Diva - Chapter 10

Hand steady, Ruby layered two quick strokes of dark blue amongst lighter blue clouds.  Smooth brushstrokes, not sharp.  More, not less.  When she leaned back to inspect the image as a whole, however, she saw exactly what she had imagined: the ocean, the sand, sunny skies, and as many colors as she could realistically use.

Tilting her head and squinting resulted in the same befuddled acceptance of her work so far.  Dipping the brush into the dark blue paint, she then let it hover over the clouds, searching for the perfect spot for it to land.  Someplace needing contrast.  Someplace lacking the pop of color radiating from the rest of the piece.

She found it in the ocean, in the waves cresting out of the water.  Miniscule blue lines joined the foamy white tops, adding depth and providing cohesion with the sky.  Humming at the result, she set down the brush and took two steps back to view the work from a further distance.  Motion caught her attention that time, and she took off her headphones when Yang waved from the doorway.

“Sorry,” she said as silence replaced loud music.  “How long have you been there?”

“Not long.”  Yang walked over to Ruby, crossed her arms, and bobbed her head at the painting.  “That looks so cool.  I love all the colors.”

“Thanks.  I’m just trying some things.”  While Yang stepped closer to inspect the finer details, Ruby added, “Does it look museum-worthy to you?”

“Definitely.”  Yang ghosted a hand across the waves as if feeling them before sneaking a look at Ruby.  “Reminds me of mom.”

“Who do you think was the inspiration?”

A smile crept onto Yang’s lips as Ruby joined her in front of the painting.  “I don’t know if they’ll like it,” she admitted while her eyes flitted between every imperfection.  “But I kind of do.  It just needs a little more…pizzazz.”

Her brow creased as she tried to figure out where that ‘pizzazz’ should go, but Yang’s chuckle drew her back to the room.  

“What?”

“Nothing.”  Yang shook her head yet smiled.  “It’s just been a while since I’ve seen you so into painting.”

“This is an easy one,” Ruby pointed out.  “I haven’t even started working on the most important one.”

“The star of the show?”

“Exactly.  And I have no idea what to do.  It has to look worthy of stealing, but why would anyone steal these?”  

Ruby waved a hand at the variety of canvases around the room, but Yang shrugged.

“You’ve seen the ‘priceless’ works of art.  I’d rather have one of these than any of those.”  When Ruby playfully rolled her eyes, Yang chuckled and patted her shoulder.  “I’m sure you’ll think of something, and I bet it’ll be awesome.”

Ruby blew a big breath through her lips at the lack of help or direction, but her heart still warmed at Yang’s never-ending faith.  “Thanks, Yang.”  She leaned into Yang’s side and accepted the obligatory one-armed hug.

“Where’re you still doing here anyway?”

“Late start today.”  Ruby glanced at the clock and jolted at the time.  “Which I’m going to be late for if I don’t get ready!”  

Yang chuckled while Ruby hastily tidied up her workspace and then rushed out of the studio.  After washing her hands for a full three minutes, she gave up and accepted that blue paint would accompany her to work.  Hopefully, no one would notice.  One person most certainly would.

Shaking her head - Weiss shouldn’t be allowed to pester her thoughts outside of work hours - she changed into one of her work outfits, stuffed everything she needed into her bag, and waved to Yang on the way out.  She made it to the bus stop at the moment her bus pulled up - a small stroke of luck that boded well for the day to come.

Regardless of what work threw at her, she was determined to stay positive.  Sure, she could have ditched Weiss to work with fun-loving, affable Cardin, but she decided that she would rather subject herself to a meat grinder of pressure than take it easy.  In hindsight, probably not her best decision but, after talking to Penny last night, she understood how common and expected burnout was.  If it happened sooner because she wanted to play with fire, at least no one would be surprised.

