Elevator Mishaps

A request from gophersaurus! He gave me this idea and so I did my best with it! Thank you for all your support!

I don't write these characters much, and this is the first time writing them together. I hope it reads alright! (Also, I know they said Neo would have a voice in the canon, but at this point we've yet to hear her voice, and the idea of this fic demands she be mute. So she is).

Normal life office worker AU haha The prompt idea was from ImagineYourOTP.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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								Elevator Mishaps

Nora was a girl who didn't always pay attention to detail.

Even when it was quite literally staring her in the face.

A few months ago, she'd somehow managed to land herself a job – no doubt thanks to her closest friend, Ren. He'd helped her with finding places that were hiring, helped her with filling out the application (in fact, he'd basically been the one to fill it out for her), and he'd helped her with dressing nicely and teaching her how to behave for her interview.

He'd applied for the same job, and hadn't been too surprised when he'd been told he'd gotten the position. But he was faintly shocked when Nora bowled into him in the hallway the very same day exclaiming "I won, I won!" which was her own way of saying she'd been hired, too.

It wasn't a terribly demanding job for either of them; they worked as secretaries at a small office building. The idea of sitting quietly behind a desk and filling out paperwork for hours on end seemed to be just perfect for someone like Ren, but Nora was the type who needed to be constantly moving, perpetually-talking...

It was honestly a shock that she hadn't been let go after the first two weeks.

They'd been friend since childhood, and shared an apartment. So the two often walked to work together, clocked in together...

But as soon as they were in their cubicles, things were different.

Nora tended to take one look at her stack of paperwork and then completely ignore its existence. She'd turn to her computer and play online games for hours on end, always whooping and cheering out loud, filling the office with her declarations of victory.

And poor Ren would have to sneak by and hoist up her untouched pile of paperwork to take care of it himself. He was basically getting paid one person's salary for doing two people's work.

Which was why he sometimes had to tap Nora's shoulder and unplug her computer himself, pull up another rolling chair and walk her through the paperwork step by step.

She always treated it like an exam and would ask him what the right answer was, or she'd request that he read a big paragraph of text out loud for her.

It was tedious to say the very least, but he didn't mind all that much. He'd grown up with this girl, and her antics weren't all that surprising to him anymore.

But just when he'd thought he'd seen and heard it all, Nora surprised him yet again.

Every morning, they'd walk to their designated building together, greet the people at the front desk, and then head to the elevator for their one-minute ride to their floor.

Nora typically spent that minute gabbing about "how super-awesome-tastic" breakfast had tasted that morning, or how excited she was to eat the lunch Ren had made her.

He'd have to remind her to actually wait until lunchtime to eat it.

Regardless of who else was on the elevator, Nora always spoke at her default – or very loud – level. And she'd often direct her words at people besides Ren – whomever else was trapped with them for that minute on the elevator that morning was fair game.

One day, a new – and rather gorgeous – face appeared on board with them.

Nora and Ren had just gotten on and were the only two inside before Ren caught movement out of the corner of his eye. There was no shout of distress, but he knew right away to stick out his hand to hold the elevator for her.

The girl that hurried on was several inches shorter than himself, and just a few shy of Nora's height, but her face was just as mature.

Their job demanded its employees dress nicely, and this girl adorned a white sundress with pink and yellow splatter marks on it. Her hair was partially the color of strawberries, and the other part was chocolate, like an ice cream swirl. Her heterochromatic eyes were much the same way.

The girl came to a halt once she'd slipped inside the elevator, her eyes blinking up to meet Ren's. She gave him a nod of thanks, and he removed his hand, allowing the doors to close.

As their ride started to move, Nora naturally started to talk.

"Hey, hi there!" she greeted the newcomer. "Close call, huh? Gosh, you run pretty fast in a dress! It's really pretty, by the way! And so's your hair! I've never seen hair like that before! Or eyes! Not to say they look bad or anything – they look awesome! Really pretty! So where do you work? I haven't seen you around here before I don't think?"

She looked to Ren, as though he held all the answers to every question she could ever come up with.

The boy blinked and responded calmly.

"No. We haven't seen her around before because she used to work on another floor. She got transferred to another due to a promotion."

