Chapter Text
"Remind me why I'm here with you again?"
This time, Blake didn't even bother to look up from the curios she was poring over. "Because," she spoke in a tone tinged lightly with annoyance. "You need to get out of the house as much as I do, and this is one of the few places that's quiet."
As much as she hated to admit it, she had a point. Weiss merely sighed and folded her arms. She never liked antique stores. They were too dreary, too musty, and too tacky. Decrepit little stores selling decrepit little knick-knacks that no one had any real use for, but got them anyway because they were 'kitchy'. A waste of time and money, at least in her eyes.
When Blake had dragged her out to go shopping with her at the Squinting Raven, she had been reluctant. But she had also been a little stir-crazy, so against her better judgment, she had come. And here she was, stuck watching her best friend in her apparent element, while she was nervously wondering if the shrunken heads next to the wooden dolls were actually real.
"Your friend seems to be enjoying herself."
Weiss nearly jumped at the grey-haired shopkeeper appearing next to her. The tall woman turned to Weiss and smiled warmly, the white-haired girl inching away slightly. "Have you managed to find anything you like?"
A scathing remark formed on Weiss' lips, but she squashed it in favor of something less biting. "Not really. I'm not exactly a...curio person."
The shopkeeper tsk'd, shaking her head slightly causing the bobbles in her hair to clack. "Young people these days, no love of the past. So many things here from times long ago, and nothing interests you?"
"Afraid not. Today I'm the role of chaperone, not shopper."
The shopkeeper smiled and held up a hand. "I think I have something that might interest you."
'I doubt it.' Weiss thought, but suppressed it, and instead gave a noncommittal shrug. The store owner scurried off, disappearing into the back room.
"What do you think?" Weiss faced Blake, eyes immediately locking onto the mahogany chest she held in her heads. The lock was gold, and carved on the side of the chest was an image of a roaring dragon, inlaid with yellow paint.
"It's...nice." Weiss replied, with all the sincerity she could muster. "Suits you."
Blake gave a rare smile as she ran her hands over the box. "I think I'll get it. It'll make a nice jewelry box."
"Speaking of which..."
Weiss jumped again at the reappearance of the shopkeeper. In her hand was a beautiful locket in the shape of a white heart, set with a red and black gemstone and held by a silver chain. The white-haired girl had to admit, it looked beautiful.
"Something tells me this is just right for you." murmured the shopkeeper. Without even waiting for Weiss' approval, she slipped it over the girl's head, the locket resting comfortably on her neck.
"Yes! A perfect fit. Yes, it's as if this was made for you."
Weiss turned the heart-shaped locket over in her fingers. It was of impeccable quality, and there were no traces of age present anywhere on the jewelry. She noticed an inscription on the back, "True love lies in a white rose."
"How much is it?" asked Weiss, expecting a hefty price tag. Nothing she couldn't afford, of course...
"Hmmm..." A wide grin broke out on the store owner's face. "Since it looks so good on you, it's be a shame to put something as tawdry as a price tag on it. It's free of charge, miss."
Weiss balked and looked at the locket. Free of charge? It had to be worth at least 40,000 lien. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, I am. And the same goes for your friend and the box."
If this was how the woman did business it was some kind of miracle she was still in operation. But Weiss never questioned free stuff. "Thank you very much." both girls replied.
"Think nothing of it." the shopkeeper replied, waving the girls out. "Come back anytime."
With their backs to store owner, they failed to see the mischievous gleam in her eyes as they left, the sound of the bell over the door echoing throughout the store.
-/-/-/-/-
Weiss looked over the locket in her full-length mirror, eyeing it with a piercing gaze. As much as she tried, she couldn't find anything off about the jewelry. The inside was empty, but that was about it. Why anyone would give her such a rare trinket for free was a mystery to her. The same with Blake and her wooden box.
"The dust in there must've gotten to her brain." Weiss snarked as she shut the locket for the thousandth time.
Three knocks sounded on the door, making Weiss jump. Why was she so skittish today? "Miss Schnee?" came the voice of one of her maids. "It's time for your piano lesson."