The thought consoled her as she stood in line at the coffee shop.  Eventually, she ordered the most basic, boring, awful-tasting coffee imaginable and made her way to Studio 18.  In the back of her mind, she wondered if Weiss even drank it.  She wouldn't put it past the devil’s daughter to dump it down the sink instead, using it as nothing more than a mindless task to scold Ruby about if done wrong.

Rolling her eyes at the thought, Ruby scanned her badge at the door and pulled it open in one swift motion.  Not three steps inside, however, her pace slowed and her eyes swept around with growing curiosity.  Curiosity morphed into concern as she walked further into the near-empty building.  Her watch confirmed that half an hour remained before their start time, but almost no one else was there.  

A small sigh of relief slipped out when she spotted Jaune fiddling with a headset in the video department.  Coffee still in hand, she hurried over to him.

“Where is everyone?” she asked.

“You didn’t hear?”  She shook her head while he held the headset to one of his ears before setting it aside.  “Pyrrha’s sick, so they shuffled things around.  We’re doing Cardin’s scenes today.”

“Oh.  Phew.”  Ruby playfully wiped a hand across her brow before a thought occurred to her.  “Wait.  Does that mean Weiss won’t be here either?”

“Doubt she’d show up when they don’t need her.”

While Jaune shrugged and grabbed a rag to wipe off the cameras, Ruby nearly cheered at her good fortune.  A day without Weiss meant a day without walking on eggshells.  A day without wondering what little mistake might set Weiss off and have her clamoring for Ruby’s head on a platter.  A day of pure, blissful freedom that would probably make her regret her choice, but she wouldn't pass up the opportunity.

When another, almost better thought crossed her mind, she smiled sweetly at Jaune.

“If Pyrrha’s sick…why don’t you take her some soup or something?”  The rag suddenly stopped moving, and Ruby nearly laughed when the tips of his ears turned red.  “You’ve already thought about it, haven’t you?  Jaune, you’re hopeless!”

“I just - you know - when you’re sick - it’s nice to have someone take care of you.” 

“One hundred percent agree.  And you should do it.”

“I’ll be here all day though.”

“So?  That’s what the internet is for.”  

Ruby fished her phone out of her pocket and waggled it in front of him.  His brow furrowed as he stared at it, but then he started nodding.  “I could at least ask if she needs anything…” he mused.  “She said she loves the soup from that little restaurant near the aquarium…”

Resisting the urge to point out how adorable it was that he already knew where to order Pyrrha’s favorite soup, Ruby leaned closer and whispered, “Do it,” before backing away.  “Before the day gets crazy and you forget - or chicken out.”

His uncertainty lingered, but eventually he nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket.  While he searched for the restaurant, Ruby grinned all the way to the PA table.  Velvet would be ecstatic about this development, but as more time passed and the soft-spoken brunette was nowhere to be seen, Ruby realized the update would have to wait until tomorrow.

The radio seemed useless with a skeleton crew, but she clipped it on out of habit.  The deliveryman arrived with lunch shortly after - a much less extravagant affair that she unpacked in no time.  A small tray of sandwiches and pasta salad sat alongside an assortment of oversized cookies.  

Apparently, she was the only one who missed the announcement about a schedule change.  Miffed as to how that happened, she waited for the crew to grab lunch before snagging a chocolate chip cookie for herself.  If she paired that with Weiss’ coffee - 

“Rawr!”

The voice in her ear and fingers grabbing her sides made her squeak and drop the cookie on the floor.

“Whoops.”  Cardin grabbed the cookie and handed it back to her with an amused, “You dropped this.”

“Cardin!  You almost gave me a heart attack.”  

She clutched a hand over her chest, feeling her heart hammering under her palm, but he chuckled.

“Sorry.  Thought you’d notice.  Aren’t PAs supposed to have eyes in the back of their head or something?”

“Pretty sure that’s only Cinder and Glynda.”  When Cardin nodded at the observation, Ruby finally lowered her hand and composed herself.  “Do you need anything?”

