Chapter Text
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November:
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The international terminal of JFK Airport was packed to a point that everyone bustling their way through were squeezing and sucking in their lungs just to turn certain corners and head through certain archways, but despite the discomfort and frustration it caused there was a permanent air of excitement from those arriving in the ‘greatest city in the world’ and the gem of the most powerful nation on the planet. Tourists and casual visitors bounced and laughed as they headed through, looking forward to catching one of the numerous coaches or taxis into the city itself to get that first magical look at a city known all around the world for its magnetism.
But for repeat visitors, the terminal was a known and familiar nuisance, so Ruby Rose scrunched up her face in annoyance as she was forced to squeeze past a family who decided that standing right in the middle of the walkway to have a conversation was a fantastic idea. Meanwhile, only a few paces behind her, it was as if the crowd parted like an ocean as Pyrrha followed, all blinding smiles and grace that had her not even having to slow her stride.
Finally escaping into breathing room of the main complex, Ruby sucked in a full lungful and stretched to crack her back and legs for the first time after the long flight from Abu Dhabi, pulling her arms across herself with a satisfied sigh at the pops as Pyrrha reached her side, her tall and glamorous business partner and best friend not showing a single sign of discomfort or tension despite the travel.
It was enough for Ruby to shoot her a playfully annoyed glare, getting a grin in response as Pyrrha dared poke Ruby in the shoulder before continuing on.
“Come on, let’s get our baggage and get out of here. I’m starving.”
“You could have eaten on the plane.” Falling in step beside her, Ruby finally took advantage of the parting of the ocean of people, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans. Pyrrha scoffed, but there was no malice in it.
“The first time, I gave it a shot ‘for the experience’ . The second time, I believed you when you said that it was normally better. The third time, it was entirely my fault. There’s a reason I haven’t tried it again in the years since, and never will.”
Ruby waved her off dismissively with a small grin, fondly remembering Pyrrha curled up on their hotel floor grumbling after the second time they’d flown together. “You’ve just got a weak stomach.”
“I have a refined palette. ”
“Yeah yeah. Success has ruined you. You used to be able to eat grease-soaked pizzas at three in the morning.”
“Pizzas are a food, Ruby.” Shrugging with a small smirk, Pyrrha looked at Ruby with a raised eyebrow. “Which are what airlines do not serve.”
Laughing for a moment, it was cut off when Ruby caught sight of luggage collection and groaned at the ordeal ahead, burying her face in her hands for a moment so she could get away with swearing without any nearby children or elderly hearing it. Meanwhile Pyrrha simply tucked her bright red hair behind her ear, straightened her shoulders, and led the way.
The wait was excruciating, and it was a universal experience shared by every airport all around the world, no matter where the two travelled and no matter the time of year. But late November in New York? It was a miracle the two of them were even able to breathe.
Ruby was grateful that Pyrrha was as tall as she was, and as charismatic, the glamorous woman giving a stunning smile to a family of four so she could shuffle through and scoop up Ruby’s black and red suitcase and pass it back for her, before grabbing her own dark red and gold one a few moments later and stepping back.
“Right.” Ruby checked her watch as she led the way through the rest of the massive complex, passing by checkpoints without even needing to engage her brain after having done it all so many times. “We’re right on time, so we’ll have time to shower before dinner.”
“Thank god, I’m not going to dinner smelling of air travel.” Pausing by the doors leading out into the cold late November air, Pyrrha guided them to the side so she could unzip her case and grab out the thick jacket she always brought when they were going into the cold.
Ruby did the same, grateful that Pyrrha had remembered since she had forgotten and had been about to expose her slightly tanned Australian skin to US winter air. Throwing on her red leather coat and finding satisfaction as it swung around to hang low, almost like the noble tailcoats of olden times, Ruby grinned at having a reason to wear it again. It was currently on the brink of summer back home, so every jacket and coat and long-sleeved shirt had been relegated to the back of her closet until another plane ticket had been put in her hand and she’d been pointed east.
...okay it wasn’t quite that regimented and dramatic, technically she chose where she went and when, but it was also technically for work, and necessary. Over two-thirds of the days of her year were spent on the road at this point.
It was her life, and one she wasn’t just accustomed to, but thrived in.
It always left her feeling restless whenever she was back home, feeling the need to get back out into the world. It had been this way for four years, ever since the business she’d co-founded had lifted off the ground and there’d suddenly been pitches to give, innovations to demonstrate, investors to be inspired, and smiles to beam.
The first two were her job, the last two were Pyrrha’s, the other girl having given up a promising career in modelling and Australian tv in order to add her intelligence and charisma to the company her university mates had started.
Here they were, on the street outside JFK as Pyrrha whistled down a taxi, the freezing wind penetrating even through Ruby’s coat and feeling as if it was scorching the exposed skin of her face and drying out her eyes. Despite spending most of her time in Europe and the states, she always readjusted to the heat of home quickly whilever she was briefly there, and it accentuated the frost of wherever she always ended back up.
