Those Of A Lifetime

Extra Chapter: Where To Go From Where We Are

"Ah! I'm sorry! Did I just kick your foot?"

"Yes, but it's fine. Remember, left foot forward right foot side, then bring your left foot together with your right foot."

"Okay... um..." Ruby began to look down at her feet while trying to remember the steps.

"Ruby, eyes on me. Your partner might not be so happy to see that you're not looking at them. And ease up a little, just relax and don't think too much about which foot to move, instead just think of it as a pattern. Left, right, left then meet with right."

"Okay, I got this!" Ruby met Ariel's sapphire orbs now. Left, right, left and-" Ruby's thoughts were cut short due to Ariel giggling at her.

"Huh? What?!" Ruby lips shifted to the side. I thought I was doing great...

"You're squeezing the life out of my hand. Also, you look very angry."

Ruby gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, pretend I'm Weiss and you're trying to impress her."

"Okay..." Ruby closed her eyes and thought about how it would be like if she were dancing with Weiss. Now every movement made were with ease. "I think I got it!" Ruby smiled now with her eyes open.

"That didn't take long at all! Now let's try again with your eyes open and on mine."

They practiced the waltz a few more times until Ruby was confident enough to now lead the dance. But they had practiced a few other kinds of dances including the tango to the foxtrot, all of which Ruby grew to not enjoy.

"Oh man, I really hope Weiss and I would just end up sitting some dances out..."

"Just give her a good time, especially after all those years... what if she actually really enjoys dancing, but chose to sit out with you because she knew you didn't like to dance? Just some things to think about."

"I never looked at it that way..." Ruby sighed.

"Everything is right in front of you, Ruby."

"Hey, I'm going to need a mask and... a suit... or tux..." Ruby stated changing the subject.

"Didn't you already pick out a dress?"

"Yes, but I want to surprise someone, if everything goes right..."

"Alright, well what are you waiting for? Let's go find you somethings."

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"Miss Schnee, raise your voice higher and hold the final note, for... 20 seconds."

"20 seconds?" Weiss asked with a raised brow.

"Yes, this is your own version of the song and I think it'll be perfect for the coda."

"Alright..." Weiss' fingers danced along the white and black keys of the piano as she sung Lindsey Stirling's Brave Enough piece. As she sung and played, Professor Edith watched her expectantly, taking notes of Weiss' body language as she went and matching them with how she performed.

"Alright, Weiss. That's enough dear."

"Huh? But I haven't..." Professor Edith raised a hand and formed it into a closed fist. Weiss knew not to argue about not finishing the song.

Professor Edith walked over and sat next to Weiss on the bench placing a hand on Weiss' shoulders. "Weiss dear, is this the song you truly want to cover?"

"Yes."

"You are angry, frustrated, and quite upset when singing this song. Your emotions are so erratic... why did you choose this song?"

"Because... because there's someone that I love dearly, but I never told them that I love them."

"And what's stopping you?"

"I don't want to ruin what we have, but-"

"Ah, so Ruby Rose."

"Y-yes, how did you... Do I make it that obvious...?"

"Before you arrived here at Beacon, Ruby wrote a song about you. But I wasn't able to put two and two together until you came."

"What was the song called?"

"The Favor. In the song she speaks about how you had left for sometime and she was trying to move on and with hopes that you would do the same, but she couldn't do it without struggle. And unfortunately I didn't get to hear the full song or know the lyrics to its end. But I know Ruby loves you the same as you do her."

"What? But she's seeing someone else..."

"Again, the song is about moving on from a loved one, but I can tell she hasn't."

"How do you know she loves me."

"We had a second project. One in which was very much like the first. I don't know what she called the song, but she's definitely isn't doing well with moving." Professor Edith got up and moved to her desk pulling out a binder where she began to flip through the pages. "Here." she says as she handed the binder over to Weiss. "The lyrics read, 'I've fallen into a hollow shell,
Maybe I need, a little sense of clarity
Space and time, save me from this hell
You're the only source of remedy...'"

"What do you think she means?"

"She can't let you go."

Weiss sighed. "How does this prove anything?"

"I may be a music teacher Weiss, but know that we teachers have more knowledge when it comes to human interactions and behaviour. This is why I enjoy teaching music. It's all about emotions and coming to terms with your feelings to create a music piece. It's a way to express yourself when you can't do it any other way."

"It's really hard to see... I want to hear it from her..."

"So, what are you going to do? You're going to wait until she says it and you not tell her yourself? I may not know Ruby for as long as you, but I can tell she doesn't like to talk about much, well maybe when it comes to you it's a little easier, but not when it comes to tell you that she loves you, too."

Professor Edith's words weighed heavily on Weiss as she tied in the possibilities of why things went the way the did with her and Ruby.

Why? Why? How did we get into this? Then it occurred to her. I never loved Pyrrha, it was just a stupid... a stupid crush, a stupid admiration, but there's no way I can love her the way I love you... I must've really hurt you for all the times I spoke of her, but...I need to know... I want to know from you and only you, that you too, love me. It's the only way I'll have closure...

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Ruby checked her scroll for any messages or missed calls from Weiss after a long exhausting day of dancing and shopping with Ariel. None. Ruby sighed, but then she read over another message.

<Ruby, when am I going to see you again? I miss you!>

Ruby shrugged her shoulders while reading the message. Has it really been a while? This couldn't hurt, right?

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*Author's note(s)* I have a friend I haven't seen in years, but we talk when time allows it, but it got to the point where I missed her so much that I wrote the song The Favor. Maybe we'll see the full lyrics of the song if it fits the story.

And as always thank you for reading. See you all next chapter!