“Just saying good morning.  A little bird told me you’re helping today.  Finally, right?  Ice Queen’s had her claws in you tight.”

“Her ‘claws’ feel a bit like daggers…” Ruby mumbled before holding up the coffee that she had brought for Weiss.  “Coffee?  It’s black as death.”

“Ice Queen’s coffee??”  Once Ruby nodded, Cardin grinned and took the cup.  “She’ll be pissed if she finds out I drank this.”

Knowing the accuracy of that statement, Ruby laughed when he gleefully removed the lid and dumped four creamers into the cup.  He then replaced the lid and took a long drink before wrinkling his nose.

“Not great,” he concluded, much to Ruby’s amusement.  “But it’ll do.”

“Want anything else?”

“Now that you mention it…”  Grinning, he leaned closer to her.  “Pretty sure my room’s lacking some sugar.”

“Like, sugar packets?”

“Or like -”

“Cardin.” 

Cardin flinched at his name as Cinder appeared out of nowhere.  “You’re supposed to be in wardrobe,” she scolded him while grabbing his elbow and dragging him away.  Nonplussed about being late, he winked and waved the coffee cup to Ruby before following Cinder to wardrobe.

Ruby shook her head at his antics before cleaning up from lunch.  That took only a fraction of the usual time, leaving her searching for something else to do.  Considering the lack of chatter in her ear, today was shaping up to be a slow one.  Even Glynda appeared to have the day off: the only plausible explanation for her absence.  

While waiting for someone to need help, she returned to the PA table and pulled out her sketchbook.  If today was going to be slow, she could try to sketch some ideas to pair with the nearly completed ocean scene.  

Nature seemed to be her theme, so any other bright, colorful landscape should do.  She had painted landscapes before but never with such an emphasis on color.  Color made everything different.  A little more…magical.

“Ruby.”  Cinder snapped her fingers for Ruby’s attention before pointing at the studio entrance.  “Show the nobodies to wardrobe.”

The three tall gentlemen standing near the entrance didn’t look like nobodies - they looked like rather dashing somebodies, actually - but Ruby shoved her sketchbook away and rushed to do as told.

“Hey there,” she greeted the trio, who instantly gave her their undivided attention.  “I’m supposed to show you to wardrobe so…right this way.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” one of them replied in a delightful accent while the other two dipped their heads and followed her away from the doors.  They mumbled amongst themselves while passing the soundstage, where preparations for the first scene were feverishly underway.  From there, they passed the VIP rooms and arrived at the wardrobe department.

“I bring new recruits,” Ruby told the wardrobe assistant, a young girl with frizzy brown hair and a nice smile.  Her frazzled appearance gave Ruby reason to pause and glance around.  “Where’s Coco?”

“Took the day off.”  The young girl twisted her hands before waving the three men over.  “Let’s get you fitted for your uniforms.”

“Need any help?” Ruby offered, but the assistant shook her head.

“Thanks, but Coco left detailed instructions.”

Chuckling at that response, Ruby knew best to get out of the way.  While the three strangers were measured for their outfits, Cardin emerged from the changing room wearing a pair of green fatigues, a matching green cap, and tan boots.  The new arrivals drew his immediate attention but, after sizing them up, he strolled over to Ruby.

“Lieutenant Winchester reporting for duty.”  He snapped his heels together and lifted his hand for a stiff salute before relaxing into his typical, charming smile.  “Do I look awesome or what?”

“Yeah.  Wow.  Coco did a great job.”  

“I told her I should have some medals or something,” he said while looking at the patches sewn to each of his breast pockets.  One had his character’s last name, ‘Gordon,’ embroidered upon it.  Several other patches bearing different insignias had been sewn to the shoulders, having little meaning to Ruby but looking exceptionally important.

“What kind of medals?”

“Dunno.  Something like, ‘showing considerable bravery in the face of Weiss Schnee’s temper.’”

A laugh slipped through Ruby’s lips, but she quickly silenced it and looked around.  “You’re so lucky she’s not here,” she told him, but he just smirked.