The biting wind had her smile at the same moment she shivered, grinding her shoes into the pavement beneath her feet as she felt the hum, the buzz, of another part of the world soaking up through the soles of her feet and into her blood.
Every city in every country on every continent felt different, the air sparked with a different voltage of electricity, the air blew at a different angle, even colours might just be different shades if you let your vision wander. So as Pyrrha opened the boot of the taxi so they could put their suitcases inside, Ruby couldn’t help the happy grin that spread across her face as she skipped over to drop hers in.
Seeing the expression on her best friend’s face, Pyrrha chuckled with a smile of her own and an understanding nod, patting her shoulder as she stepped around to open the side door and slip into the backseat.
Ruby barely heard as Pyrrha gave the address of their hotel and then immediately struck up a conversation with the driver, instead occupying her time with staring out at the window as the buildings of the city began to shift and change as they passed through districts and suburbs that were almost different microcosmic cultures within themselves, the same smile on her face and glimmer within her silver eyes as they flicked around constantly.
She’d been to New York numerous times in the past few years, in fact it was one of the few cities she went to multiple times per year due to the sheer scale, but it never got old.
Pulling up in front of the hotel after the drive into the shining city, Pyrrha paid the driver as Ruby hopped out to grab their bags, easily lifting them both out of the trunk at once and closing it with her elbow as Pyrrha stepped out. Looking up at the luxurious and modern hotel of their choice and having to crane her neck to see the top, Ruby couldn’t help the amused and self-indulgent grin that danced within her eyes.
They’d come a long way from sharing a bed in cramped single-story motels.
Being the late afternoon, people were filtering in and out of the massive grand lobby at casual paces, not even sparing Ruby and Pyrrha glances as they went about their own business.
Ruby unbuckled her coat with a flourish as they entered the heated building, getting an amused chuckle from her friend as Pyrrha stepped up to reception and gave the woman there such a sparkling smile that the woman’s eyes widened and she went bright red.
When Ruby rolled her eyes at the incredibly common reaction, she made sure to do so while turned away, no wanting to embarrass the instantly smitten girl.
“Hey there Megan.” Pyrrha had made sure to read the woman’s nametag before even opening her mouth, and the extra notice had Megan blush slightly brighter. “We’re here to check-in?”
“O-of course! Not a problem!” Smiling brightly with a shy giggle, Megan turned to her computer as she brushed some of her shoulder-length black hair back. “What was the name?”
“Two rooms under a business name. Ember & Crescent Concepts?”
Typing in the name as she mouthed it to herself, Megan gave a large nod of confirmation and a smile as their names came up. “Pyrrha Nikos and Ruby Rose? It’s so wonderful to have you back!”
“Pyrrha Nikos is me, yes. And thank you, we always love coming here.” Smiling back just as brightly, Pyrrha slowly and playfully drummed the gloved fingers of her hand on the counter top. “Have you been working here long? Because if you have been, and we haven’t met each other at any of my times here before now, I’m glad that’s been fixed.”
As Ruby rolled her eyes again while still facing away, Megan went bright red and let out a shy giggle, stumbling as she was retrieving their keycards and activating them. Biting her lip, she gave Pyrrha a shy shrug and smile, brown eyes sparkling into Pyrrha’s friendly green.
“J-just unlucky until now. It’s good to finally m-meet y-you.”
“Likewise. Thank you very much, Megan. I hope you have a great night.” Flashing another wide smile to the woman as she playfully plucked the cards from her extended grip, Pyrrha gave a slow wave and led the way towards the elevators, leaving a mouth agape Megan behind.
Catching up, having not said a word the entire encounter, Ruby took her room card when Pyrrha offered it, and the moment they were in the elevator and out of sight she punched her lightly in the shoulder.
“Was that necessary? Again?? ”
“What?! She looked bored! It’s miserable and tedious work.” Raising her shoulders with a mischievous grin in defense of herself, Pyrrha shrugged.
“Well now she looks in love!”
“I was just trying to be nice.” Pyrrha’s grin spread slightly wider, knowing her defense wasn’t actually denial. When Ruby scoffed in a mixture of exasperation and amusement from next to her, Pyrrha giggled and shrugged again. “I wanted to cheer her up.”
Snorting, Ruby glanced over with a raised eyebrow, but she was unable to continue hiding the small grin. “Mission accomplished.”
“Thank you.”
As Pyrrha nodded in self-satisfaction, the elevator doors opened and they made their way down the sleek and modern halls. The hotel was only a couple of years old, and the company budget had grown large enough just in time for Pyrrha and Ruby to decide to indulge themselves and stay in the new building in the first month of its grand opening.
After experiencing everything it had to offer, they hadn’t stayed anywhere else since, so the hall around them was familiar and comfortable as they reached their rooms directly across the hall from each other.
