AN: This is my first attempt at publishing any of my writing, I think I went overboard on the descriptions and it is a tad archaic at times but we'll see. Also, I didn't plan on there being any pairings in this story but I'm setting up a poll in case anyone does. Feel free to review and all that, enjoy!
Chapter 1
Beacon academy, one of the most renowned combat schools in Remnant, lies perched atop a mighty cliff. When it was built, the world was a much more dangerous place, and the protection provided by the sheer drop was invaluable. Of course, in recent times this protection has been unnecessary, but a fortunate side effect of this positioning is the achingly beautiful views from Beacon. Even from the landing pad you can see for miles on a clear day, the vast expanse of Forever Fall covering the landscape, snaking around mighty peaks that jut from the land like talons. Beyond this lies Vale, slightly too small for a city but slightly too large for a town, flickering from its many lights. A great ocean then stretches to the horizon, cargo ships slowly crawling their way across its surface, reduced to mere dots due to distance. All this and more can be seen from Beacon, and for those students brave enough to climb the minarets, Emerald forest lies sprawled over the land in all its majesty and glory.
However, not everyone was taking the time to enjoy the view and one Weiss Schnee was hurrying back from Vale, shopping under her arm, frown upon her brow and curses upon her lips.
"This is the absolute last time I do this for them. I gave them one job, one job! And can they do it? Of course not."
The heiress was mumbling under her breath, and had been since leaving Vale. The sun was lazily sinking in the sky, and soon the twin moons would be visible. For now, the long shadows cast by the evening light and the slight chill as a hint of a breeze ghosted past were doing nothing to improve her mood. Shifting the bags in her arms to a more comfortable position, Weiss increased her pace and headed for the airship still docked in the docking station, waiting to ferry students and others to Beacon. Judging by the light, this was one of the last airships today, and the irritable Weiss now would be as nothing to the apocalyptically furious Weiss her teammates would have to deal with if she missed it. With both hands occupied, checking the time on her scroll was right out so she sped up just in case, the gentle hum of the engines slowly getting louder as she approached.
Mercifully for the rest of team RWBY, and indeed the majority of Beacon, Weiss was able to make her airship and she sat down with an exaggerated sigh, the scowl from earlier still adorning her face. As she stretched out her aching fingers and reached for her wallet, Weiss reflected on the day up until that point.
Not long after teams had been allocated, the need for luxuries within team RWBY was raised. Sure, Beacon provided basic amenities in food and water, but anything else that was needed the students were required to purchase themselves. Most teams quickly worked out a system to send someone to Vale on a semi-regular basis and do all the necessary shopping, but on this instance it had gone wrong. Both Ruby and Yang had added extra things to the list on the morning of the shopping trip and Blake failed to take this into account, not bringing enough money to pay for all the, in Weiss' mind at least, extravagance that the sisters seemed to need. Were it any other situation they'd have been on their own, but with Weiss going into Vale herself anyway, she begrudgingly agreed to grab the necessary items on the condition that she would be able to set the terms of the repayment herself. If she was honest, Weiss didn't really need the lien but she was sure she could find some other method of repayment. Maybe some form of exemption from washing up, or first shower in the morning. She wasn't quite sure what, but her time was important and if those two idiots were to waste it they deserved everything they got.
Preoccupied thusly, Weiss almost missed the announcement of the imminent approach of Beacon, moving towards the back of the crowd of people in an attempt to avoid being crushed on the way out. She still wasn't sure what a lot of these supplies were for, and why they were so urgent that she was greeted with the undignified sight of Ruby begging her to get them. Honestly, why did either of them need dust? The school had a stock supply that was cheaper than shops in town, and if they really needed it badly then Weiss could lend them some. She had more than enough for herself, and if it would avoid something like this, she'd gladly lend them some. But no, Ruby insisted that she buy some dust to be used as propulsion for that scythe of hers. As she continued to think the crowds in front of her eased up and she was able to exit the airship and head towards Beacon and her room.
