Ruby Rose | Team RWBY (eyesofsilver) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2018-01-09 18:31:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, jaune arc, ruby rose |
Who: Jaune and Ruby
What: Meeting of the Socially Awkward
When: 11 December 2017
Where: Emerald City Cafe
Warnings: Low
Status: Log | Complete
The Emerald City Cafe had been a favorite local haunt for many of the kids going to UC Irvine, but Jaune had hardly ever been inside its doors. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy a cup of coffee if he really needed one, or that the concept of a lend and leave library didn't appeal to him... he just didn't get out much.
Today, though, he'd decided to go and enjoy the snowy weather, maybe get a cup of hot cocoa, and... perhaps... a job application. Who knew? Places like this tended to hire college kids all the time, he figured.
He bounded on into the cafe, rubbing his hands together and wishing he'd ever thought he'd need a scarf. Or mittens. Or a coat that wasn't a hoodie. Then he took a step to the right, and landed his elbow right into someone. "Oh my gosh I am SO sorry are you okay!?!"
Too much. Too much was again going on. Ruby had been doing better with the working herself to exhaustion thing since falling asleep at Emerald City
Cafe right before Thanksgiving. She’d started to make sure she took time to sleep. Made sure to break up her studying and project building. Okay there was the feeling bad about not wanting to move out of her dad’s because of all the complicated feelings of being pulled in too many directions… but things had mellowed out even with Pyrrah’s arrival on the network.
Then she had gotten Logan’s text and it was to the hospital and doing her best to talk to Blake and help her, and now it was suddenly finals week and oh yeah… there was studying she really needed to do. Okay so she was probably okay on the finals thing given how much she’d been studying to bury herself in things as opposed to Dream related guilt. But still… studying.
Which was why she was again at Emerald City Cafe. She needed the comfort of hot chocolate and to sit down and just study. That was her main thought process as she she waited. Only to feel herself getting elbowed, which nearly threw her off balance. Before the Dreams and training, it probably would have knocked her over (Ruby wasn’t exactly the most graceful of people) but as it were, no falling over. Though as she heard the voice? Internal flailing began to happen. She had promised Jaune she’d save Pyrrah. But he and Ren and Nora had still decided to travel with her to Mistral… okay. Breathe.
“It’s okay, I’m fine!” Smiling some, Ruby shifted some. “See, totally fine.” Okay so apparently running into people quite literally was going to be her way of meeting people. Blake coming to her aid because of the mean guy at the bookstore, Weiss here of all places and getting yelled at because of that…. Now Jaune. Such was life.
"Are you sure? I kind of really elbowed you there..." Jaune shifted from one foot to the other nervously, while staring at the place on Ruby that his elbow had made contact with. What he was hoping to see there wasn't clear, maybe a glowing button that said 'injured' or 'no, really, it's all fine here'. It wasn't until he'd stared far too long at Ruby's chest-level area that he realised that was probably... really awkward.
Which was par for the course for him, especially in public. Why was he such a klutz? Even after this many self defense classes. It was pitiful, and Jaune felt like he'd probably just scared this poor woman off by accidentally coming off like some creepy stalker man.
His hand lifted up behind his head and his eyes darted off to the side, "Right, Haha, sure, you're probably fine. Good, that's good. But I feel bad. I know! I should buy you something!"
Go team nervous and awkward! Though even Ruby was getting uncomfortable as Jaune kept staring at her chest. Definitely not something to comment about, especially on the network. She doubted she’d be able to keep Weiss and Yang from attacking him for that even if he meant nothing about it. Random guy being all ‘omg I love you’ just because of how she explained things while studying had been bad enough. Plus her dad was on the network even if she had just noped right out of that and decided to bury herself in her studying.
So instead she just quirked a brow but then it seemed he realized that he was staring and things went back to normal. Or as normal as they could be. Though the offer to buy her something caught Ruby off guard.
“You really don’t have to.”
"Please don't take it like some creepy... creeper man thing, you can totally say no. But don't say no, because... look, my elbow didn't mean to get fresh with you, and my eyes definitely didn't, and I'd like to make it up to you by buying you a not creepy hot chocolate or a coffee and you can just take it and go if you want." The girl seemed really nice, and Jaune felt like the more he talked the further into his mouth his own foot was getting shoved.
