Day 8 is a free day!

Enjoy!

Weiss let out a long sigh. Under normal circumstances, she'd never imagined doing such menial work as data entry, but at least it was easy and she could do it quickly, leaving her more time to spend with Ruby. She closed down the window as she finished her task and quickly checked her bank to see that her investment had done fairly well the last couple of months, meaning that the money she'd gotten from her work could be used for things other than her tuition to Beacon Academy.

Weiss pulled up the online order she'd been eyeing for a while and hit the buy button without another thought, resolving herself to her plan for the night.

"Hey Weiss… you said six and it's after six already!" Ruby whined from where she was supposed to be reading a text book on Weiss's bed.

"So it is." Weiss hummed as she turned to find Ruby with her arm draped over her eyes and the text book laying on the floor. "You know, you wouldn't be so bored if you'd just gone to Vale with JNPR."

"Yeah, well… it wouldn't be the same without you." Ruby's honesty made Weiss blush. She couldn't imagine how Ruby's words were always so honest, but she felt the same way about her hyper girlfriend. But madly in love as she was, that didn't mean she couldn't make her squirm a bit.

"Touching… so we can stay in tonight then? Because I'm kind of tired now-" Weiss hadn't even finished her statement when she was interrupted by a kiss as rose petals floated down around her, making her smile against Ruby's lips.

"Come on Weiss…" Ruby whined while she pushed herself closer, straddling Weiss on her chair as she wrapped her arms tightly around her. "We gotta go to the festival!"

"I heard it's supposed to rain you know." Weiss said in yet another poor attempt to get out of the social engagement. "And I'm sure I could find a better way to entertain you…"

Ruby groaned and sunk in Weiss's arms, her lips coming to rest on Weiss's neck. Weiss held Ruby tight as she sighed at her girlfriend's attempt to get her to relax. It was strange how easily Ruby managed to get her to unwind sometimes, but Weiss knew it was as much for Ruby's sake as her own. It just proved how well they worked together in all parts of their lives.

"So… want to get ready?" Ruby asked as she peppered light kisses up and down Weiss's neck as she pretty much pinned the older girl into her chair.

"Mmm…" Weiss hummed with her eyes shut. "Maybe five more minutes of this…"

Ruby giggled as she placed one more peck against Weiss's neck and moved to capture her lips instead. Ruby took her time, savouring the intimacy of their contact and sighed as she released her partner, leaning back to take in the rosy blush her cheeks had taken on.

"Come on… we'll have plenty of time to enjoy each other under the stars… with some freshly cooked food… and you in your pretty new dress…" Ruby's tone was flirty, and Weiss swallowed hard as Ruby rested her forehead against her own, their eyes staring deeply into each others. A sigh escaped Weiss's mouth in a sharp exhale, and Ruby smiled as she backed off a little.

"Those eyes should be illegal." Weiss groaned as she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. "Fine, let me up and I'll get ready."

"Alright!" Ruby exclaimed as she jumped off Weiss and zipped over to the closet to get their dresses out.

Already used to the routine they'd established, Weiss picked herself up and headed to the washroom as Ruby appeared to hand her the outfit she'd previously agreed to wear.

It's not like the street festival they were going to was anything special either. It was just a dozen or so food vendors, interspersed with a handful of gift or game vendors taking up a lesser used walking path in the park down the street from the air strip in Vale. The event was held annually, and as everyone closed up to go home, they'd shoot fireworks off in the evening because the park had an excellent view of the ocean.

Nobody really knew why they had started the festival originally, it just seemed like something fun to do, so it had continued. Not that Weiss would complain about it, it was a nice break from school and work she could spend time with Ruby at. And it was fairly inexpensive compared to other attractions she'd had to pass over in the last few months in order to pay her tuition.

Not that she was complaining, the headmaster had been very helpful in allowing her to make monthly payments instead of the lump sum normally asked for by the school. He'd even allowed her to delay her payments to match up with the end of the month instead of the start. The combination had allowed her to put the money from her first pay period toward an investment that was finally, after months of collecting her spare change, turning enough profit to pay her tuition.

Of course, she hadn't mentioned it to Ruby as she was slowly working on a second similar investment that she wanted to keep for a rainy day… or the odd twenty-times variable-zoom rifle scope with infrared and night vision attachments that Ruby found in a weapons catalogue.