“What’s she gonna do - glare me to death?”

“Hey,” Ruby said, though she couldn't help but smile.  “Those glares are scary sometimes.  And you never know when she’ll figure out how to actually shoot knives at us.”

“Don’t worry, cutie.”  He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her into his side.  “If she ever does, I’ll protect you.”

“Cardin.”

“Seriously,” Cardin griped, releasing Ruby as Cinder joined them.  “Are you going to ride my ass all day?” 

“Glynda’s orders.”  

“Why does she care?  She’s not even here!”

“Her set, her rules.”  Cinder gave Cardin the opportunity to challenge the curt response, which he wisely chose not to take.  Her eyes flashed at the standdown, and she nodded to the set.  “Ozpin’s ready.  Quit dawdling.”

Cardin opened his mouth but, after several seconds of thought, shut it and headed to the stage.  He might have grumbled something as he went, earning a glare from Cinder that nearly equaled Weiss’ in ferocity.  But where Weiss’ glare were cold, Cinder’s were menacing - a startling observation Ruby wished that she hadn’t made.  Especially when Velvet wasn’t around to serve as a kind-hearted buffer between them. 

“Hey, Cinder?” Ruby called out before Cinder stalked away.  “Did I miss a notice or something about the schedule change?”

“I didn’t send you one.”

“Oh.”  Cinder’s tone suggested that it was an obvious answer, but Ruby frowned.  And, despite knowing that Cinder’s patience dwindled with remarkable speed, she couldn't help asking, “Why not?”

“Because your schedule didn’t change.”

“I…see.  Got it.” 

Uncaring if Ruby actually understood, Cinder walked away without another word.  

“That’s a little rude though…” Ruby muttered under her breath before returning to the PA table.  At least she could rest assured that she hadn’t accidentally missed an important memo.  She was just intentionally excluded from it.  Was that better or worse?

She had plenty of time to dwell on it while Ozpin walked through the first scene with Cardin, using the vocabulary and intonation of someone speaking to a toddler.  The three other men joined before long, wearing their own fatigues now.  The props team had transformed the soundstage into half of a realistic barracks, complete with flimsy metal bunk beds and neatly fitted sheets.

The first few scenes came across as standard relationship-building.  Cardin and the younger of the three men bonded over “So where are you from?” stories and similar boyish antics.  Once those performances were captured on video, a longer pause ensued for the walkthrough of a much more complicated scene.

It began with a conversation between Cardin and one of the younger men.  Everything seemed jovial at first - just two young soldiers swapping outlandish training stories.  Then the topic of family came up, the other soldier made an off-color joke, and things dissolved into an all-out brawl.  

The fight choreography fascinated Ruby.  Ozpin dedicated a considerable amount of time to running through every punch, kick, and grapple in slow motion.  Surprisingly, Cardin paid close attention to those instructions.  If Weiss knew that the threat of a black eye made him behave so well, they would have finished filming already.  Or Cardin would have two black eyes.

Eventually, the other soldiers raced into the ‘room’ and pulled the combatants apart.  The scene split here - pre-fight being a perfectly healthy Cardin and post-fight featuring some disheveled hair and a fake split lip created by the makeup department.  

One of the non-combatants got in Cardin’s face and yelled so loudly that he must have been spitting everywhere.  The other remained stoic and disappointed - he stayed behind to end the scene with a one-on-one conversation.  ‘Get it together,’ he essentially said, though it sounded more encouraging in his accent.

So engrossed in watching the scene, Ruby didn’t realize that she was hungry until dinner arrived.  The deliveryman waved for her attention, at which point she hopped up and helped him unload the boxes of food.  The current scene seemed to be winding down, so she unpacked between takes and finished when Ozpin finally released them for a dinner break.

The props team breezed through the line first, collecting their chicken, steak, or fish and roasted veggies while discussing changes for the next scene.  Ruby opened her mouth to see if they needed help when a towering presence appeared behind her.