He glanced down at his toes, and sighed, "So... yeaah... today is not my best day ever. I'm sorry."
Ruby bit her lip some but smiled and nodded some. “Well. If it will make you feel better, I wouldn’t turn down a peppermint hot chocolate.” Because she definitely knew how awkward it could be to run into someone and want to make it up. And accepting an offer for hot chocolate was probably a lot nicer (no, definitely a lot nicer) than yelling at him for something that really didn’t matter at the end of the day.
“We all have those days, so it’s okay. And I definitely get that.” Because she did. There were just days that were not great. Very not great.
"Oh thank God," Jaune breathed, then motioned towards the register. There was still a line, one that was lining up even longer behind them while other customers had waited for Jaune and Ruby to move along. He motioned forward with his hands, taking extra care not to hit her with them again somehow, and then took a step. "Sooo... I'm Jaune Arc. They always misspell it when they write it on the cups at Starbucks, which is one reason I like coming here instead. And I trip over my own shoelaces a lot, and probably should stop going out in public. Like... ever."
He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and fumbled with opening it, hoping to get his payment ready before they got to the register. That way they didn't hold up the line any further. "It's a nice Cafe, you probably go here a lot? Not that I'm trying to stalk you. I'm just making conversation."
Ruby followed along in the line, making sure not to say that she already knew Jaune’s name given that would be really creepy and hard to explain given it was because they were friends in the Dreams. So instead she nodded some. “I’m Ruby Rose. And I have a bad tendency of running into people without meaning to.” Since the two did have the awkward thing going for them. But also to let Jaune know that she definitely knew how it went.
“It is. I study here a lot.” To the point of falling asleep that one time but she was better about that at least.
"Oh you do?" That was kind of a relief. Jaune let out another breath he'd forgotten he was holding, and offered Ruby a shy smile. "I'm kind of glad to hear it... well, both of those things? Maybe? I heard somewhere that social awkwardness loves company." That probably wasn't the real phrase, but
Jaune didn't really care. He nodded confidently, certain he was citing it correctly, and then added. "But... I'm sorry, too. I don't think it's a feeling that anyone actually enjoys feeling. I know I don't."
"I was thinking of looking for work here, but now I'm thinking, maybe that's not the best idea." Delivering hot beverages to people when someone was at uncoordinated as Jaune? "I'd just get someone burned. Probably myself."
Nodding at the question, Ruby responded. “Yep. I met one of my friends when she came to my defense after I accidentally ran into someone and then the other by running into her though she wasn’t really nice about it at first.” But that was Weiss for you. As Jaune rambled about phrases that weren’t exactly accurate and then saying it wasn’t a great feeling, Ruby smiled some and shrugged, “No, it’s not the best feeling but… I don’t know. I figure if people can put up with it then they’re definitely meant to be your friends even if it can be really uncomfortable at times.”
A lot of the times.
But right, onwards in the conversation!
“Yeah? Well… I guess that is a risk but you never know unless you try. Which I mean is also life but still. It doesn’t hurt to at least see you know?”
"It kind of would hurt if I burned myself or someone else, though..." Jaune didn't sound particularly sure of this. "But I might really need the money. They keep telling me the cafeteria is still open over break, but I lost that fifty dollars to Cardin and I probably should be working." After all, if he could manage to hold down a job as... well, just about anything at all, that would probably improve things with his parents.
He gave Ruby a shy smile as they stepped up to the counter, "Who knows, maybe there's a promising career as a barista in my future?"
The person behind the register shrugged their shoulder at that, handing him a job application before taking their order. Jaune let Ruby order first, then added his own and pulled out some cash.
“Okay the coffee would hurt, but not the trying.” As Jaune talked about the cafeteria and losing money to Cardin, all she could do was blink. She hadn’t been on the network much with finals coming up and so had missed his arrival on the network. Though hearing Cardin was there? She really hoped he wouldn’t show up on the network.
Returning the smile, she nodded, “Exactly. Never shoot something down because you never know what may happen.”
Giving her order, the 19 year old rocked on her heels some before heading to where they would pick up their drinks.
Jaune rubbed his hand nervously behind his head and let out a laugh before grabbing the application and heading down to the other end with Ruby.
