The Leftovers

“Show a bit of leg,” Maria suggested for what must have been the dozenth time since Cinder had grabbed the three of them and drug them upstairs. 

“I’m trying not to come on too strongly,” Cinder protested as they worked on putting together an outfit for her outing with Winter. 

“My sister will approve if you do,” Weiss said as she frowned and put an outfit away with no reason given. 

“Plus mini golf and walking at the zoo so you gotta be comfy!” Ruby said as she spun around in her chair from the upstairs apartment with the restaurant down below.

“You’re replacing that if you break it,” Cinder threatened her co-owner slash younger sister figure who waved her off knowing how meaningless the threat truly was. 

“Here,” Weiss said after another few minutes. “My sister will love it and it’s tasteful while still offering a hint of what you have to offer,” Weiss said and shivered when she realized she was helping Cinder seduce her older sister. 

She’d just try really hard not to think about that part. 

“Nice,” Cinder complimented Weiss, looking it over and nodding with approval. “Now scram I gotta get dressed and ready for this.”

“You’re kicking me out of my own house? We share it!” Ruby complained even as she got up to leave. 

“Go play video games in my office for a bit and pretend to run the diner at least,” Cinder dismissed her. 

Maria rolled her eyes as she began leaving with the other two following with Weiss pausing at the door. 

“You want a free show of what your sister is shooting for?” Cinder snarked at Weiss who pinked but shook her head. 

“You will treat my sister right. I don’t care about whatever else happens but you will do that or I will make your life as unpleasant as I possibly can, and I assure you it’ll be far worse than you think,” Weiss threatened the older woman. 

Cinder blinked for a moment before she smiled and snapped her fingers. “That’s why Maria likes you. I get it now.”

Weiss as expected blushed and slammed the door shut. 

Whelp time to get ready for this!

Weiss found the other two at the bottom of the stairs waiting for her. 

“Don’t you actually have a business to run, and a job to do?” Weiss asked the two. 

Maria shrugged clearly not caring and Ruby looked away in faux innocence. 

“I mean…kinda, but I like spending time with you guys,” Ruby said poking her fingers together guiltily. 

“It’s fine. I’ll get back to work. Yer sister is clearly going out, so meet us back here in a few hours when we close and we’ll just,” Maria trailed off in thought. 

“Spend time getting to know each other?” Weiss asked and Maria smirked in response. 

“Oh, you can bet on that. Run along then. We’ll see you in a bit,” Maria said as she winked at her and walked back toward the kitchen while putting her hair net back on. 

“Yeah if that’s ok with you Weiss it’d be super cool to hang out with you more! If you want,” Ruby hedged her bet. 

“I’d love to. Should I wear something special for any activity?” Weiss teased. 

“No Cinder stole my mini golf and ice cream idea though so I guess we could just hang out around here and play games, or something,” Ruby grumbled as Weiss gently gave her a pat on the cheek. 

“I’ll be seeing both of you in a bit then,” Weiss said as she took her leave stopping only to greet her sister who was waiting by the door for her. 

Ruby sighed as she watched her go. “Man it bites having to be the responsible one.”

“Good things come to those who wait,” Penny said in an attempt to cheer her boss and friend up. 

Ruby gave her a small smile and went into the office to check over payroll and see if they actually had forgotten to pay Jaune again. 

“How was your lunch?” Winter asked her younger sister as they walked away. 

“Surprisingly good. I had no idea the expiration date on products was a suggestion,” Weiss said as her face turned a bit green. 

“You do know she likely exaggerated how old it was don’t you?” Winter asked. 

“She didn’t, but it was apparently frozen so it was still fine. At least I hope that’s the case,” Weiss admitted. 

“Yes well…I heard that you might be interested in spending time with,” Winter coughed into her hand, finding it awkward to truly speak with Weiss about such things. 

“I heard you’ll be spending some time with Miss Fall,” Weiss struck back and watched Winter almost physically recoil from the accusation such as it was. 

“We’re…Weiss there were penguins. I would get to feed one,” Winter implored her younger sister to understand.

While Weiss didn’t understand her sister’s obsession with penguins she did love her sister. 

“I was merely jesting Winter and I hope you two have a wonderful time,” Weiss said with a pat on her sister’s arm. 

“Thank you, Weiss,” Winter said gratefully. All was silent for a few moments until Winter brought up another topic. 

“You’re not going to…tell mother about this are you?”

“That would depend on whether mother will hear anything about my plans from you wouldn’t it?” Weiss bargained with her sister who winced but pursed her lips in thought. 