Weiss finished changing and headed out of the washroom to find Ruby already waiting with their jackets over her arm.

"Wow, Weiss!" Ruby squealed as she looked her partner down and back up. "You look great!"

Weiss smiled and did a small spin before stopping in a curtsy for Ruby who looked wonder-struck. In fact, the dress wasn't that different than her normal white combat outfit. The skirt was just a hair longer, and rimmed with red that faded to a speckling of red dots that were reminiscent of the rose petals Ruby's semblance gave off the higher the skirt went to her waist. At her waist, a thick glacial white belt with a silver-finished steel buckle wrapped around her. Her top was strapless, her shoulders were exposed, and the top of the dress faded gradually from white to a muted light blue that barely caught your eye with how gradually the fade was. To top it all off, she wore a pair of silver diamond-shaped ruby earrings Ruby had given her on her birthday.

Weiss straitened from her curtsy and smiled as she let her eyes drift up and down Ruby's outfit. "Thank you, Ruby. You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself."

Weiss could only smile wider as Ruby's entire face went red. Weiss made sure to make it painfully obvious that her eyes were drifting over Ruby's exposed shoulders, and down past her sweetheart neckline of her blood red top to the black corset that was embroidered with red rose patterns. A black leather belt held a pair of pouches on her waist as was common for her combat attire, but her skirt faded from the dark red of her top to an inky midnight blue at the bottom. Tiny specks of silver sparkled out at Weiss giving her the impression of looking at a midnight sky.

But Weiss didn't stop there, her eyes shifted down to take in the exposed thigh above Ruby's black thigh-high stockings that let just the barest glimpse of her skin through. Her feet were also already wearing a pair of black flats with a red bow on them instead of her usual combat boots. As Weiss worked her eyes back up slowly, she knew that she'd need to make sure Ruby knew just how good she looked.

"Absolutely hypnotizing." Weiss breathed as she stepped up to Ruby, who wasn't making eye contact with her. She couldn't help the small chuckle that slipped out, that Ruby could tease her so much at times, but couldn't handle it when Weiss returned the treatment. She gently placed a finger on Ruby's chin and directed her to look back at her, though neither one's eyes met as the distance between them disappeared.

In place of looking into those beautiful silver orbs, Weiss instead tasted the gentle lips of the radiant girl before her. In the time they'd been together this had become a regular occurrence once Yang had stopped teasing them every time they happened to be in her presence. To Weiss it was a constant reminder that Ruby was there for her, regardless of anything that happened in their lives.

Likewise, Weiss's gentle caresses reminded Ruby that Weiss wasn't just her girlfriend, she was her best friend in the world, the one she could go to when things got tough and everything would be okay.

Weiss smiled as she pulled away, watching as silver eyes opened to meet her own.

"Lets get going, shall we?" Weiss asked as she took her jacket from Ruby's arm and swung it around her shoulders as Ruby did the same with a flutter of rose petals.

"Weiss, where are we going?" Ruby asked as Weiss pulled her along down a side street just minutes away from their destination. "The festival is that way!"

"Right here, Ruby. Relax…" Weiss placated her eager partner as she stopped her outside a shop. "I have something to pick up. I already ordered it, so I'll be back in a couple minutes."

"Well, I'll just come in then." Ruby started forward only for Weiss to catch her.

"Not if you don't want me returning it." Weiss replied firmly as she looked at Ruby with a raised brow. Ruby groaned and leaned against the wall before waving her hand to shoo her partner away. "I won't be long."

Ruby watched through the window as Weiss asked at the counter for whatever she'd ordered. The worker picked a couple small boxes and showed them to Weiss who nodded and picked up the small items, placing one of them in her pouch and one in her jacket's pocket. Ruby wasn't quite sure what they were since Weiss had been standing in the way most of the exchange. As Weiss promised, she made her way out of the shop quickly, and took Ruby's hand before pulling her along behind her.

It wasn't long before Ruby and Weiss had gone through the couple dozen vendor stalls, sharing some chili fries and a corn-dog as they went. They passed some suspicious-looking food they didn't buy out of a fear of food poisoning, but that was likely for the best. As was usual with Weiss's budget and Ruby's savings being critically low, they just watched as others played the overpriced carnival games and Ruby almost wanted to take Weiss back for a piece of the jewelry that another vendor was selling. It was obviously fake, but that one piece had caught her eye.