Letting out a tired sigh as she swiped her card, Pyrrha checked her own watch and smiled in relief. “We made good time. Half an hour nap before getting ready for dinner?”
“Can push it to an hour if we tell them the flight arrived late.” Smirking as she pushed her own door open, Ruby ignored the scolding scoff from behind her as she instead waved over her shoulder. “Fine, fine, I won’t be late.”
As Pyrrha stepped into her own room, she glanced over her shoulder at Ruby’s back, and spoke with a playfully stern tone. “I’m knocking on your door at seven sharp, Ruby Rose.”
“You got it, mum.”
Closing her door and cutting off Pyrrha’s protest at the name, Ruby grinned for a moment before turning and eyeing the spacious and modern suite. With a large bed, comfortable bathroom, open air from balcony access, and painted in a breathable white, she felt a knot of tension between her shoulders unclench as she placed her suitcase on the bed and unzipped it to get out her clothes for their dinner that night.
While their actual meeting wasn’t until the next morning, they were in luck, with two of the more important board members of the firm they were meeting with free for a casual dinner beforehand, having been people that Ruby and Pyrrha had been dealing with for a while.
Ruby would go so far as to call the two of them friends, and she hoped that they felt the same, since they were nice, clever, and could understand the life Ruby lived. While she didn’t have many close friends, she certainly had plenty of casual ones, some in every major city on the planet from her constant travels. People to snag dinners or breakfasts with, visit their families and briefly be part of their lives, and often have days out if she had spares.
But none of them were really close to her, how could they be? She was almost always on the road, it was her entire life, with her only close friends being either back home in Australia or, in the case of her sister and sister’s girlfriend, they were almost always on the road as well.
If she was honest, she didn’t mind that much. She had at first. Things had been lonely and she’d often gotten homesick, but she’d adjusted, and after the adjustment period she’d soon fallen in love with it.
Kicking off her shoes, stripping off her coat and tossing it onto an armchair, and flopping back onto her bed, she grabbed her phone from her pocket to text her parents. With the lineup of the timezones, they should either be arriving at the office, or on their way to one of the manufacturing centers depending on the progress of the very project Ruby was in the states to pitch.
There was a benefit to your parents being three of the original investors into your company.
‘Landed safe and checked in. Weather is so goddamn unbearable I'm freezing my bloody ass off, as expected. Got a dinner soon and then the meeting tomorrow. Love and miss you guys. Xx’
Tossing her phone onto the covers next to her, she closed her eyes for a few moments before the threat of sinking into the sheets and dozing off became real as the fatigue began to wrap around her muscles and hum lullabies to her mind, so she forced her eyes back open and rolled to her feet, grabbing toiletries from her case as she stripped off on her way to the shower.
Whenever they stayed at one of the truly nice places she always made sure to indulge in the showers and baths, so she closed her eyes under the intense spray of hot water and let the sweat and smell of flights and travel rinse from her skin, instead hopefully replaced with a cleanliness that conveyed her genuine eagerness and energy.
Humming happily as she stepped out and dried off, getting to work on drying her black and crimson-tinted hair, she noted that it had grown a bit longer than she normally let it, and made a mental note to get it cut once she was back on home soil after leaving New York in two nights.
The duo had been on the road constantly for two straight months, and even after returning back down-under after New York they were only back for a fortnight before heading off again, and while Pyrrha would enjoy the fortnight break, Ruby knew she was going to be fidgety and restless the entire time, despite how busy she would be at work.
She knew Pyrrha enjoyed the work and adventure just as much as she did, the woman having a social energy and appetite for new experiences that matched Ruby’s curiosity and wanderlust, but Pyrrha had solid roots back home she enjoyed visiting and spending time with when she was able, meanwhile Ruby...didn’t have those roots, not outside of some of her immediate family.
What Ruby had instead, was this.
Stepping over to her balcony, freshly dressed in the trousers and button-up she’d be wearing to dinner, she threw open the sliding door and hopped out into the freezing air, her face breaking out into a beaming and happy smile as she looked at the city around and below her.
Yesterday they’d been in Amsterdam, four days before then it had been Berlin, now it was New York, and Ruby’s smile was undiminished from travel exhaustion, her body unweighted by homesickness or fatigue. Still light and eager as she drummed her hands on the balcony bannister.
The only regret she had was that she wasn’t able to squeeze in a few nights longer in the city which she normally liked doing, in order to have a day or two to enjoy the sights and drink it all in, instead of just being in and out like this time unfortunately had to be.
But, for a couple of weeks at least, she was needed back at the head office and the central manufacturing plant.
Not for long! Just long enough to keep the balls rolling and throw some of her new ideas at the dartboard and see what the others thought. Then she’d be back on the road once more!
Humming to herself, she hopped back into her room and slipped on her shoes, glimpsing her phone flashing out of the corner of her eye. With an eager smile for word from home, she grabbed it up and swiped it open, enjoying her lock screen of herself and her sister enjoying a horseback adventure in the Scottish highlands a year back, before opening the text from her mother.
