth.  After pushing the berries around her parfait for a few more moments, Weiss shifted in her seat and cleared her throat.

“Why didn’t you leave?”

“What?” Ruby asked, finally looking up.

“Why didn’t you leave?” Weiss repeated, vaguely gesturing with one hand.  It wasn’t an annoyed gesture though, nor was her tone angry or frustrated.  “You could have ditched me for Cardin,” she explained with almost casual acceptance.  “Everyone expected you to, so why didn’t you?  You don’t even like me.”

“That’s not true.”  Ruby shook her head but scrunched up her nose when Weiss’ brow furrowed.  “It’s not that I don’t like you,” she elaborated.  “I don’t know you, so I can’t really say if I like you or not.  I just…wanted to give you a fair chance, I guess.”

Pyrrha’s request played a big role in that decision, but she left that out, along with her desire to ‘win’ whatever game they were playing.

“And I’m glad I stayed,” she added.  “Because obviously Cardin is…”

“The scum of the earth.”

“Exactly.”  She frowned at her hands remembering that unfortunate lesson.  “I guess things aren’t always how they seem.”

“Especially people.”

“Especially people,” she agreed with a sigh.  

Another silence followed the admission, this one less uncomfortable than the first.  It felt…resolved, somehow, as if they had cleared the air on something Ruby never expected Weiss to care about.  Why would Weiss care when she treated everything as either too frustrating to tolerate or not even worth acknowledging?  Yet she sat here…engaging in conversation without boiling Ruby alive in her intense gaze or scowling to the depths of the planet.  And the more time that passed without Weiss snapping about something - the ‘freshly’ squeezed orange juice had presented the perfect opportunity - the more Ruby wanted to engage.

“Did I choose wrong?” she eventually asked.  When Weiss looked up, Ruby nodded to the parfait.  “Do you not like it?”

“Oh, it’s…”  Weiss gave the glass a thorough look before saying, “It’s alright.  I’m just not hungry.”

“Is it the incredible ambiance?”  

When Ruby gestured around the diner, Weiss wrinkled her nose and nodded.

“It feels a bit like eating in a bathroom.”  When Ruby laughed at the unexpectedly funny remark, Weiss’ lips twitched with a smile.  “Obviously, I chose correctly,” she added, nodding to Ruby’s nearly empty plate.

“Me and pancakes mix super well,” Ruby agreed.

“What other breakfast foods do you like?” Weiss asked, setting her spoon down and leveling Ruby with an intent blue gaze.

“Oh, you know, the usuals.  Waffles, french toast, donuts, scones, cinnamon rolls…”

“Are cinnamon rolls considered breakfast?”

“They are if you eat them in the morning,” Ruby said before chuckling at Weiss’ raised brow.  Weiss quickly relaxed into a small, relaxed smile that somehow made her even more beautiful.

“So, basically, you like anything covered in sugar or that you can drown in more sugar?” 

That little smile grew when Ruby grinned and nodded.

“Well,” Weiss added with a subtle flip of her hair.  “That’s remarkably simple.”

“I’m a simple person with simple needs.”  

“I’ll agree with half of that,” Weiss replied so fluidly that another laugh slipped through Ruby’s lips.

Ruby wanted to know which half Weiss agreed with but decided not to ask - it was funnier that way.  She speared another piece of pancake instead and, after smothering it with as much whipped cream as possible, beamed while popping it into her mouth.  The way Weiss’ eyes tracked the action and the amused scoff that followed had Ruby giggling again in no time.

That unexpected cheerfulness faded when she glanced away from Weiss’ powerful blue eyes and noticed tiny raindrops dusting the diner’s window.

“Oh, it’s sprinkling,” she remarked before sending Weiss an uncertain look.  “Will you be ok?”

“It doesn’t look bad.  It’ll probably stop soon.”

Ruby recognized the non-answer but said, “Ok…good,” and kept eating.  Weiss, on the other hand, ignored her food and frowned at the droplets collecting on the window.  She looked sullen, pensive, yet gorgeous.  Ruby tried her best not to stare, and she knew better than to interrupt, but her attention flitted across the table several times searching for differences between this Weiss and the Weiss she knew from work.