By the time they entered the clearing beyond the stalls, the evening had turned dark and the sun was below the horizon, casting the last rays of purple light across the sky.

"The fireworks will start soon." Weiss mentioned as she caught Ruby looking back at the jewelry vendor again. "Ruby, I promise you that you'll forget all about that necklace by the end of the evening."

"But it was so pretty… it reminded me of you." Ruby replied as she leaned in and gave Weiss a kiss on the cheek. "It would look great with your dress too."

"I've never been one for necklaces." Weiss shrugged and pulled Ruby away from the crowd that was gathering so they'd have a nice unobstructed view of the firework show.

"You wear a necklace all the time." Ruby raised an eyebrow at her partner who only shrugged.

"And you wear a cape. It's no different." Weiss replied, with a gentle smile as she cupped Ruby's cheek. "My grandfather gave it to me. It used to belong to my grandmother. I don't remember her much, but he was always the nicest of everyone in my family. We got along great…. Unfortunately, he passed when I was fourteen."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Ruby mumbled as she tried to break eye contact only for Weiss to keep her face cupped with her hand.

"You did nothing wrong, Ruby." Weiss smiled, to let her know she wasn't upset. "In fact, you've been doing everything right."

Ruby didn't know how to respond, but was saved as the scream of the first flare ripped through the air. Ruby turned with her partner just to see it explode into a dozen stars that fizzled and crackled as they faded from existence. As if it was a call for reinforcements, the air was suddenly filled with streaks of brilliantly coloured light and sparkling explosions. The air was filled with quiet pops as everyone looked on in awe.

Weiss looked to Ruby and smiled at the display reflected in her eyes. As if on cue, Ruby turned and met Weiss's eyes with her own. Suddenly, the fireworks didn't seem as beautiful as the sparkle in the eyes Weiss stared into. So enamoured was she, that she missed Ruby swallowing hard as she gazed back.

"I have something for you." Weiss's whisper was almost drowned by the fireworks and people talking not too far away. But Ruby, having eyes only for her partner couldn't have missed it.

Weiss reached down and pulled a small box from her pocket and quickly removed its contents before placing the box back.

"I… I realize this isn't really a typical gift, but…" Weiss fell silent as Ruby shushed her gently.

"It's okay Weiss." Ruby reassured her seriously.

"Well… here." Weiss nodded as she took Ruby's left hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger.

"W-W-Weiss?" Ruby stuttered as she took in the white gold ring that had four ruby and diamond settings in a small circular cluster. Of course there was only one thing she thought of when she thought of rings, and she had to wonder what made Weiss want that so soon. But even in her flustered state, she couldn't help but admire the way the ring reminded her of Weiss and herself.

"I… I'm not… I thought they looked nice, and they reminded me of you and me. So I thought…" Weiss blushed and looked down. "I thought they'd be a good promise."

"Promise? Like…" Ruby's eyes grew wide and Weiss nodded bashfully as the true meaning behind the rings sunk in. "Wow…"

Words evaded Ruby as Weiss's words resonated with her. Weiss was promising herself to her of all people. It made Ruby's heart flutter as she realized she had absolutely no problem with that, and even thought it would be kind of nice to have that definitive physical proof of their commitment to each other.

"You like them?" Weiss asked as she showed her own matching ring to Ruby before slipping it on her own hand. "Are you sure you're okay with that? I don't want to rush, but I think it… it feels… right."

"Of course I'm okay with it!" Ruby giggled as she scooped Weiss into a tight hug. "I love them! I love it! I mean, I promise you too! I love you so much!"

"Dolt." Weiss averted her gaze and happened to catch people looking at them as the fireworks died down. "In case you somehow forgot, I love you too. Now kiss me already!"

Ruby only smiled in reply, pulling Weiss into one of their more passionate kisses as the crowd around them dispersed, leaving them alone in an empty field as they simply enjoyed each others presence.

As they parted, Weiss smiled and reached down to her pouch. "I have one more thing for you… I noticed you were looking at it so…"

"Marry me." Ruby said, dead serious as she read the box of the new rifle scope Weiss held in her hand.

"One day, Ruby…" Weiss sighed dramatically before putting it back in her pouch. "Let's just enjoy the moment for now. I love you."

"I love you too Weiss." Ruby hummed as she started leading them slowly back to their home.