"Coming." she replied, throwing the locket around her neck.
-/-/-/-/-
A short piano lesson later found Weiss back in her room. She had barely managed to please the teacher; her thoughts were still focused on the locket. Weiss sat cross-legged on her enormous four poster, staring at it, as though subjecting it to her icy gaze would suddenly cause it to grow vocal chords and confess whatever secrets it held.
"This is ridiculous." she said to herself after a while, flopping back onto the bed. "I've been staring at a trinket for a half-hour. A free, no doubt expensive trinket. Utter nonsense."
She picked up the locket gazing into the red and black gem, marveled by its beauty. Slowly, she ran her thumb over the stone.
A flash of light nearly blinded her, and she dropped the stone in shock, leaping off her bed. Blood-red petals burst into existence, and soon the room was filled with the scent of freshly bloomed roses.
As the light finally dimmed, Weiss saw she was no longer alone. Siting on her bed, looking innocent as could be, was a girl. A girl with short black hair with the ends tipped red. Her fair skin shimmered in the light of the setting sun, but it was the girl's state of dress that truly caught her eye.
It was a red harem outfit like she had seen in books regarding the clothing styles of the Middle East, but thankfully this one was more modest (though the top still exposed a considerable amount of midriff for someone who looked fifteen).
She looked up at Weiss, and the white-haired girl was caught off-guard by her silver eyes, eyes that were so full of life and light and wonder. "Are you my new master?" she asked, tilting her head.
Weiss, for the first time in her young life, was at a total loss for words. As she stood dumbstruck, the brunette hopped off the bed, floating, actually floating over to Weiss, her curly-tipped shoes never touching the ground.
"You're really pretty." she whispered, making Weiss blush, as well as snap out of her stupor.
"Who are you, and what are you doing in my house? No, no, in my room?" Weiss demanded, putting her hands on her hips.
The girl smiled and Weiss felt her face heat up and her heat skip a beat or two. "I'm Ruby Rose! And I'm the genie of the locket!" She thrust her hand out, her smile widening. "Nice to meet you, new master!"
Weiss' voice failed her again, but she managed to find it quicker than the previous time. "I'm calling the police."
"Wait, don't--!" Ruby started before Weiss held up a hand for silence.
"Do you honestly expect me to believe you're a genie?" scoffed the white-haired girl. "Everyone knows genies don't exist."
"That's not true!" Ruby pouted, and Weiss hated to admit it was a cute pout. "There's one right in front of you! Look, I'm floating and everything!" She tried to flip in the air, but only succeeded in making herself slightly dizzy instead.
"Wires." quipped Weiss. "Wires or magnets or something like that." She tapped her chin in thought before an idea popped into her head. "Genies grant wishes, right?"
"Yuh-huh!" confirmed Ruby, nodding her head furiously. "Anything you want, instantly."
"But I only get three, right? Isn't that a rule?"
"Actually," laughed Ruby sheepishly. "We decided a long time ago to get rid of that whole rule. Everyone kept wishing for more wishes."
"So then why not--"
"They also starting wishing for the ability to wish for more wishes."
"Ah." She was smarter than she looked.
"So, c'mon! Any wish you want, and I'll make it happen."
It was the eternal dilemma; if you could wish for anything, what would you wish for? But Weiss Schnee, who had grown up in a privileged world and lived a privileged life, had nearly everything she could ever want.
"Hm...I'd like a car." she finally decided. "Something not too flashy but not too drab, either. In white, of course."
Ruby titled her head in that adorable fashion again. "What's a 'car'?"
For the third time in less than twenty minutes, Weiss was rendered speechless. "How...how do you not know what a car is? How long were you in that locket?"
"Four thousand years, give or take." she shrugged.
"Oh." With a sigh, she grabbed Ruby by the wrist and pulled her towards her window. She pointed down towards the parking lot, at her sister Winter's Prius. "See that? That's a car. Can you 'genie' up something like that?"
Ruby frowned. "I don't appreciate you using genie as a verb."
"Sorry." Weiss replied, looking sheepish. "Can you, though?"