Walking along the corridors of Beacon, Weiss saw out of the corner of her eye the sun beginning to set, both moons visible by now and illuminating the stunning view. She sighed again, regretting missing most of the evening. With it being a Friday, and a bank holiday weekend, she had wanted to get an early start on her work for the weekend and then maybe she could relax with a hot shower or something: she'd certainly earned it. Now it looked like she'd be lucky to get anything done before heading to bed which would make tomorrow even busier. Rounding the last corner she placed some of the bags on the ground, retrieved her scroll and opened the door, above which the words 'Team RWBY' were inscribed.
Of the three occupants of the room, only one of them turned to face her, a pair of silver eyes looking up from a mug of coffee. Lifting the bags through the door, Weiss dropped them deliberately loudly to prove a point, closed the dorm door forcefully and marched towards the bathroom, grabbing a pile of her clothes in the process. She obviously couldn't see it but she could picture her room-mates reactions almost perfectly. Blake would continue reading, although she might thank the heiress for helping with the shopping; Yang would grab her stuff from the pile unceremoniously dumped on the floor and likely read from one the magazines she insisted was imperative and Ruby would probably do that dejected look she did so well before sorting through her things and keeping out of Weiss' way. None of this mattered at the moment because right now, all Weiss wanted was a shower. Beacon may have its flaws, but when you're under a veritable waterfall of piping hot water, steam rising through the room, you tend not to notice them.
As Weiss enjoyed her shower, the heat seeping into her muscles and fully relaxing her, she couldn't have been more wrong about her teammates. As soon as they heard the shower go on they quickly got into action, moving the piles of shopping to their relevant places before Ruby headed towards her bed and rummaged around under the mattress for a few seconds before raising her hand triumphantly. She returned to her sister and Blake and motioned for them to huddle. Whispering, perhaps a tad unnecessary due to the noise of the shower, Ruby barked out instructions to her teammates.
"Okay guys, we owe her this no matter how mean she is to us usually. Just try and be nice to her, and Yang, when you have to talk about her clothes, do it in the least creepy way possible. Got it?"
Two swift nods were all Ruby needed, and they all turned round ready to greet the heiress with smiles on their faces, some perhaps a bit more forced than others. Ruby's timing had been a little off and they spent a bit longer waiting for Weiss than they anticipated, smiles slightly fading and postures slouching. Despite this, they were still surprised when the bathroom door opened and Weiss strolled out in her pyjamas. Noticing them all stood facing her with slightly demented grins on their faces she backed off slightly, only for Ruby to stride forwards with a confidence she really didn't have and thrust her hand towards her teammate.
"Here you go Weiss, we got you these! Well, I thought of them but Yang paid for them but that's not important right now. We thought that we've been making it too hard on you recently, what with the shopping and everything. And there was that time with the training grounds. And lunch yesterday. And-"
Ruby was cut off by Weiss raising a hand with a confused look on her face,
"Got me what? Ruby, if you're on about whatever's in your hand then I can't see them properly from here and you've got your thumb over most of whatever it is."
Rather bashfully Ruby lowered her hand, presenting it towards Weiss. With a sigh, she accepted Ruby's gift and looked them over, the look of confusion replaced by one of shock and maybe even the hint of a smile tugged at her lips. They were a pair of weekend tickets to a luxury resort, a very expensive luxury resort if they were what they claimed to be.
"Ruby, are these…. genuine?"
She queried, a much softer tone to her voice than usual and the iron grip she'd had originally now almost slack.
"Yep! We thought you needed a break after all the work you've been doing so we found somewhere that knows how to treat you! If you're not too tired there's an airship that will take you there that sets off in about an hour, otherwise you'll have to wait until the morning. Yang packed you some clothes and-"
Once again Ruby was cut off, but this time Weiss looked a lot less amused,
"Hold on a second. You let YANG near my clothes? Have you any idea how valuable some of those outfits are? My jewellery alone is worth a fortune! I very specifically keep my clothing separate from the rest of yours for this exact reason! If any-"
It was Weiss' turn to be interrupted, this time by a tired looking blonde who had quickly shed her fake smile and was now looking at her accuser with dangerously narrowed eyes.