"A promotion? Wow, that's super awesome! Wait, how did you know that, Ren? She didn't say anything. Do you know this girl?"

"No."

"Then how'd you know?" she demanded.

She was too hyper to notice the new girl had been signing with her hands all the while, providing information about herself to Ren. And the boy signed back to her, apologizing for his friend's behavior.

-She doesn't mean to be rude. She's just excited to see a new face around here.

--It's alright. No offense taken. I really like her energy.

Nora was pouting since she'd yet to get a verbal response from Ren, but it was impossible not to notice the swiftness of his hand motions.

"Heya, Ren? What'cha doin' with your hands?"

"Talking."

"What? Pfff you're such a kidder! Who're you talking to, our new foreign exchange buddy here? Uuh, she doesn't speak English, Ren!" Nora slapped her own knee and started giggling as though she'd inhaled laughing gas.

She wasn't exactly one to think things through, but for whatever reason – probably because the girl hadn't spoken a reply – Nora had assumed that she didn't understand English.

And evidently, the communication process of sign language had slipped her mind.

Again, Ren silently apologized to the other girl.

-She might not be the brightest crayon in the box, but she means no harm.

--That's fine. I'm Neo, by the way.

-Ren. And this is Nora.

--It's a pleasure.

By then, their time together had come to an end. Neo got off a floor before they did, waving to them over her shoulder and giving a smile. Ren nodded, while Nora flung her entire arm about like an inflatable mascot outside a car dealership.

"Byyeeee!" she called. "See you tomorrow! Oh wait, yeah, she can't understand me."

Ren considered telling her the details, but decided he didn't have the energy right now. Plus, she'd probably just run off the second he tried to-

"We're heeeere! C'mon, let's go, Ren! There's work to be done!" She grabbed his arm and tugged him out of the elevator, bound for their cubicles.

Ren sighed and resigned himself to his usual fate.

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The following day, the same girl joined them on the elevator.

She was wearing an entirely-pink dress today, a pleasant contrast in wardrobe in addition to Ren's black blazer and pants and Nora's white blouse and pink skirt. Nora waved her on with an enormous grin.

"Hi there! Oh wait, she doesn't speak English. Uhhh, Ren what does she speak?"

"Nora-"

"Oh, what does it matter? Everyone in the world understands, 'hi', right? So hi! Hello!"

Neo stepped in through the elevator doors with them and gave a polite nod. Again, Ren felt the need to apologize on behalf of his companion.

-Good morning. Sorry about her. She had pancakes this morning so she's twice as hyper.

--That's fine. But... does she think I'm deaf? That just because I can't speak means I can't hear, too?

-It's not that she thinks you're deaf. But it seems she's totally convinced herself that just because she hasn't heard you speak, that means you don't know English. She things you're a foreigner.

--Still? She hasn't figured out what all this means? Neo motioned to herself and her hands exaggeratedly. I thought most people knew about sign language.

-Nora is a bit...

He couldn't finish his signing, but Neo got the message loud and clear.

--I see.

-Again, she means no harm by it.

--I know. Don't worry.

All the while, Nora had been ranting and raving in the background, running her mouth a mile a minute on her syrup-high. Her words went in one of Ren's ears and out the other as he focused on his conversation with Neo a moment longer.

When it was time for her to depart, she waved at them once again and stepped off.

"Bye!" Nora waved. "Wait, does she understand 'bye'? I mean, I'd think she would, right? No matter where she's from?"

Ren rolled his eyes, but he caught Neo laughing amusedly at the other girl's comment just before the doors closed. He was about to start explaining things to Nora, but again she was hauling him out the doors before he got the chance.

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The following day played out much the same.

Neo joined them on the elevator and greeted them silently, a nod for Nora and a signed greeting for Ren.

Neo was wearing another dress that day, light brown with a small pink jacket on her shoulders and several beaded necklaces around her throat.

Nora marveled almost the entire ride up.

"Ooooh, wow! I really love your outfits!" she said to Neo before turning to Ren. "I really love her outfits, Ren! They're all so cute and stylish! And they always compliment her hair and her eyes, too! Which are also super pretty! I wonder if I should get tips from her somehow..."