“You’re eating with me, right?”

“Oh, uh -”  She glanced between Cardin and the props team.  He followed her look before making a dismissive gesture with one hand.  

“They can handle it.  They’re props nerds, right?”

“I guess…” she said, but Cardin was already leading her by one elbow over to the line.  Then he pressed an empty plate into her hands and nudged her toward the first tray of food.

“I’m starving,” he remarked while trailing behind her, loading his plate with mounds of veggies.  “Fake fighting really takes it out of you.”

“It was cool to watch though.”

“Right?  Let’s see the princesses do that.”  

Cardin scoffed at the thought and shoved one of the ladles back into the tray.  With anyone else, Ruby might have pointed out that Pyrrha and Weiss seemed equally capable of handling a similar fight scene.  Considering Cardin’s ego, however, she faintly hummed and waited at the end of the table for him.

The wardrobe assistant met them there, still twisting her hands as her eyes flitted between the food and his pristine uniform.  “Wouldn’t you rather change into something more comfortable before eating?” she offered.

“Nah.  This is, like, super comfortable.”

“Ok, but - if anything gets on it, Coco will kill me.”

“Relax.  I’ll be careful.”  When she bit her bottom lip, Cardin set his plate down and playfully massaged her shoulders.  “You just gotta take deep breaths,” he said before imitating them for her.  Far from taking a deep breath, she shot a look at Ruby before sighing.  Somehow, that still convinced him to grin and say, “See?  Everything’s fine.”

She looked just as concerned as when she walked over but, when Cardin picked up his plate, shook her head and left.

“They act like I’m a slob,” he griped.  “Here.”  He unfolded one of the paper napkins and stuck it into his collar like a bib.  “That’ll make everyone happy, right?”

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that,” Ruby offered, but he huffed and led her over to the nearest empty table.  She glanced around before sitting across from him, wondering if it was just her imagination that she had everyone’s attention.  She probably did.  People always noticed, and gossiped about, anyone lucky enough to earn private time with the ‘talent.’

“So why’d you stick with the Ice Queen?” Cardin asked before she even settled in.  “I thought you’d be dying to get away.”

“She’s hard to deal with, but…I don’t know.  I’m a glutton for punishment, I guess.”

“Yeah?  Sadist?  No.  Masochist?”

“One of those.”  Ruby chuckled at his confusion but eventually shook her head.  “And I just wanted to keep things consistent.”

That was the best explanation she could give without launching into Pyrrha’s request, her own well-ingrained stubbornness, and a desire to beat Weiss at this game of wills.  Fortunately, Cardin ate several more bites before shrugging it off.

“Well, I’m going to say this, in all honesty or whatever.”  He waved his fork around before pointing it at her.  “She doesn’t deserve you.”

Her brow rose at the remark, but a smile soon followed.

“Thanks, Cardin.”

“No problem.”  He returned to eating as if the compliment meant very little, but she smiled for a while longer before doing the same.  “You can probably still switch, you know,” he eventually added.  “Tell Glynda you felt pressured or something.”

“I guess I could...I’ll think about it.”

He perked up at that response, but she focused on her plate and hoped that he wouldn't press the subject.  She hadn’t realized that choosing Weiss also meant declining the chance to work with him.  She felt a little guilty about that now, especially when he seemed like a decent guy, even though a bit of a narcissist.

“Hey, do you know how Emerald’s doing?” she asked when his previous PA popped into her head.  He swallowed the bite in his mouth and cleared his throat.  

“No.  Why?”

“No reason.  I just thought you might’ve heard from her.  You two seemed close.”

“Naw.  Haven’t talked to her since she bailed.”  Cardin stabbed his fork into his last piece of broccoli and scoffed.  “I don’t get girls these days.  Pretend like they want something when they don’t, or pretend they don’t want something when they do.  How’s anyone supposed to figure out what’s going through their heads?”