“Weiss you don’t,” Winter stopped as she tried to figure out a way to word it more delicately before she sighed. 

“Which one of them do you have the problem with? Or is it both of them?” 

“I have nothing against Miss Rose. In fact I think she’d make a fine companion for you. The only problem with her is her closeness to Miss…Calavera,” Winter admitted as they crossed the pedestrian crosswalk on the way to their destination. 

“Any reason you want to give me?” Weiss asked as she readjusted her hold on her phone slightly. 

“Not…particularly,” Winter said after a few moments. 

“Then I believe I shall continue to see both of them. They seem to be a package deal at any rate,” Weiss said with a wave of her hand.

“At least take a chaperone,” Winter begged as Weiss gave her a look that made her feel like an idiot for the first time in years. 

“Really? Sure I’ll ask Whitley to come and sit in on spending time with two women I’m interested in,” Weiss deadpanned as Winter wilted.

“I just want what’s best for you Weiss,” Winter tried to argue. 

“Well what I want is a solid helping of silver eyes, Winter, and I’m going to get it!” Weiss said with a slightly red face at being so blunt. 

“That all being said I’ll take Whitley along this time to ease your nerves but I’m not doing it again. I’m an adult after all,” Weiss stated. 

“Weiss, you asked me to help you hide the extra pudding you stole from mother last week,” Winter returned as her younger sister’s cheeks pinked. 

“And you asked me to hide reports you hadn’t finished from mother the week before. In fact,” Weiss said as she tapped her perfectly manicured finger to her chin, “ I think that might have been the day you met Miss Fall. You spent the afternoon daydreaming about her instead of working? How bold, sister,” Weiss teased her older sister who refused to look at her. 

“I hope you enjoy the penguins,” Weiss offered as she started down the road back to her own apartment to get ready for the evening ahead of her and allow Winter to return to work. 

“Yes, well, I wish you…luck on your endeavors and will have Whitley escort you over,” Winter said as she rushed away from Weiss so she didn’t have to hear her complain. 

Well Weiss would show her what for! She was hardly going to let it ruin her evening. Whitley was usually the perfect gentleman, as well as a complete mother’s boy. 

Perhaps she’d truly annoy Winter and grant them their own ‘Schneemail addresses’. Winter would hate seeing the private family email for them. They were only supposed to be for Schnees or their spouses but well…maybe if she played her cards right the Schnees would gain a few new members. 

And it would annoy Winter to no end. Hide the pudding indeed! She'd eaten it!

Maria sighed as the last of the evening rush came to an end. Jaune might be irritating but running the entire kitchen mostly by herself was challenging even for her. A shame Ren had moved on, but she wished him and his lass the best.

Maybe she’d badger Cinder for a raise she didn’t need? That might be fun, and depending on how well her date went she might agree without even arguing. She could use it to treat Ruby and maybe Weiss to several fine evenings.

Further thoughts were cut off when a hand with a pack of gum came into her vision. 

Taking the stick of gum automatically she followed the delectable arm up to the only other pair of silver eyes she’d ever seen with a smirk. 

“Tough shift?” Ruby asked sympathetically as she took a position at the sink to help with clean up. 

“The usual. Our house chili always sells well,” Maria responded as she suppressed a grimace at the overly sweet gum. Still, it helped with her craving and as she cast a look to the side she knew it would be worth it. Especially if things with the Schnee worked out.  

Ruby gently bumped their hips together and shot her a grin. “What’s got you thinking in your own head?”

“Where else would I think?” 

“Usually out loud. You certainly didn’t waste any time with Weiss after all,” Ruby joked. 

“About that,” Maria interjected, putting down the pan she’d been scrubbing and waited until Ruby gave her, her full attention. 

“Are we on the same page with her? I know what I want, but I don’t want to lose what I have in pursuit of it,” Maria said as she gently trailed her fingertips along Ruby’s arm. 

“I would have said something if I minded. Besides I never said yes anyway so it’s not like you’re doing anything wrong,” Ruby teased her. 

“Please,” Maria said rolling her eyes as she hooked a thumb at herself, “you want this. Everyone does.”

“I mean I don’t know. Winter was telling me I should try dating Weiss last time she was here when she showed me a picture. She didn’t mention anything about you though except something about an upgrade ,” Ruby prodded her friend who snorted. 

“Jealousy at its finest,” Maria waved the statement away as she resumed scrubbing for a moment and paused. “What did you want to do tonight? I’m sure we’ll play some of yer games, but I mean what else?”