‘Thanks for keeping us in the loop, sweetie. Yang and Blake depart from Dubai at what would be early tomorrow morning for you, they’re looking forward to seeing you when everyone is all back under one roof. Raven says ‘watch your fucking language’ so she loves and misses you too, and your dad apparently spoke very seriously with Zwei and reports you’re sorely missed. Good luck tomorrow, and give Pyrrha our love. Love you. Xx’
A knock on her door just as she was putting her phone into her pocket had her grab her wallet and throw her coat around her shoulders before giving a skip and hop over to the door and pulling it open, revealing Pyrrha in a tight and glamorous red dress that was as if rich ruby water was hugging her skin, with her hair tied back and a light touch of makeup on a face that really didn’t need it.
Giving an appreciative whistle at her friend, Ruby grinned as she closed her door behind her and heard it beep locked, and Pyrrha beamed in thanks for the compliment even as she cast an approving eye over Ruby’s own formal yet simple outfit, not being one to dress all the way up like Pyrrha was.
Making their way down the halls, Ruby couldn’t resist giving a mischievous smirk over at her friend.
“Want to see if ‘Megan’ is still on shift?”
“Hmm…” Nodding slowly as if giving it true and deliberate consideration, Pyrrha casually shrugged. “We might have to take the walk through the lobby a bit slowly, just so we can have a proper check. It would be rude not to give a wave goodbye after she was so polite to me earlier.”
“Exactly my own thought process.” Nodding just as seriously, Ruby hit the button for the elevator.
They each kept their composure up until the elevator doors closed and they glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes, before breaking into giggles.
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Their dinner companions had been nice enough to agree to a dinner in the restaurant of the hotel itself, a place that Ruby and Pyrrha had enjoyed plenty of times and had sung the praises of until the other two had agreed, and no small part of that was so that Ruby could devour some of the best steak in New York, a high bar to clear and illustrious company to join, while Pyrrha happily dominated all conversation.
Taking another bite and humming happily at the tenderness of it, Ruby placed her fork down so she could give a shrug at a declaration from Neptune Vasilias, the younger son of the CEO of the company they were meeting with the next day. Neptune was just getting his feet wet when it came to taking a position in the family company, and was far more of a social face than he had a mind for business, which suited him just fine.
Shaking her head as she shrugged, Ruby gave Neptune an apologetic smile. “Dude, Ozpin’s never going to be President. I’m sorry.”
“Why not?? He’s smart, he’s nice, he’s perfectly qualified.” Taking a bite of his fish, Neptune tilted his head in confusion as Ruby sighed dejectedly.
“He’s too young.”
“Why does age matter?”
“I don’t know, but it usually seems to. He’s, what, thirty-seven? Thirty-eight?” Shrugging again, Ruby looked over at Pyrrha for support, and the other woman gave a nod in agreement before shooting Neptune an apologetic look.
“Sorry Nep, she’s right.”
“Well, I mean…” From next to Neptune, his colleague and best friend Sun spoke up, the blonde wiping his mouth clean of gravy. “JFK was young. He was only forty-three.”
Smirking as she took a sip from her drink, Ruby couldn’t contain herself as she raised an eyebrow at him. “And that ended well.”
Yelping quietly as Pyrrha lightly kicked her under the table, Ruby grinned as Neptune laughed and gave her an amused look.
“I don’t think it was his birthday that got him killed.”
“Who’s to say?” Ruby shrugged, discretely moving her leg away so Pyrrha wouldn’t be able to reach it. “If we’d found the second gunman, we could have asked.”
“Okay, no. Nope!” Placing her hands on the table with a laugh, Pyrrha shook her head decisively as she looked between the three others, grinning. “We are not going in that direction. Not during dinner.”
“Dessert, then?”
“Ruby!”
Grinning at the fond glare Pyrrha was giving her, Ruby gestured to the amused looks on Neptune and Sun’s faces and gave an innocent shrug. But as she opened her mouth to reply, Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, so she made a show of sinking into her seat and zipping her mouth shut before taking another sip of her drink and getting back to her dinner.
As the other three slipped back into conversation, she spoke up in the occasional moment with a smile, enjoying her food, but for the most part content to allow Pyrrha to take the lead on their side of the table.
With plates finished and taken away, Pyrrha and Neptune ordered a bottle of wine, both of them enjoying the more ‘cultured’ things in life, while Sun was happy going through bottles of cider and Ruby got to enjoy light and slow sips of whiskey, being by far the lightest drinker of the group.
As Sun got out his phone to start showing photos of a vacation he and Neptune had taken to the west coast, Ruby craned forward to see, smiling at a photo of the boys in front of the Hollywood sign as Sun had Neptune in a headlock, and movement in the edge of her vision had her eyes flick up.