“Well…you can always…ask them,” Ruby gently pointed out, but he made a face and tossed his fork onto his empty plate.

“I’d rather be dishonorably discharged,” he quipped before pulling a silver flask from his breast pocket and shaking it in front of her.  “Which I’m about to do right now.”

“What’s in there?” she asked while he spun off the top and took a swig.

“Water.”  After recapping the bottle, he leaned across the table and lowered his voice.  “The trick is to hide a bottle of vodka in your room, then say you have to pee, make a little swap, and -”

He spread his arms out as if he had just developed the cure for cancer, but her brow rose.

“You’re going to drink on set?”

“I’m supposed to be a drunk soldier,” he explained, waving off her concern.  “It’s method acting.  I’ll teach you about it sometime.”

He winked at her before standing and lightly shoving his empty plate towards her.

“I’d offer to help, but -”  He motioned to the set, where Cinder, Ozpin, and the other actors were already congregating.  “Talk later, cutie,” he added before joining them. 

After watching him slap hands with his scene partners, Ruby shook her head and cleared up the garbage.  She consolidated the leftover food into a single container that some lucky soul would take home, then picked up any trash, and finally wiped down the tables.  Preparation for the last scene was well underway by the time she reclaimed her seat at the PA table.

True to his word, Cardin excused himself after one of the walkthroughs and winked at Ruby upon his return.  From then on, he took swigs from the flask between or during takes, and his ‘fake drunk’ persona morphed into very realistic drunk.  His typically loud laughter rose in volume, he tripped over his feet, and he squinted at Cinder whenever she spoke, much to her growing disdain.  

Surely, everyone else noticed the difference, but no one seemed inclined to say or do anything about it.  Instead, they launched into filming as if nothing were the matter.  Maybe nothing was.  Cardin didn’t become belligerent or difficult to work with - he just laughed and stumbled around a lot.  Since that was exactly what the scene required, and it was getting late, the crew seemed more than willing to let things slide.

It worked, too.  The two older soldiers started the scene with a conversation amongst themselves.  Cardin’s advocate, the one with the accent, pleaded for leniency that the other reluctantly agreed to give.  Then Cardin dragged himself into the ‘office,’ and neither were pleased with his state.  

After a firm talking-to from the man behind the desk, an olive branch was offered in the form of a firm, ‘Clean up your act or else.’  Cardin responded by ranting about how he ‘didn’t need this shit’ from them and ignored his advocate’s words of warning.  ‘Don’t do this, Lieutenant’ and ‘What would Joey think, man?’ fell on deaf ears.  Cardin unceremoniously told them where he would see them next and left the room - and the army, apparently.

It was probably Cardin’s best acting in the entire film so far, making Ruby wonder whether he should drink more often.  That horrible idea flitted from her thoughts when Ozpin announced that they were done for the day.

“Ruby, help break down the set,” Cinder ordered over the walkie, making Ruby’s heart jolt in surprise before she hurried over to the soundstage.  Cardin shook hands with the three actors before hopping down from the set and beaming at her.

“Did I do great or what?”

“You did awesome.”  

Ruby slapped his hand when he raised it, making his uninhibited grin widen.

“Hey, I’m going to take a quick nap,” he added.  “Can you wake me up before you leave?  Don’t wanna sleep here all night.”

“Sure.  I’ll do that.”

With his personal alarm clock set, Cardin winked and shot a finger gun at her before strolling to his room.  Ruby, meanwhile, joined the props team in disassembling the office.

Breaking everything down was always faster than setting up.  No one had to worry about what the finished product looked like anymore.  They just had to put everything back into boxes or loaded onto carts or lifted and carried to the back of the studio.  They worked in inverse order - books and decorations first, then smaller furniture, then finally the giant desks and bookcases.

While waiting for one of the bookcases to be unfastened from the wall, she waved at Jaune as he walked past.