"So... uh... is this where we talk about our Majors? I hope not, I haven't picked one yet. What were you here studying for?"
“Mechanical engineering. I’m actually graduating this spring!” Yes, Ruby was 19 and probably looked younger, but she had been accepted into the program two years early if she could pass her GED, which she had. Of course, Ruby also had spent so much time with her projects that even if she had always felt slightly alone because of experience differences along with the typical competition in STEM, she didn’t mind it.
“But that’s okay. I think a lot of people don’t go into college knowing what major they want. Or so I’ve heard. I’m just one of the weird ones.”
"You don't seem that weird," Jaune replied, shrugging his shoulder. "Maybe that's because I definitely am? I mean, I play tea party with my sisters and let them braid my hair, and maybe I don't really have much of anything together. I think it'd be pretty nice to actually know what it is you want to do... really early? It seems kind of early if you're graduating."
Nervous energy made Jaune sound like he'd already imbibed too much sugar or caffeine, but he still gripped on to his newly made iced drink like it was a life raft. "You must be really smart!"
Ruby smiled at Jaune as he rambled. Honestly it was kind of reassuring to know she wasn’t the only one who rambled when nervous. In the Dreams they also had the whole… team leader while not feeling like they were up to it thing going on. Ruby just found her way faster even if now she had to wonder if it was a mistake thanks to the guilt that she tried to bury in schoolwork.
“Yeah, I got accepted into the mechanical engineering program two years early.” Which had its own set of challenges for Ruby to have contended with and the constant competitive nature involved. Not that she minded.
“My sister and I played a lot of games as well, though our dad tended to train her more in the fighting thing so I did the building and tinkering thing with our uncle instead.”
As for being really smart? Ruby shrugged.
“I don’t think I’m any smarter than anyone else. I just always got caught up in my projects and had to study really hard to pass my GED so I could start early. But I had a lot help.”
"Help is nice! My sisters never really helped me with school work and my parents are really busy people... they did help me get some self defense courses, though? At least they think they were helping." He wasn't sure he was ever going to be good at fighting, no matter how good his teachers were. "What kind of games did you and your sister play?"
He glanced around the cafe and at their drinks and added quickly, "Oh, if you don't mind talking, anyway. Now that we have our drinks, I mean."
Ruby nodded, “That makes sense. Parents can definitely get busy. I know my dad can be busy. But I had Yang and Uncle Qrow to help so it all worked out.” Because that was Ruby, always finding a positive and not dwelling. Okay so she also suppressed the bad feelings but that was irrelevant. “But that’s something! Yang’s tried to teach me self defense as well though I’m not really good at the whole...hand to hand combat thing.” Give her Crescent Rose and she was good - at least now after the dreams. But hand to hand? It didn’t matter if it were here or the Dreams. She was not confidant in that.
Before she could answer the question about what she and Yang used to do, Jaune then seemed to think she wouldn’t want to keep talking. She may have come to Emerald City Cafe to study but she was more than happy to talk with him. Yes there was that lingering guilt that she had failed him by not reaching Pyrrah, but she couldn’t dwell on that. He didn’t even know. And they were friends in the Dreams and he and Ren and Nora had joined her to go to Haven.
“I don’t mind! But as for games. Well, there were a lot of video games. Also board and strategy games.”
"Ooo, strategy games! I love those! And not to make too big of a deal out of myself, but they're one of the games that I'm actually kind of... decent at?
Relatively speaking. Those ones and the ones where you build things and manage resources. Like that farming game!" Jaune made a motion with his hands like he was using a hoe to till the land, just in case Ruby had any idea what he was talking about.
"We have this game called Stratego. I'll never forget the look on my sister's face when I beat her the first time. They weren't really..." He trailed off and gave Ruby a sheepish grin, "You know... used to me being good at anything."
“Right?! They’re super fun!” And yay! Someone else who enjoyed strategy games. What? Ruby liked the things she liked. Though she probably shouldn’t have been so surprised. Jaune was a team leader as well in the Dreams because of his strategy skills. Oh well. Giggling some at the motion making, Ruby nodded and sipped her hot chocolate.
“Well, we all have something we’re good at. Sometimes it just takes people longer to find it than others. Like you with Stratego. I’m sure they were super happy once they got over the shock though.”
Ruby Rose, ever the optimist.