Blinking as her eyes went to the hotel bar, Ruby felt a light electric wash go over her skin as a tingle as she watched a woman dressed in an elegant light grey dress sink down onto one of the barstools.
With long impossibly white hair tied back in a braid, perfect and seemingly flawless pale skin, and elegance in every muscle and curve, the woman gave a small polite smile from flawless lips under sky blue eyes as she spoke to the bartender before smiling once more as a martini glass was placed in front of her for her to raise and take a light sip.
Every small inch of movement from the woman, every little twitch, was elegant and smooth, with Ruby feeling her chest clench as she watched the woman cross one leg over the other and the dress she wore rose up a few more inches, revealing the slightest sight of pale thighs.
Unable to help staring at the woman, Ruby raised her own glass to her lips and took a sip to wet her dry throat as she watched the woman flick her braid over her shoulder, the white hair rippling as it fell into place, and she took a sip from her own glass with her eyes staring off, clearly deep in relaxed thought.
When a finger poked her in the ribs gently, Ruby almost choked on her drink, and she coughed as she looked over to where Pyrrha was giving her an amused and knowing look. Blushing slightly at being caught, Ruby shook her head in pointless denial as she placed her glass down and tried to go back to the conversation.
But she couldn’t. Barely processing or even hearing the words spoken, her eyes kept flicking back to the bar where the goddess sat,
Eventually there was the sound of a wine glass being placed down next to her, accompanied by an exasperated sigh, and she looked over to where Pyrrha had just finished rolling her eyes. Now that she had Ruby’s attention, Pyrrha raised her eyebrows and gave a slight gesture in the woman’s direction.
“Just go talk to her already.”
“What?? No! Are you crazy?” Eyes widening in horror at the idea, Ruby’s head whipped around to look at the woman again, before returning to Pyrrha, and she shook her head urgently. “God no. No no no. No way.”
“Why not? She’s cute, she’s alone, you’re cute, you’re alone, and Sun has said your name eight times in two minutes to no response. You’re mentally over at the bar already anyway, might as well go join your brain.” Grinning, Pyrrha tilted her head to where Sun was watching with an utterly amused expression, and when Ruby gave him an apologetic look he simply shrugged with a grin.
“Dude, this has been painful to watch. And I watched Neptune in the bars of LA.”
Neptune blinking, putting down his own glass. “Hey!”
“Look,” Sun pretended Neptune hadn’t even interjected. “You’re here for what, a grand total of thirty-six hours? You might as well give it a try.”
“I don’t know the first thing about hitting on girls at bars!”
“ Bullshit. ” Pyrrha coughed, before giving Ruby a knowing grin as Ruby’s mouth dropped open in confusion. “Ruby, we’ve travelled together for years now. We stay at the same hotels, and you haven’t always been in your room of a morning. Don’t try that.”
“That...” Trailing off as she tried to think of a refute, pointing at Pyrrha’s face, Ruby growled when none came to mind, and her hand dropped. “I mean...barely ever. I don’t make it a habit. ”
Sighing, she buried her face in her hands for a moment before being unable to resist looking over at the bar again, where the woman was sitting alone, sipping the same drink slowly, clearly enjoying it for the taste and not the alcohol. The woman cast her eyes around the bar and restaurant boredly, taking in the few tables still occupied due to the passing hour, before they locked onto Ruby’s.
Freezing at having been caught, Ruby’s first instinct was to give a small apologetic smile at being caught looking, but when the woman gave an amused smile and a playfully raised eyebrow before turning away again Ruby’s breath stopped in her throat.
Watching the encounter silently, Pyrrha and Sun shared a knowing look, while Neptune went back to his wine, grinning in amusement at the entire situation and content to observe the disaster of the useless lesbian Ruby Rose in action. Meanwhile Ruby immediately stared down at the tabletop, folding her hands on the surface of it and tapping her thumbs together as she waited for her heart to return to a normal rhythm.
“...Ruby.” Sun’s voice was amused, but also deliberate, and it was enough for Ruby to look up with raised eyebrows. “...that was a signal.”
Now, while Ruby was not as socially savvy as Pyrrha, she wasn’t at all inept, so she had no denial or truthful argument against it, she was well aware that she’d been granted permission to go over and strike up a conversation. So, with a final poke in the side from Pyrrha, Ruby shot an exasperated glare around at the three of them before groaning in surrender and rising to her feet, finishing her glass with a final gulp for courage.
Giving a quiet whoop of excitement, Sun shot her a wink and a salute from his bottle as she stepped away.
“You got this, ladykiller.”
Pyrrha hummed in agreement behind the rim of her glass, her eyes sparkling with genuine support and enthusiasm as she beamed at her best friend, and Ruby rolled her eyes with a final huff as she turned towards the bar, empty glass in hand.