"Let me stop you right there, princess" she said, deliberately over-emphasising the nickname, "We carefully selected some outfits for you so that you don't end up stuck with nothing to wear in the middle of nowhere. If anyone knows about looking good around here it's me, and remember that we're doing a nice thing for you here. Don't make us regret it."
For a split second it looked like Weiss was about to argue back, a barbed insult likely lurking on her tongue, but she merely set her jaw, looked pointedly at Yang for far longer than she needed to, then returned her gaze to Ruby who was now looking downcast at hearing the bickering.
"I'm sorry Ruby. Do go on."
She forced out, still with half a mind to let loose on Yang. This had the desired effect and Ruby perked up instantly, her previous melancholy now gone. The speed of her change of mood caused a small part of Weiss' mind to question whether this was deliberate before the sound of Ruby speaking brought her to.
"It's okay Weiss. Anyway, we got the tickets and Blake even rang ahead to make sure you got the absolute bestest treatment ever!"
Resisting the urge to inform Ruby that there was, in fact, no such word as 'bestest', Weiss pondered the proposition. She did still have a lot of work to do for next week but if needs must she could probably take a bit to do, and if she worked hard on Tuesday she would almost be caught up. Plus, she could do with some relaxation time round about now. It felt weird having something bought for her like this by people who couldn't really afford it. Thinking about it, this probably cost more than any one of them could afford so they likely all contributed. This made it much more personal than the presents bought for her by sycophants and nobles yearning for her affections. She was genuinely touched. However, one thing was still bothering her.
"Ruby, why are there two tickets? These things are expensive enough; I doubt you can afford two."
The atmosphere noticeably shifted and a panicked look flashed across Ruby's face before Blake rode to her rescue and spoke up.
"Actually, that's up to you to decide. We thought that you've spent too much time on your own, both in Beacon and before. We're your friends, not just us three but everyone here, and if you want to take someone for company you can."
Weiss was visibly shaken, both by the fact that she had forgotten Blake was there with how quiet she had been and by how true the words hit home. Whilst her life hadn't exactly been strenuous at times, with her family's line of work there had been a few very difficult times and many lonely nights. Even if she argued with them a lot, she genuinely cared a lot for her team, and this gift was incredibly thoughtful. Still, the prospect of taking someone with her to a retreat for an extended weekend wasn't something she exactly relished. It wasn't as though there was anything wrong with them per se, it was just that everyone has their demons, and Weiss' were worse than most. She was sure that in due time she'd reveal them to her teammates and her friends, but she wanted that to be on her terms. Vaguely aware of how much she had zoned out, Weiss turned back to face her team,
"Thank you, all of you. I didn't think you were capable of such kindness but you've proven me so, so wrong. This means a huge amount to me and I swear I'll find some way of repaying you. Now, where were those clothes you packed?"
Blake looked at the heiress for a brief moment, and had Weiss been paying attention, she would have noticed a slight frown on her face before she reached for a suitcase and presented it deliberately slowly to her white-haired teammate.
"Here you go, all packed and ready. Are you, erm, are you going to take someone with you?"
Weiss grabbed the suitcase and looked at Blake with a slightly sad smile as she replied,
"Sorry, no. At the moment I think I really need some me-time, and whilst you guys are great company I feel I'd enjoy myself more and you'd get more of a break from my rants if I were to go alone. I hope you understand."
And with that she turned around, shouted another quick thank you at the door and left for the airship set to take her away for a sorely needed relaxing weekend.
Had she turned glanced behind her on her way out she would have seen Blake look defeated and half-heartedly place an arm in front of Yang, who was full-on scowling at this point and would likely have pursued Weiss and given her a piece of her mind. Ruby meanwhile slowly sank to her knees, arms hung limply by her side and face distorted by sorrow and self-depreciation. Had she seen this, Weiss would likely have turned back to her team but it was not to be and she headed off, unaware of the hurt she had left behind.