She spoke to Ren everything she wanted to say to Neo, still under the impression that the girl couldn't comprehend her words.

Neo put a hand to her lips to hide the chuckle, then managed a brief conversation with Ren.

-She's really a handful. But sweet.

-She really is. Do you want me to tell her that you actually understand?

Neo tilted her head bemusedly, pondering for a moment as she watched the ginger-haired girl gab away, off in her own little world.

--No, she decided. --Let her keep going for a bit. Your friend's pretty cute.

-Alright then.

So Ren and Neo continued their little game.

Every day when Neo joined them on the elevator, she'd merely nod hello and wave goodbye, nothing more to indicate she understood what Nora was saying.

She'd sign to Ren every so often, but still, Nora never caught on.

Neo did her best to appear somewhat stoic, as though she didn't understand anything Nora was gabbing about each morning.

Nora would go on and on about Neo more often than anything else, ranting to Ren and always complimenting the other girl's clothes and her hair.

Sometimes, it was difficult for Neo to keep a straight face, and when she was sure Nora wasn't looking, she'd sign her amused comments to Ren.

This went on for about a week, until one morning, Neo cracked.

They were on their elevator ride of three as per usual now, and Nora was going on about Neo once again.

"She really is super pretty, Ren. Like, really super pretty. I gotta wonder where she's from though. She's probably royalty – which is pretty cool, since I'm a queen, too! Queen of our blanket fort castle!"

And for whatever reason, that had been what did Neo in.

Her lips curled upward into a visible yet inaudible chuckle, her eyes closing for a moment as she brought a hand to her mouth, her posture bending a bit as she laughed silently.

Nora noticed her drastic change in demeanor and whipped around to face her.

"Hey, you okay? What's the matter?" She took a step closer to Neo, about to be concerned before Nora realized what was happening. "H-Hey, you're laughing?! Why are you laughing? Ren, what's going on? Why's she laughing? Was there some kinda joke that I missed? Tell me the joke!" She reached up to grab his shoulders and shook him a little. "No fair, I wanna knooow!"

Ren was chuckling by this point, too.

"Nora-"

"Wait, why are you laughing, too? You'd better give me answers, mister!" Nora released him then, taking a step back as she gasped loudly. "Wait! You understand whatever language she speaks, don't you? And you didn't tell me?"

"Well, I'll admit you're not wrong with that accusation," he said. "I do understand her language. But think of it the other way around, too."

Nora blinked, slightly confused as she looked to Ren and then to Neo.

The other girl had just straightened her posture, the chortle dying away as her shoulders stopped shaking from the giggle. But the laughter was still bright in her mis-matched eyes, and her pink lips were still curved with it.

Finally, it all clicked for Nora.

"W-Wait! You mean she could understand me this whole entire time?!" she shrieked.

"Pretty much."

"REN, YOU JERK!"

With her face bright red with embarrassment, she threw a punch at his arm. It hardly hurt, and Ren simply ended up chuckling again.

But Nora was mortified.

"Reeenn! You jerk, don't keep laughing! What the heck?! So you mean to tell me that all this time I've been saying how cute and pretty and adorable this girl is and that I really like her and think she's super cute and all this time she could understand me and you didn't tell me?!"

"Pretty much," he shrugged.

Nora was about to slug him again, but Ren held up a hand to grab her fist to prevent her from doing so.

"Hold on. She's signing to you."

"What? Where? I don't see any signs."

"Not like street signs, Nora. With her hands."

"Huh?"

"Sign language."

"...Ooooohh." She nodded comprehensively, her previous agitation already gone. She turned to look back at Neo, who was still smiling, her hands poised in front of her, ready to move again. Nora turned back to Ren. "Sooo... what's she saying?"

Ren held up a finger, indicating for her to be quiet for a minute. He signed to Neo with a small smile on his face.

-Guess the cat's out of the bag.

--It was fun while it lasted.

-So what were you saying?

--You can tell her that I think she's cute, too. And maybe...

Ren watched as Neo signed the rest of her request, then nodded in affirmation. He turned back to an eager and excited Nora.

"She says she thinks you're cute, too," he said. "And she asked if you'd like to go out to get ice cream with her sometime."