Making her way over, Ruby clenched her hand from where it was slightly trembling in nervousness as she went. Despite the fact nobody was even noticing her, it felt as if the entire population of New York was watching her cross across the restaurant towards the bar, and everyone was taking bets about whether or not she was even going to have the capabilities to pronounce a single syllable.
Letting out a deep breath to steel her nerves, Ruby approached the bar next to where the woman was sitting and placed her empty glass down, ordering a refill, before turning to where the woman was eyeing her in amusement.
“Uhhh….hi.” Giving a nervous smile, Ruby’s heart jumped when the woman smiled back, far more confidently.
“Hello there.” The woman’s voice was utterly musical, and the returned greeting was enough for Ruby to feel more relaxed, her smile growing more confident.
“I’m Ruby.” Offering her hand, Ruby’s eyes sparkled in amusement as the woman glanced down at her hand, before her own eyes shone the same way and she chuckled.
“Weiss. A pleasure to meet you.” Taking Ruby’s hand, she gave it a firm but friendly shake.
Raising her eyebrows at the woman’s accent, Ruby upped her game slightly as she accepted her new drink, and switched to German. “The pleasure is all mine, Weiss. What brings you to New York so late in the year?”
Weiss blinked in surprise, her mouth dropping open slightly, before she gave a pleasantly surprised chuckle and shifted in her seat so she was facing Ruby properly, giving her full attention, and that was enough for Ruby to feel confident enough to sink down into the closest stool and face Weiss properly as well, and when Weiss’s smile grew slightly larger and more pleased, she smiled back.
Sipping her martini, Weiss placed it down on the countertop, before responding in German in kind. “Business, always business, and I prefer the States in the colder months. And what about you? What stole you here from beaches and sun?”
“Business as well. I’m always travelling. You picked up my accent?” Raising her eyebrows, just as impressed as Weiss was, Ruby grinned when Weiss gave a hum and a nod.
“Of course. Australians speak German with a flow no other English speakers do. Is your accent not obvious to others?”
“Not to yanks, typically. The only Australians they always recognise are the ones from Queensland. If you’re from any other state, especially one of the capital cities, they can sometimes struggle.” Grinning as she thought over it, Ruby took a sip from her drink before continuing, waiting for a playfully dramatic beat as Weiss raised her eyebrows curiously, much to the other woman’s obvious amusement. “They tend to think I’m British, believe it or not.”
Weiss giggled, a sound so pure and rich in its amusement that Ruby’s heart did flips inside of her chest, and Weiss shook her head in amused disbelief. “I’m so sorry, that must be terrible.”
“Horrific. Can you imagine?”
“Like most Europeans would, I despair at the thought. How do you survive such an insult?”
“Meeting pretty girls always helps.”
Pausing in surprise once more mid-sip, Weiss raised her eyebrows at the confident and playful glimmer in Ruby’s eyes and the small relaxed smirk on her lips. Seeming to consider for a moment, Weiss’s eyes flicked up and down as she blatantly checked Ruby out for the first time, and Ruby resisted the initial instinct to blush or shy away from the attention. As Weiss’s attention went to her eyes and seemed to focus on them, Ruby let her stare, knowing Weiss was likely regarding the unique silver of them that she had almost certainly never encountered anywhere else in her life.
Sometimes it pays to have an almost unheard of genetic mutation.
Weiss smiled in amusement and finished the sip of her drink, before placing her glass down on the bar and regarding Ruby playfully. When she spoke again, she switched back to English.
“Cute. That was cute. Forward, but...cute." As Ruby blushed slightly, Weiss giggled and tilted her head. "You said you’re always travelling?”
“Constantly. Never in the same place for more than a few days at the most.” Picking up what Weiss was silently asking, Ruby gave a casual shrug as if it was no big deal, and Weiss hummed in acknowledgement before nodding as well.
“As am I.” Weiss lazily traced her finger around the rim of her glass. “I fly out tomorrow morning, in fact.”
“Oh? Where to next?”
“Hopping all the way to Rome for a week.” Smiling fondly at the mention of the city, Weiss took another sip of her drink as Ruby smiled widely and nodded.
“I was in Rome back in August, I haven’t gotten there as much as I wish I could.”
Weiss gave a look of understanding. “When and where business calls, hmm?”
“Isn’t that always the case?”
“Only for the rare lucky few of us.” Smiling and chuckling, the look in Weiss’s eyes changed as the subtextual conversation reached its conclusion, and the look in her eyes that was truly universal was enough for Ruby’s heart to jump and her own eyes to sharpen hotly.
Weiss leant forward slightly as she gracefully uncrossed and recrossed her legs, her foot slightly outstretched to brush against Ruby’s calf, and her light blue eyes sparkling. Meeting Weiss’s gorgeous stare easily, Ruby bit her bottom lip for a moment before taking another slow sip of her drink, not breaking eye contact as she used the tip of her tongue to lick her lips.