Eventually, Weiss sighed and turned away from the window.

“My grandfather died in a car accident.”  The admission immediately drew Ruby’s gaze, but Weiss frowned at the table, lightly spinning the parfait glass in her hands.  “It was raining; the other driver couldn’t stop in time.  That’s why I don’t like rain.”

Ruby’s mouth fell open and she stared for a second too long before jolting out of her shock and saying, “I’m sorry, that sounds awful…”

She couldn't tell if her response made any difference since Weiss didn’t look up from her uneaten meal.  The ensuing silence left Ruby scrambling for another topic to lighten the mood, but Weiss spoke up first.

“He was the only one who ever seemed to…‘get’ me,” she mused before sadly shaking her head.  “Life changed once he was gone.”

“How did it change?”

Ruby leaned forward, prepared to listen, but Weiss sighed before letting her gaze drift back to Ruby’s eyes.

“My father took over my life.  He decided I should be an actress, and no one was there to stop him.”

“That’s…sad.”

Of course, Weiss simply shrugged.

“The worst part was the parties.  Being forced to sing or perform for his ‘business partners.’”  Weiss spit the term toward the corner of the table rather than make eye contact.  Eventually, she shook her head.  “He bought parts for me - wrote checks left and right.  That’s the only reason I became successful.  Money really can buy anything.”

“That’s not why you’re successful.”

While Weiss scoffed at the forceful remark, Ruby waved her hands in front of her.

“Ok, maybe it played a small role, but that’s not it.  You’re successful because you work hard, you’re extremely talented, and really pr-”  

Ruby froze with the word on the tip of her tongue.  When Weiss didn’t react to it, she cleared her throat and added, “Maybe he got things rolling, but you’re the only one who could make yourself successful.  You could’ve easily wasted his money by not trying.”

“It’s a miracle I didn’t do that,” Weiss replied before shaking her head.  “The number of times I nearly quit…” 

“Why didn’t you?” Ruby asked, but Weiss responded with a genuinely baffled expression.

“…what else would I do?”

“What do you like doing?  You know, when you’re not communing with the devil.”

Ruby cringed as soon as the joke slipped out and immediately opened her mouth to apologize, but Weiss just hummed and said, “That reminds me - I need to check in with him…”  

The deadpan response came out so smoothly that Ruby’s eyes briefly widened.  Spotting an almost indistinguishable smile tugging at Weiss’ lips though, she laughed.

“Stand-up comedian?” she suggested.

“God, no.”

“Some of them just insult the audience, you know.”  When Weiss paused in the midst of shaking her head and tilted it to one side instead, Ruby laughed again and said, “You’d be really good at it.”

“You know, I think I would be…” Weiss mused.  She finally smiled when Ruby dissolved into laughter, but eventually Ruby waved her hands in front of her.

“Ok, but if you could do anything in the world, what would it be?  I’d be a wise-cracking adventurer who runs an amusement park-zoo.”

“How would that even work?” Weiss asked, her brow furrowed at the thought.

“I’d go on adventures then tell great jokes to visitors at my amusement park-zoo, where they can look at tigers while waiting in line for a roller coaster.”

“That’s…so dumb it might actually be clever,” Weiss replied, softly shaking her head.  “An amusement park though…I haven’t been to one of those in years.”

“Well, don’t go now.  Wait for me to open mine.”

This time, Weiss fully laughed - the sound so light and cheerful that Ruby’s heart nearly fluttered right out of her chest.

“Fine,” Weiss added, trying and failing to suppress a smile.  “I’ll wait.”

Even after Weiss’ smile faded, her blue eyes sparkled as if lit by lanterns of joy within.  Ruby stared at the incredible transformation for too long - long enough that Weiss arched one brow - before finding renewed interest in her plate.  She only looked up after several seconds had passed, and only then because Weiss softly cleared her throat.

“Do you want something else?”

When Weiss nodded to Ruby’s empty plate, Ruby glanced at it before shaking her head and waving her hands.  “No way.  I’m so full.”

“Good.”