“Good job today!” she called out, but he set his bag on the edge of the stage and glanced toward Cardin’s room.

“Want me to wait for you?” he asked, but she laughed and shook her head.

“I’m fine.  Tell Pyrrha I hope she feels better.”

Jaune’s ears turned deep red in record time, but he cleared his throat and made several meaningless gestures with his hands while sputtering, “I just - you know, want to make sure she’s ok.”

“Right.  Of course.  That’s very sweet of you.”

Her response did nothing to ease his blush, but he nodded once before grabbing his bag and heading out.  Ruby chuckled at his embarrassment, which Pyrrha obviously considered endearing.  

Ruby wanted to say that this was the moment the entire crew had been waiting for, but she knew better than to get her hopes up.  Mostly, she was curious as to how Jaune had Pyrrha’s number and knew where she lived.  Ruby had no idea where Weiss lived and was grateful for the lack of contact outside of work.  But Pyrrha and Weiss were polar opposites, so that wasn’t really saying much.

Weiss and Cardin were also opposites, but in a different way.  Ruby felt that difference once the soundstage had been cleared as she grabbed her bag before heading to his room.  Even if Weiss specifically asked for a similar wake-up call, she would hesitate before knocking.  For Cardin, she didn’t even think twice.

“Cardin?” she called out with a second set of knocks.  “I’m heading out now.”

The door opened moments later, revealing a groggy Cardin Winchester rubbing sleep from his eyes.  His fatigues were wrinkled now - he’d opted not to change, apparently - and his hair stuck up on one side, but he smiled when he saw her.

“Already?” he asked, stretching his arms high above his head before stepping into the hall.

“It’s getting late,” she pointed out while stepping back to accommodate him.

“Yeah, I guess.  I just thought you’d wanna…hang out or talk or something.”

When he ran his fingers through his ruffled hair, she was suddenly struck by a sad thought - maybe he was lonely?  She couldn't see how when he was talking to people all day, but she shifted her bag on her shoulder and said, “Ok…sure.  What do you want to talk about?”

That woke him up.  His eyes flashed with excitement before he took several more steps into the hall, saying, “Let’s see…” while swinging his arms back and forth.  Eventually, he stopped and turned back to her.  “How about…the Ice Queen.”

Ruby blinked at the remark and accompanying mischief playing upon his smile.

“What about her?”

“Don’t you ever want to, I don’t know, piss her off?”

“All the time,” she admitted with a laugh.  “Imagining it keeps me sane.”

“Yeah?”  His eyes flashed again, and his smile grew even more mischievous.  “What if I told you that I know something that’ll make her really, really mad, but she can’t do a damn thing about it.”

“I’m listening…”

Her smile fell a little when Cardin glanced around, confirming that no one else was around, and leaned in as if imparting a big secret.

“You know how she, like, hates when people touch her stuff, right?  Especially me.  She goes crazy when I mess with her things.”

“Right…”

“Well…”  His eyes flitted away again before he moved closer.  “She considers you to be ‘her stuff.’  If you get what I mean.”

His wink made it abundantly clear what he meant, but Ruby laughed nervously and inched backward.

“I’m not really hers, you know.  I was just hired to help her.”

“Right, right.”  He waved off the technicality and matched her steps, silently pursuing.  “She doesn’t care though.  Thinks she’s in charge of everything.  Is she in charge of you?”

“Of course not.”  

Ruby’s heart kicked into high gear when her back met the wall and he put his hands on either side of her, blocking her in.  She could smell the alcohol on his breath and feel the warmth radiating from his skin.  That was when she realized, in a horrible, pit-opening-in-her-stomach type of way, how much bigger and stronger than her he was.  She could push him as hard as she could and he probably wouldn't even budge.

“I don’t actually want to make her mad,” she tried a different way.  “I just like imagining it.  I really just want her not to hate me.”

“Hate to break it to you, cutie, but she hates everyone.  Might as well have a good time and ruin her day in the process, right?”