A steady bloom of satisfaction went through her blood when Weiss’s eyes widened for a brief instant and it was clear her breathing stuttered, but it was also evident she wasn’t even trying to hide it.
It was time to be bold, everything said and hinted, and so Ruby took the final gulp of her drink before placing it down and giving Weiss an innocent look that didn’t work even slightly to suppress the heat in her eyes as Weiss stroked her calf with her foot gently, running it halfway up before letting it drop down again.
“Thankfully I know my schedule enough in advance that I’m able to easily get a room in a place as nice as right here.”
There was the final pause as Weiss regarded, a small tick in the corners of her lips growing into a smirk, before her foot slowly slid up Ruby’s leg one more time until it threatened to pass her knee, but tickled that line light enough that Ruby twitched as a pulse went through her. Weiss’s smile twitched and became playfully predatory for a moment, the teasing heat in her eyes burning slightly brighter, and she allowed her touch to linger a moment before ghosting down again.
“We lucky few indeed, Ruby...because so am I. Can I buy you another drink?”
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A loud knock on her hotel room was enough to rouse Ruby from her sleep the next morning, and as she went to sit up a myriad of sore muscles protested the movement, and the sides of her neck stung as she turned her head in the direction of the door. Groaning as she pushed the sheets back, she blinked at her lack of any clothes, and it prompted her brain to wake up enough for her to remember everything that had happened the night before.
But she didn’t have time to reminisce, as another loud knock on her door had her groan loud enough that Pyrrha would hear that she was up and on her way, and she grabbed one of the complimentary robes to pull it on before stumbling her way to the door and opening it.
Pyrrha was already fully dressed for the day, arms crossed and her appearance utterly immaculate, but she didn’t get a single word out before her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She stared dumbfounded at Ruby long enough for Ruby to fidget nervously, giving a timid and confused smile.
“Uhhh...good morning??”
Clearing her throat to hide a smirk, Pyrrha couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from tightening in amusement as she folded her hands behind herself and her eyes stared mischievously into Ruby’s.
“Are you both decent, or shall I wait for you in my room?”
Blinking, Ruby felt her face start to pinken even as she held up her hand for Pyrrha to wait and then stepped back into the room to raise her eyebrows and check on Weiss, only to see that the other side of the bed was empty, but had clearly been disturbed. There was also no sign of any of Weiss’s clothes around, but there were enough signs of what had happened the previous evening for Ruby to smile widely and crack her neck loudly enough Pyrrha cringed.
The fact Weiss had bailed without even waking her up to say goodbye...stung a little bit, but she had mentioned a morning flight.
Turning back to her friend, Ruby gestured for Pyrrha to come in.
“It’s fine, she’s gone, apparently.”
“Oof, no goodbye? I'm sorry...” Stepping past Ruby, Pyrrha patted her on the shoulder sympathetically before her eyes roamed the room, and an impressed and amused smile appeared. “How much do you remember? Do you remember it?”
“We were both completely and wonderfully sober, thank you.” Grinning far too smugly as she grabbed her clothes for the day from her suitcase, Ruby pushed into the bathroom to shower, before grinding to a halt when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. “Son of a bitch!"
Appearing behind her, Pyrrha didn’t even try to hide her amusement this time as she enjoyed Ruby staring in a mixture of awe and horror at the vicious and passionate hickeys dotting her skin from her pulse point to her collarbone, lining both sides of her neck. Stepping closer to the mirror, Ruby placed her clothes on a counter to the side so she could turn on the mirror lights and examine her skin properly, pulling the robe away slightly to examine just how many of them there were.
Glancing over at Pyrrha, she gestured urgently for privacy, and her best friend laughed even as she closed the bathroom door and left Ruby alone. Turning back to the mirror, Ruby dropped the robe to see just how many remnants of last night were on her. Hickeys were in bunched elegant lines, but also dotted around and places that would have seemed random to someone who didn’t know where Ruby was sensitive, and when she glimpsed scratch marks on her sides she turned to study her back in the mirror only for her eyes to widen at the vicious lines covering it.
“Holy shit...” Laughing in amazement, her memory of the evening complete if a bit lust-fogged, she shook her head as she looked down at the button-up shirt she was to wear that day, and she sighed. “...you’re going to sting to wear.”
By the time she showered and freshened up for the day, dressing quickly, and emerged from the bathroom, she found Pyrrha setting up some breakfast delivered from room service for them and sitting on the edge of the bed to munch on some toast. Pyrrha gave Ruby a grin as she emerged, wiggling her eyebrows playfully.
“Comfortable?”
“It’s not actually that bad.”
“Did she know you had a presentation this morning?”
Chuckling nervously as she took some of her own breakfast, Ruby gave a sheepish grin as she scratched the back of her head with one hand. “...yes.”
“As your coworker, I don’t approve. But as your friend, I like her.” Humming with a smile, Pyrrha lost her mischief for a moment and instead gave Ruby an earnest look. “But, are you okay? Any regrets? You know we can talk if you need to, before we start the day, right?”