Weiss nodded once before glancing around the diner, which seemingly hadn’t changed since they arrived.  The old man still read his paper, the waitress chatted with the cook in the kitchen - even the same soft music seemed to be playing.

“I suppose I should get you home,” Weiss eventually said, but Ruby shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it.  I’ll just catch a cab.”

“Why would you do that when you have a ride right there?”

Weiss motioned to the black town car parked outside and left Ruby sputtering for a good explanation.  Fortunately for her, their waitress decided to end her conversation and swoop over to wrap up their meal.

“How was everything?” she asked while picking up Ruby’s plate.

“Great!  Thank you.”

The woman hummed at Ruby’s response before turning to Weiss, who again ducked her gaze.  “Want anything else?”

“Just the check, please.”

Leaving Weiss’ food for now, as if she might decide to eat it in the next few moments, their waitress set the bill on the table and checked on James next.  Ruby lunged for the check as soon as their waitress turned around but ended up slamming her knee into the metal rod beneath the table and yelping while Weiss calmly pulled the slip of paper out of reach.

“That was embarrassing,” Weiss teased before squinting at the check.  “Remind me…am I supposed to multiply these numbers by something?”

“Nope.  It’s really that cheap.”  Ruby rubbed her knee before adding, “Oh!  Except the tip line.  You multiply that by a hundred.”

“Clever,” Weiss remarked before opening her bag and glancing over her shoulder.  “James,” she said while motioning for something.  The tall, stoic man met Ruby’s gaze before obediently handing over his check as well.  “Thank you,” Weiss said before pulling several bills from her purse and dropping them, along with the checks, on the table.

As soon as Ruby saw the number of bills, and their large denominations, her eyes widened.

“Uh, I was joking about the tip thing.”

“I’m aware.” 

Weiss flashed a smile before slipping out of the booth, leaving Ruby to glance at the pile of money before scrambling after her.

“I can get a cab, really.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“I don’t want to take more of your time -”

“I’m sure it’s on the way,” Weiss replied, waving off the concern.

“I’m sure it’s not,” Ruby insisted before rushing forward to open the door.  The action amused Weiss in some way, as she subtly smiled while walking outside.  She glanced up at the sky, which had thankfully dried up, before heading to the car.  

“Just let James know the address.  He’ll take us there.”

Weiss motioned to the man, whose long strides beat both of them back to the vehicle.  There, he opened the back door and bowed Weiss inside.  Ruby, however, stopped on the sidewalk and blew a disgruntled breath through her lips.  

“Where to, Miss?” James asked.

“Sunshine Apartments.  Near the mall?”  He nodded at the destination then kindly motioned Ruby into the car.  Before obliging, however, she leaned closer, lowered her voice, and asked, “It’s not on the way, is it?”

A hint of a smile picked up his lips as he lowered his voice to match and said, “It’s usually best to just go along.”

Having repeatedly learned that lesson over the past weeks, Ruby nodded, and eventually smiled, before slipping into the vehicle.  The door closed as she settled into the expensive leather, then James returned to the driver’s seat, and, before long, the diner fell behind them.

Unlike the drive from the studio, the aura in the cabin remained neutral, bordering on relaxed.  Weiss leaned an elbow against the window, her chin on her hand, and watched the buildings and street lights as they passed.  Ruby snuck several glances that way, wondering if she should say something, but ultimately let the peaceful silence endure.  Part of her craved more conversation, but the smarter part of her wouldn't push her luck.

Instead, she stared out the window, full of delicious pancakes and burning questions while the streets grew familiar.  A vague sense of anticipation rose when she spotted her building, and she sat up straighter as the car slid to a stop in front of the entrance.  

“Here it is,” she said while Weiss studied the building through the window.  The driver’s side door opened and closed as James got out, but Weiss just glanced at him walking around the vehicle before looking at Ruby.

“I’ll stay here if you don’t mind.  You never know where the paparazzi might be.”

“Ah, yeah.  Getting caught somewhere like this would probably cause an uproar.”  

Despite Ruby chuckling at the thought, Weiss frowned and slightly shook her head as James opened the back door.  Weiss said nothing though, which Ruby interpreted as a ‘yes, but I don’t want to explicitly say that your neighborhood is average.’