The genie smiled. "Sure! Gimme a sec."
Ruby's eyes shined as she clasped her hands together, and too late Weiss realized what she was doing.
An exact copy of Winter's Prius appeared in the center of Weiss' room. This by itself was bad, but it was made worse by the fact it was conjured five feet in the air.
The car hit the floor with a resounding crash, and then fell through the floor with one three times as loud. Weiss nearly fell through the hole, but was grabbed at the last second by Ruby, who gently floated her down. For the fourth time, Weiss was at a loss for words.
Slowly, she looked at the car that was embedded into the living room floor, then to the maids, who had come running at the sound of the noise, then to the gaping hole in the ceiling where the car had fallen through, and finally to Ruby, who, despite the situation, was smiling from ear to ear, like a child. "A car! Tah-dah!"
An echoing, primal scream burst from Weiss as she tackled Ruby, wrapping her hands around the girl's neck as she throttled her. "You idiotic, completely, and total utter buffoon!" she shrieked, eyes blazing with anger. "What were you thinking!?"
"You--said--you--wanted--a--car!" wailed the brunette, flailing about like a flounder.
"Not in the middle of my room!"
Weiss paused in her strangling when she realized people were staring. "Can you erase memories? Tell me you can do at least that much." Weakly, Ruby nodded. "Good. Then fix my house and make it so none of them remember what happened."
Ruby clasped her hands together and, very much like magic, the car faded away, and the debris from its fall coalesced back into where it had been torn. Blank looks overtook the maids before they left the living room, rigid and silent.
Weiss got up and dusted herself off, before pulling Ruby up by the scruff of her neck and doing the same. "Some rules. One; please don't teleport cars into my room. And that's about it."
"I'm sorry..." Ruby whimpered, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "I messed up again..." Weiss felt her heart plummet at the sight of the girl sulking. "I've always been a screw up. I know I'm not exactly the best genie ever, but I'm trying."
Weiss groaned and rubbed her temples. "It's alright, just...just don't ever genie--"
Ruby frowned.
"Sorry. Just don't ever summon cars into my room again."
The brunette raised her hand. "I promise."
"Good." Weiss walked over to the kitchen, Ruby floating close behind. As the white-haired girl set about gathering things for a snack, Ruby looked around in wonder.
"Are you a kind of princess?" gaped the genie, eyes wide and twinkling.
"Something like that."
"So this is your palace?"
Weiss smirked as she smeared cream cheese on a bagel. "Yeah, palace. Sure." She pointed to the pantry. "You know, if you want something, you're more than welcome to my kitchen."
"Really? You don't mind?"
"Not at all."
With a squeal, Ruby zoomed over to the pantry, grabbing whatever she could. Weiss watched in amazement at the speed the genie girl moved; a black and red blur as she raided the kitchen.
"It's almost cute." Weiss mused as she bit into her bagel. "Like a kid in a candy store."
"What're these?" asked Ruby, holding a large porcelain cookie jar and pulling a chocolate chip cookie out.
"Cookies." Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You've never had cookies before?" Ruby shook her head. "Yeesh, you really have been in there for a long time. Go ahead, try it. It's good."
The second Ruby bit into the cookie, time seemed to stop.
In her immortal life, Ruby had been wishmaker to many people, and had experienced many foods as the eons went by. But never in her life had she experienced the wonder, the splendor, the awe-inspiring deliciousness that was a chocolate chip cookie.
She quickly scarfed it down, then another, and another, and soon her hands were a blur as she all but shoved the cookies into her mouth, the cumulative sugar high making her giggle like a maniac.
"Thesearegoodsogoodsoverygood!" screamed Ruby, shaking the crumbs of the now-empty jar into her mouth. "Cookiesareamazing!"
Weiss blinked and Ruby was inches in front of her, their noses practically touching. "Doyouhaveanymorepleasesay'yes'!"
The white-haired girl backed away in fear, her bagel forgotten as she stared at the hyper Ruby. "N-not really. I don't like sweets, so--"
"Sweetswhat'resweetsaretheylikecookiesdoyouhavemorethingslikethataretheremorecanIhavesomeplease?"