Pyrrha was a constant source of sass and mischief, but those were just the louder of her pure positivity. If she was just a source of mischief, they wouldn’t have clicked as well as they had, because it was also that Pyrrha was supportive, and kind, and had a wellspring of compassion and patience that was needed to survive a life constantly in motion and constantly on the road.
Pyrrha was Ruby’s rock, just as Ruby was hers, so with the teasing temporarily out of the way and genuine enquiry in her friend’s eyes, Ruby thought over her answer.
She and Weiss had sat at the bar talking and flirting for over two more hours before one of them had finally made a move, Weiss having given Ruby the right look in her eyes over the rim of her glass. But, frankly, they could have headed up to either of their rooms at any earlier point, they just hadn’t seemed to want to end the conversation.
If Ruby hadn’t liked Weiss as a person as much as she genuinely had, finding the sophisticated German heiress ( because of course she was an heiress) to be witty and interesting to the extreme, she wouldn’t have been as...intense with her, as they clearly had been. And from how often Weiss had laughed at the bar, and how she’d been the entire night that followed, it had felt like it was mutual, or at least Ruby decided to hope so.
...and, fine, yes, sure, the post-talking activities of the night had been...otherwordly, if Ruby was honest with herself, and her smile must have turned slightly dreamy because Pyrrha chuckled in amusement before nodding and smiling in satisfaction and reassurance.
“Good. I’m glad. Because she left you something, and if she had you feeling anything less than spectacular I wasn’t going to let you find it.”
Raising her eyebrows, Ruby looked over at the main cabinet in the room when Pyrrha gestured to it, and she slowly stood to make her way over. Sitting on a small platter normally for spare toiletries, was a folded up piece of paper, the pen still resting beside it. Raising her eyebrows higher, she gave a small happy smile as she unfolded it curiously.
As she read it, she laughed loud enough and amusedly enough that Pyrrha looked up from the omelette she moved onto with a hopeful smile, taking the laughter as a good sign, and she put her cutlery down.
“Is it a thank you note? Please tell me it’s a thank you note. I will die laughing if it’s a full-on thank you note.”
“Not exactly…”
Grinning as she looked down at where Weiss had written down her travel schedule for the next three months, along with the digits of her phone number at the bottom, the actual words of the letter itself were written in neat German.
‘I had a wonderful time, and if memory serves you did too. Early flight, and you need the rest, so do forgive the silent exit. If you’d like to do this again, do check your schedule and we shall hope to be blessed by our luck once more. If you have no interest, no hard feelings, it truly was a wonderful night that I'll be in no hurry to forget. Good luck at your meeting - Weiss S’
Grinning at the note as she read it, Ruby ignored Pyrrha’s curious stare as she grabbed her laptop from her bag and quickly opened it to check her own schedule and cross-reference it with Weiss. Scanning over the dates of them both as she chewed her bottom lip, she hummed happily when she found a two night period they would be in the same city at the same time in just under a month and a half.
Opening a new spreadsheet, she copied down Weiss’s schedule for future reference, before folding up the note and placing it in the suitcase to keep out of amusement.
Grabbing up her phone, she unlocked it after noting they had to leave for their meeting in around fifteen minutes, before adding Weiss’s number to her contacts and sending her a text.
‘Hi Weiss, this is Ruby. I’m in London from January fifth through to the ninth, while you’ll be there from the seventh through to the tenth.’
Putting her phone to the side knowing she wouldn’t be getting any possible reply for hours if Weiss was flying, Ruby simply gave a curious Pyrrha a smirk and a wink before getting up for them to start their day properly.
Sure enough it wasn’t until mid-afternoon, with their presentation and meetings done and finished and with the whole evening to themselves, that Ruby’s phone vibrated in her pocket. Stepping aside from where she'd been walking down the busy New York street, her coat pulled tightly closed and her breath visible, she pulled her phone from her pocket and swiped the screen with numb fingers to unlock it.
‘Our luck is unmatched, it seems. So, are you interested?’
Pausing as she looked down at the message, Ruby tilted her head in thought. While impulse had been easy that morning, still shivering in the afterglow, her head was far more level after a morning and lunch of meetings and the presentation and work.
Ruby had no desire for any solid relationship, that just wasn’t her way, she barely ever even did what she’d done the night before, it was too easy for people to get hurt. Her work had her always travelling, never anywhere for more than a few nights before moving on, and with timezones constantly in rotation and changing it made even a long-distance relationship practically impossible, and long-distance relationships were infamously unreliable anyway.
And Weiss was the exact same way, with a similar travel schedule, and just like Ruby her work and free wanderlust were her priorities. Neither of them had any room, priority, or desire, for anything proper.
What harm was a bit of casual fun every once in a while during their work-focused and unattached wandering lives, if travel schedules and stars aligned?
‘If you are, I am.’
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