"Theeeey might have been. My big sister is the one that got considered for special forces, though, and that's... kind of a big deal. I know there's supposed to be something I'm good at. Maybe it's being socially awkward and buying people hot chocolate?" Jaune shrugged a shoulder at that. He was drifting, his parents had even told him so, and he probably needed direction. He knew that, too, but it was hard to find.
"It was enough of a struggle to get here, and the most I can say is that I don't want to fail. We have plenty of time to figure out lives out, though, right?" He said, laughing nervously.
Ruby nodded thoughtfully then rose her hot chocolate in salute, “To the socially awkward!” It would make more sense once Jaune inevitably began to Dream. While she would prefer he didn’t given the way things had turned out? Well. She knew that wasn’t going to happen so she would just go with it.
“That’s really neat that she got into the Special Forces, though. But hey, sometimes small goals are good for starting out. Like not failing. If you set achievable goals then you can move up and figure things out that way.” It made sense to Ruby at any rate. Everyone had their own lives and pasts and had to figure out which way they wanted to go. There was no shame in that. “The important thing is you want to figure it out even if it takes time.”
Jaune toasted her with his coffee, and gave her a sheepish smile. "Thanks. You know, you're... pretty easy to talk to. If your engineering career ever doesn't work out - which I'm pretty sure it will - you could maybe look into a career as a therapist or something though."
Sipping her hot chocolate, Ruby blinked at the comment about being easy to talk to and being a therapist. Mostly because socially awkward. While she was generally easy going and friendly, she was still bad at the talking to people thing. It was just knowing Jaune in the dreams helped. Oh well.
“You’re not the first person who seems to think that. The easy to talk to bit. But I guess it’s an idea of engineering doesn’t work out. It’s still in the helping people vein.”
"You'll probably never have to worry about it anyway. You seem really smart, you're probably going to be some fancy, rich engineer someday, right?
And then you'll get to be in a room somewhere inventing things or building them and never have to deal with people. That's probably better." Jaune thought it sounded better, though he took a long sip of his coffee and then added, "But helping people... that's what I want to do."
Ruby shrugged, “I mean that’s not why I want to build things, the being rich and all. I want to be able to build things that will help people, like in Puerto Rico where they still don’t have electricity, or places that are dealing with drought and finding a way to bring them food which I know is like… probably years too advanced. But so long as what I create can help people, I’ll be happy.”
Smiling, Ruby sipped her hot chocolate, “See! You do know what you want to do. It’s just figuring out the how of it, which I’m sure you’ll be able to do.”
"What's happening there is really... really bad, yeah." Jaune frowned a bit, his face falling for a moment as he thought about it. "I don't make any money, but I asked my parents to donate. They're uh... not exactly..."
He trailed off and held a hand up in the air, dipping it up and down in the universal gesture of 'so-so'. "Progressive. Not exactly progressive, that's what I want. They voted for Trump."
That seemed safe to say. Ruby didn't seem like the type who'd be a Trump Supporter. "... anyway, yeah. I gave blood, though? It was all I could do.
And hey, maybe getting a job here and making sure everyone's orders are good and stuff, maybe that'd be a way to help people for now. Every little thing, right?"
Ruby just nodded understandingly (mostly) to the comment about Jaune’s parents having voted for Trump. It was just one of those things that didn’t make sense to to her. Yes, she knew that not everyone agreed on things, let alone politics. But it was one of those things where she just didn’t understand how people could support someone so cruel. But…. not her place to say anything.
“It is. And yep, every small bit helps. I know there are places taking donations. Not just money but food and supplies, so donating blood definitely
helps. But yep! Even small kindnesses and just a good start can go a long way in the lives of people!”
"OKay. I'm gonna do it." Jaune slapped his hand on the table and nodded his head, like he was making one of the most important decisions of his life.
Of course he wasn't, it was only a decision about part time employment. But for him, it was a really big step.
Especially since retail of any form wasn't the type of career for the socially inept. He held up the application, "Might as well start somewhere, right? Maybe they have discounts. You know, so I can buy my friends peppermint hot cocoa all the time?"
Grinning, Ruby nodded. “That’s the spirit!” Because hey, even seemingly small steps could actually be big ones. “I think this will be the start of a beautiful friendship.”