“Thanks for dinner,” Ruby added before her heart fell remembering the reason why they were at dinner.  “And for, uh, helping with Cardin…” she mumbled.

Scowling at the reminder, Weiss muttered, “He’s lucky he can walk right now…” before her expression grew concerned.  Caring, almost.  “Will you be alright?” she asked, her blue eyes flitting to the apartment windows when Ruby moved toward the door.  

Unsure if Weiss meant ‘alright’ as in ‘alright in such a normal place without gates and private security’ or ‘alright’ as in ‘alright with what happened,’ Ruby smiled and shrugged.  

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.  My sister should be home.”

“Oh, good.”

Ruby waited for Weiss to say anything more but, when no words followed, slid toward the door.  Her foot caught on something in the process, dislodging it from its spot wedged between the seats.  “Sorry.”  She instinctively picked up the booklet and immediately recognized it.  “Oh, your lines,” she said, handing them to Weiss.

“Ah, that’s what I put them.”  Weiss accepted the well-worn pages before setting them in her lap.  “Have a good night.”

“Yeah, you, too.”  

After flashing a smile, Ruby got out of the car.  James shut the door and uttered a soft, “Have a good night, Miss,” before returning to the driver’s seat.  Ruby, meanwhile, turned around rather than head inside.  She couldn't see through the tinted windows, but she still waved as the car pulled away.  The sleek, expensive vehicle looked out of place in such a working-class neighborhood, but eventually it turned the corner and disappeared, returning to whatever wealthy enclave Weiss called home.

Only then did Ruby hurry inside, her feet carrying her upstairs while her thoughts lingered on the person in that fancy black car.  Running on autopilot, she let herself into the apartment and hardly noticed Yang and Blake cuddled on the sofa watching a movie.

“You’re back late,” Yang commented while Blake paused the movie.  “Was the wicked witch at it again?”

“Actually…no.  She was kind of…the good part about today?”  Yang’s brow rose, but Ruby searched through her conflicted feelings and eventually shook her head.   “Yeah, I don’t know.  Weird, right?”

“Must be a full moon or something,” Yang joked before pointing at the television.  “Want to watch this super cheesy rom-com with us?  Blake’s choice, of course.”

Blake poked Yang’s side and shushed her, only succeeding in making her laugh, but Ruby shook her head.  

“Thanks, but I’m just going to go listen to some music or something.”  Ruby pointed to her room before adding, “Have a good night though.”

“Good night, Ruby,” Blake said while Yang called out, “‘Night!” and waved after her.

The movie resumed as Ruby left the living room.  She hardly glanced into her art studio - an unfinished painting still on the easel - before going into her room and closing the door.  After grabbing her headphones, she flopped onto her bed and stared at the ceiling while ruminating over everything that had happened today.  

Her fists clenched when she thought about Cardin, who had made her feel helpless, foolish, and upset all at once.  Her pulse crept higher as she remembered his hands on the wall on either side of her, penning her in as his motivations became clear.  Yet somehow, miraculously, that moment had stopped in its tracks because of the last person she would have expected to come to her aid.

Her heart fluttered thinking about the version of Weiss that she met today.  That was a different Weiss.  A twin sister, perhaps.  Maybe a clone.  Or a robot with extremely advanced artificial intelligence and adept emotional mimicry.

Whoever it was, and whatever the reason for her appearance - whether it was the circumstances or just being away from the studio - she made Ruby’s horrible night remarkably better.  She provided a pleasant distraction, a delicious meal, and enjoyable conversation.  She asked questions, answered questions, and was all-around wonderful company.  And she had a surprisingly great sense of humor.

Ruby wasn’t dumb enough to believe that things had magically changed, but tonight was proof that a kind human hid inside that tough, demanding exterior.  And that kind, funny, complicated person had left Ruby with more questions than she could possibly ask - about Weiss’ life, family, what she would do if she wasn’t acting, and everything in between.

The biggest, loudest question Ruby’s mind kept returning to: would that person ever appear again or was tonight a one-time only affair? 

One thing was for certain…she was just as curious as she was anxious about returning to work again.