If Ruby could melt into the wall, she would.  Instead, she gawked at him before shaking her head.  “I really don’t want to…” she said, silently squirming to the side.  But he didn’t move his arm.  He didn’t even believe her, as his eyes plainly revealed.

He opened his mouth to say something but suddenly froze.  Ruby needed another second before she understood why, and a second after that to identify the sound storming toward them: heels tapping angrily across the studio floor.

“Get your disgusting hands away from her.” 

Weiss planted both hands on Cardin’s shoulder and shoved so hard that he stumbled off balance and nearly fell onto the floor.  After steadying himself, he regained his typical, arrogant smile and dusted off his shirt.

“Damn, Weiss.  Relax.  We’re just chatting.”  

When he winked at Ruby, Weiss scowled and jabbed a finger into his chest.

“Wink at her again and a doctor will be surgically removing my stilettos from your forehead.”

“God, you’re such a buzzkill,” Cardin griped, his words slurring.  “We just had a great day without you.  Now you have to stomp in here and ruin the fun?”

“Does it look like she’s having fun, you fucking imbecile?” 

Cardin blinked at the heated question, as if he’d never considered the possibility that Ruby wouldn't be having fun, while Weiss grabbed Ruby’s hand and tugged her away with a firm, “Come on, Ruby.”  

Ruby didn’t need to be told twice.  Not that she had much say in the matter with how tightly Weiss squeezed her hand.

“I can’t fucking believe him,” Weiss seethed while dragging Ruby to the exit, so spitting, raging mad that her other instances of anger now looked like lighthearted jokes.  “Nothing gets through that thick skull into his moronic brain.  I don’t care who the fuck he thinks he fucking is, I’m calling Glynda right now and getting him kicked off this set -”

“Wait, no, don’t call Glynda.”  

Mind finally catching up, Ruby shook her head and pulled her hand out of Weiss’.  

“What?”  Weiss scoffed and shook her head.  “Why not?”

“I just - I don’t want to cause trouble.”

“‘Trouble??’  He’s the one causing trouble.  He’s the one who should be fired.  You did nothing wrong and have every right to call him out for it.”

“But nothing happened…”

Ruby could hardly get her voice above a whisper; Weiss’ overwhelming anger instantly evaporated.

“Are you alright?” Weiss asked instead, something close to genuine concern in her voice as she lightly touched Ruby’s elbow and peered into her eyes. 

“Yeah, I -”  Blinking away tears, Ruby clenched her shaky hands into fists, took a deep breath, and nodded.  “I’m fine, yeah.”  

Weiss studied Ruby so closely that it felt like she might be reading Ruby’s thoughts.  Quickly growing uncomfortable under the inspection, Ruby cleared her throat and said, “What’re you doing here?  It’s your day off.”

“I misplaced my lines.”  

Weiss threw a dismissive wave in the direction of her room but didn’t move.  

“Want me to help find them?” 

When Ruby moved toward the door, Weiss grabbed her elbow.

“It’s fine.”  Weiss released Ruby’s elbow and stared, brow furrowed, seemingly taken aback that Ruby even considered going back inside.  Escaping that gaze, Ruby glanced at the black town car parked at the sidewalk, engine still running and chauffeur waiting inside.

“Are you hungry?” Weiss abruptly asked.

“‘Hungry?’”

“Yes.  Do you want something to eat?”

“Oh.”  Dinner felt like a lifetime ago, but Ruby couldn't imagine eating with her thoughts racing like they were.  Declining the offer would be impolite though, so she said, “Uh, I mean, it’s kinda late…”

“And?  You inhale everything the production sets down.  I know you can eat.”

Ruby could always eat.  She loved eating.  Besides, if she went home right now, she might cry.  She wouldn't cry in front of Weiss.  So, even though it was probably a bad idea, she glanced around the empty streets before blowing a breath through her lips and offering a small smile with an even smaller, “Ok.”