“Well you like to cook and while I’m passable Weiss probably isn’t if what Cinder heard from Winter is true. So I say we just have fun trying to cook some stuff!”

“That’s…not a bad idea at all,” Maria mused as she began trying to plan out a dish to cook that even a beginner could handle. 

“Weiss is apparently a good singer, but I don’t know what else she’d like to do to be honest,” Ruby admitted with a shrug as she put a now dried dish in its place.

“Can’t hurt to ask, and if all else fails we can go out for a movie or something. I’d say we could go upstairs into your place for a board game but something tells me Cinder and her ‘date’ will end up crashing there, and them stumbling in would ruin the mood for all of us really,” Maria said with her face scrunched up in distaste at the mental image that conjured. 

“Ugh yeah,” Ruby agreed. “Maybe just hang out down here then? We got the system in the office and the kitchen is here too so I mean,” Ruby shrugged. 

“Good thing we told her to dress casual,” Maria smirked before she looked down at a message to both Ruby and Maria’s phones. 

“She does know you’re an adult does she not?” Whitley asked, his voice laced with amusement as Weiss sent off a text informing them of Winter’s absurd demands and apologies before she turned to Whitley. 

“She just doesn’t like Maria for some reason she won’t tell me why,” Weiss said dismissively as Whitley pulled out what he’d called a ‘combat skirt’ to present to her for inspection. 

If she hadn’t seen his opened computer tabs once when trying to retrieve the book he’d borrowed she’d have assumed he wasn’t straight, but his choices of viewing material said he very much was. 

She could sympathize honestly. Women were so much better than men in terms of dating at least. 

“But you do,” Whitley teased as his sister took the offered skirt with a nod. 

Weiss took out her phone and tapped a few buttons before showing him a photo of the other two he stared at for a moment. 

“You have a type then,” Whitley stated in amusement. 

“Attractive women,” Weiss deadpanned as she looked around for the shoes she wanted to wear for a casual night in. 

“Hardly. If that were the case you had plenty of suitors and options. Something other than the eyes, which are lovely, has caught your interest,” Whitley said leadingly. 

Weiss pursed her lips in thought. “I don’t actually know. Something was just telling me they were worth getting to know. Like a voice in the back of my head was telling me it would be a mistake and I’d regret it if I didn’t make an effort right then.”

“Ah, the bloodline ,” Whitley teased, mocking one of their former father’s favorite lines. 

“Clearly,” Weiss said with a snort of amusement. “You’d best get ready. I don’t expect you to dress to impress but at least try and look presentable. I…would like to make a good impression if at all possible,” Weiss said quietly. 

Whitley squeezed her shoulder as he left the room and paused at the door. 

“I’m sure the Schnee charm will work its magic. Just be yourself Weiss. They clearly see something they like or I doubt they’d invite you over after one meeting.” 

Her brother was right, for once. She was going to do this, and she was going to make a hell of an impression. She was Weiss Schnee, and she was going to bring in two new members to the Schnee family! Probably. 

“Oh my. Yes I’ll spend some time with him. It does seem a bit silly that her sister is making him chaperone, but I can use the overtime. Actually, did you pay Jaune this week?” Pyrrha asked as she handed the photo Weiss had sent to them of Whitley. 

“Cinder spelled his name wrong on the check so it bounced back. I just gave him cash this time, and we’ll put yours as super overtime, or something!” Ruby assured Pyrrha who went home to quickly change with Penny following her out the door, Ilia riding on her back like a koala as per usual. Apparently Penny ran warm and Ilia found it entirely addicting.

“Ye do know that based on the flush on her face you didn’t have to pay her anything to hang out with the beanstalk right?” Maria asked. 

“Well yeah but now she’ll be super motivated to hang out with him right?” Ruby asked guilelessly as Maria gently poked the other woman's forehead with her pointer finger. 

“If I didn’t know you were well off I’d swear you had no idea how to manage money,” Maria lamented. 

“Aw come on. Are you saying you don’t want me to go overboard on birthday and solstice gifts?” Ruby asked. 

“You’d better,” Maria said with an amused smirk in her direction. “Especially if you want me to wear that costume you picked out for Halloween.”

Ruby smiled at that albeit with a fair amount of red on her cheeks. She very much did want that. 

“Enough daydreaming. Let’s make sure everything is ready for Weiss, yes?” Maria asked as they performed a final check over everything in the diner. Hopefully things would work out well. She had a good feeling about it.