"Ruby, I think you need to calm down--"
"Wishformorecookies!"
Weiss blinked. "Excuse me?"
"WishformorecookiesI say!"
"Why don't you make some?" huffed Weiss. "You're an all-powerful genie."
"Geniescanonlyusetheirpowersintheserviceofwishesasdictatedeitherverballyornon-verballybytheirmasterasoutlinedintheGenieCodeArticle 2Section5Paragraph12canIhavemorecookiesprettyplease?" Ruby gushed out, finishing with another adorable head tilt.
"Uh...um...I wish for more cookies."
Ruby laughed crazily as she held up her hands, cookies suddenly following from the sky. It was raining confections in Weiss' kitchen, and the genie girl was having the time of her life.
When the shower of cookies ended, Ruby sat atop a pile of chocolate chip cookies, munching away happily. "Youknowwhatwouldgogreatwiththeseismilkmilkwouldbeexcellentwiththesecookieswishforsomemilkplease."
Weiss sighed and held her head in her hands, pulling a bit of cookie out of her hair. 'What have I gotten myself into?'
-/-/-/-/-
After another memory wipe/cleanup, Weiss had just finished showering. Ruby, however, was lying in Weiss' bed, groaning and holding her stomach.
"You never told me too many cookies gives you a tummyache." she whined. "Or a headache."
"It's your fault for never learning moderation." Weiss scolded as she toweled herself off. "4000 plus years and you're incapacitated by a sugar crash. Disgraceful."
"You could wish me better..." she moaned.
"There's a thought. Let's see...I wish you were better?"
And very much like magic, Ruby hopped out of the bed, smiling ear to ear and looking very much better. "Woo! You're getting the hang of this wishing thing!"
"Whoopee." Weiss replied flatly, twirling her finger. "Now, out. I'm going to bed. You should, too."
Ruby pouted again and Weiss felt her heartbeat triple. How did she manage to be so adorable? "Can't I sleep with you?"
"I beg your pardon!?" exclaimed Weiss, face bright red.
"I get lonely when I'm by myself. And I finally got a new master after so long..." She sniffled, rubbing a tear from her eye.
Weiss groaned loudly before throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Fine. But only tonight. After that, I'm wishing you up a guest room or something."
"Yay! Thank you, master!"
"And another thing; stop calling me master. It's...creepy. Just call me Weiss."
"Isn't that inappropriate?"
Weiss facepalmed. "I'm deeming it appropriate. So just do it, okay?"
Ruby nodded and hopped back into bed. Weiss, however, didn't. Instead, her cheeks tinged pink as she shuffled awkwardly, gripping her towel. "Um, can you turn around?"
"Why, mas--Weiss?"
"I need to change into my pajamas."
"So what's the problem?"
'If you only knew...' Weiss thought, gripping the towel tighter. "Can you just turn around, you dunce?"
Ruby complied, and Weiss quickly dropped her towel and grabbed her panties and nightgown. Unbeknownst to her, her genie had very good peripheral vision. 'White cotton with blue lace.' she thought, grinning. 'Cuuuuuute...'
After she dressed, Weiss awkwardly climbed into bed with Ruby, who immediately latched onto her with a surprisingly strong grip. "What are you doing!?"
"Snuggling." she replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Why?"
"You can't just grab into someone like that, you...you deviant!"
"What's a 'deviant'?"
"Oh, for God's sake." Weiss sighed. "If you're going to snuggle, fine. But the second your hands go anywhere other than my waist, I'm shoving you back into that necklace. Got it?"
"Sure thing, Weiss!"
"Idiot." whispered the white-haired girl, blushing furiously as Ruby pressed her face against her chest. In no time at all, she was asleep, snoring softly as Weiss held her.
"She's warm..." Weiss commented as Ruby slept, gazing at her calm, serene face. "I suppose I could let her snuggle once in a while."
"You mean it!?" exclaimed Ruby, eyes twinkling.
"What the--you were awake!?"
Ruby smiled and stuck out her tongue. "Maybe?"
"Go to sleep, you dolt!"
--END