For once in her life, Nora was speechless. She stared wide-eyed at Ren, and then tossed a glance at Neo, then went back to Ren. She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him down a bit so she could 'whisper' into his ear.

"You'd better not be pullin' my leg, buddy!"

"I'm not. It's what she said. Ask her yourself."

Nora released him and turned back to Neo, her cheeks still slightly pink.

"Is that really true?" she asked. "You... wanna get ice cream together sometime?"

Neo made a brief motion with her hands, followed by a nod of agreement. Baffled, Nora looked back to Ren.

"Was that a yes?!"

"Yes, Nora."

"Oh my gosh!" With a squeal of delight, she twirled once in the small space the moving elevator allowed and ended up beside Neo, slinging a friendly arm around her shoulders. "That's awesome! I'd love to get ice cream with you! Let's go today! Let's go right now!"

"Um, Nora?"

"Yes, Ren?"

"We have to go to work right now."

"Aww, do we really? Can't you just go for me?"

"Neo has to work, too."

"Can't you go for her, too?"

Neo tapped the girl's shoulder lightly and gave another silent giggle. She shook her head, indicating they couldn't go for ice cream right now.

Nora's shoulders visibly drooped – dejected.

Neo made a quick comment to Ren which he then translated.

"Nora? Why don't you two go after work today?"

The ginger-haired girl perked up again.

"Oh, yeah! Let's do that? Can you do that?" she inquired, her eyes meeting Neo's. The smaller girl nodded. Nora's lips broke out in a huge grin again. "Awesome! I'll see you then!"

Neo nodded and held out one of her hands.

Nora took a step back, looking curiously down at the other girl's palm.

"Um, Ren? What's she saying now?"

"She's not saying anything," he informed her. "She wants to shake hands."

"Oh! Well, sure!"

Nora pressed her palm to Neo's and squeezed her fingers lightly, shaking her hand with vigor.

Neo chuckled again, and by the time she'd been released, she needed to shake out her wrist.

And then the elevator came to a stop, and Neo stepped toward the doors. With another smile, she waved, and signed that she'd see Nora later, which Ren translated for her.

"Yeah!" Nora chirped. "See ya later!"

Neo nodded, then stepped out the doors. She waved at them until the doors closed again and the elevator started moving once more.

"Well," Ren said. "That was nice."

"Ren." Nora turned to him, her eyes pleading. "You gotta teach me hand language!"

"You mean sign language?"

"Yeah, that!" she blurted. "You gotta teach me! Now! Or else you're gonna be comin' with us to get ice cream so you can translate for me!"

"Nora, we've got to work. Plus, it's impossible to teach or learn an entire language in just six hours."

"Watch me!"

"Let's just start with the basics. Just enough to get you through your date later today."

"Okay!"

They reached their floor shortly afterward and stepped out, Nora adamantly studying his hand movements all the while. She practiced signing for herself and reading his hands as well.

By lunchtime, she'd learned a few of the basics, though her motions were a bit sloppy, but that was understandable.

By the time the day had ended, Nora had done even less of her paperwork than usual, but she'd learned a bit of sign language.

Ren took the elevator down to the ground floor with her to find Neo waiting in the lobby, her eyes expectantly going to Nora as she greeted the pair. Ren asked Nora one last time if she wanted him to tag along, but she refused.

"I totally got this."

Somehow, he doubted that, but he wasn't going to argue with her.

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He was more than surprised when Nora came home that night beaming and sparkling, twirling and singing.

"So I'm guessing it went well?" he asked.

"It. Went. Awesome!" Nora cheered. "I got vanilla and strawberry swirl and she got chocolate and strawberry swirl! And we're going on another date tomorrow!"

"Really?"

"I think so!"

Ren was fairly surprised, but he didn't let it show. He didn't understand how Nora had made it through the date with Neo with her limited knowledge of sign language, but he wasn't about to ask questions.

She danced into the room and pulled him toward the kitchen.

"Now let's make dinner!"

Ren smiled and rolled his eyes.

She never ceased to amaze him.

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A/N: Welp, this was the request! I hope you guys enjoyed it! (Sorry if it was awkward, it was hard to write Neo and Nora together ahaha).