Disclaimer: For Monochrome Week 2018, Day 1: Rags to Riches
Weiss picked up the paper, brows rising as she took note of the sale being advertised for their local supermarket. They'd just done their grocery shopping a week ago but they still had more than enough room for dry storage and freezer space, so it might be worth it to dig through the coupons. Then again, they didn't have too much wiggle room in the budget, not after putting down the first payment on their new SUV. She'd need to pull out the checkbook and a calculator, see if they could take advantage or just let the sale pass them by.
As she turned to head back into the house, she reached down into her pocket and pulled out her scroll, bringing up the page for Hunter assignments and refreshing it. After they'd worked so hard to eek out a victory over Salem, it never occurred to any of Team RWBY that it might have a drastic effect on the rest of their lives. However, with the broodmother of darkness removed, Grimm numbers dwindled, to the point where the occupation they'd dedicated so much of their youth to pursuing had all but dried up entirely. A sigh left her lips as the page confirmed what she'd feared, that no new Grimm had been spotted in Remnant, and aside from a request for a combat instructor for the Mistrali military, there weren't any jobs available for her to take.
It chaffed at her, sometimes. A mild annoyance.
Her skill set veered closer to that of a traditional businesswoman outside of her combat prowess but with her brother now controlling the SDC- and running it into the ground rather spectacularly- and limited options elsewhere, well… she really had her hands tied.
Closing the front door behind her and setting the rest of the mail aside, she took the coupons to the kitchen table before ducking over to the desk they had tucked into the corner, grabbing the checkbook and calculator before returning. She sat down, prepared to crunch numbers to pass the time, but paused for a moment as she caught sight of the picture they had hung up on the wall.
Hardly an hour after the final battle, before the reality that they'd won and survived had sunk in all the way. They were bloodied and ragged and half dead but oh so happy, with Ruby and Yang both sporting mile wide smiles with their arms thrown around their partners' shoulders, the mangled pieces of the elder's prosthetic not appearing to dampen her mood in the slightest. Between them, Weiss and Blake slumped against each other, an arm around each other's waist as they put everything into staying on their feet, offering smiles of their own, though only Blake managed to look at the camera. Weiss was too busy looking at the Faunus beside her, weary from the fight but absolutely alive with their victory fresh in her mind.
For all the troubles they'd encountered since that day, she wouldn't trade it for the world. Better to struggle now than to be sitting on the brink of extinction and fending off Grimm every day.
Even if it did make her question some things from time to time.
Shaking her head, Weiss began sifting through their finances and the coupons, setting aside the ones that might be useful with a little mark in the corner. She wouldn't bother clipping them until she'd talked it over with Blake, especially since this would put them rather tight until the next paycheck came.
She spent so long doing the math, she hardly noticed the passing hours until the door burst open, loud laughter filling the house as the kids raced their way into the dining room.
"We're home!" Blake called out, a bit late to be an announcement but welcomed all the same, and Weiss had to bite back a laugh as the Faunus stepped into the doorway with one twin attached to each leg while their sisters clamored for Weiss' attention.
"Mom! Mom!" Their eldest bounced on the tips of her toes beside Weiss' chair while the baby of their little family practically climbed into her lap, eyes shining with mirth. "You'll never guess what happened at school today!"
"Oh, I'm sure I won't, but I'll try anyway, shall I?" She wrapped her arms around her youngest, ensuring she didn't accidentally tumble while humming softly. "Did you get a good grade on a test?"
"Nope!"
"Hmmm, they have pizza for lunch?"
"Yeah, but that's not it!"
"Well, you know, honey, I'm stumped." Blake finally made her way into the dining room, bending down to press a kiss to the top of her head while looking down at their sons with a wry grin. "Why don't you tell Mom what happened?"
"I got a girlfriend!"
Weiss blinked while keeping her smile in place, looking down at her ecstatic ten year old daughter for a moment before glancing up at her wife. From her own experience, she knew only of arranged meetings between young people- she vividly recalled her own father introducing her to 'suitors' as far back as her eighth birthday- and had little idea of how young was too young to entertain such things as girlfriends.
But amber eyes gave no indication of worry or concern.
"That's wonderful, honey." She looked back down, smiling a little wider. "You're going to be good to her, right?"
"Uh huh!" Their daughter nodded vigorously. "We held hands all day! I'm gonna be as good as Momma is!"
"Now that is the perfect benchmark to aim for," she replied, leaning over to press a kiss to the top of her daughter's head. "And I've no doubt you'll accomplish it. Just be careful not to let your studies suffer, okay?"
"Okay!"
"Alright, you four, go put your school stuff up. Dinner's in an hour," Blake said, managing to gently pry their sons from her legs and usher them towards their rooms, sighing as she returned and plopped down in the chair beside her wife.
"Rough day?" She put a hand on the Faunus' shoulders, rubbing gently at the tension she found there.
"I talked to my dad," she replied, passing a hand over her face. "He brought up me becoming Chieftain again."
"You know it's not a bad idea," she said gently, glancing back towards where their children had gone. "You would love a chance to lead the people of Menagerie and everyone loves our children."
She left unsaid how the majority of the Faunus remained wary of her, blood spilled in the Schnee name not so easily forgiven or forgotten. Weiss couldn't blame them and wouldn't; she realized it would take much more than defeating a common enemy to win people over.
Yet, Blake hadn't taken her father's position for exactly that reason. Not because she worried how others might react to Weiss- she'd proven time and time again that she would defend her wife against anyone- but because she knew full well how much guilt still rested on Weiss' heart, how much the failure to reclaim the SDC gnawed at her. Compounding that with constant reminders made her give pause.
However, the former heiress had no such concerns. Yes, it would be difficult, but her wife still had the steel edged resolve that had pushed her to leave home, to leave Adam, to attend Beacon, and to rejoin her team to fight the greatest evil of their time. Weiss had full faith that Blake could do wonderful things if in the right position and she would do whatever it took to support those efforts.
Blake took her hand and looked at her then, biting her lip. "Honestly, with the way bills have gone recently… a steady paycheck would be good."
"How do you think the kids will take the news?" Weiss glanced back towards the bedrooms again. "Do you think they even notice?"
"Honestly? No." She chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "They probably don't. We keep food on the table and Menagerie is just so used to getting by with less than the rest of Remnant." The Faunus paused, eyes unfocusing. "When I was a kid, before Dad turned over the White Fang to Sienna and we spent most of our time moving from rally to rally, I didn't even notice. I thought all Faunus lived like that and we were fighting for something better, something I could hardly understand. I never noticed that Dad didn't eat at every meal to make sure Mom and I had enough or that Mom used any fabric she could get her hands on to make new clothes for me rather than herself." With a sigh, she sat back in her chair. "I guess that's part of why I was so mad at the time. It… kinda looked like they'd given up when Dad handed over the White Fang, to go and live just a little bit better while others continued the fight. I didn't realize until I was older that they sacrificed so much for me and Faunus everywhere and they just reached a point where they could do more good here than out there."
"I think your experience is something that could benefit everyone, were you to take the position for yourself." Weiss rubbed a little more firmly. "You still want to fight, to make a difference. This is your chance."
Sitting back, Blake looked up at the ceiling for a moment, and they could distantly hear their kids beginning to kick up a fuss before they quieted down, likely realizing they'd get in trouble if they started playing before their school work was done.
"What about you?" Her wife looked at her then. "This affects you, too."
For a moment, she considered the pragmatic concerns. The bills and coupons, the potential backlash, the looks she still got when she went walking around without Blake there to discourage them. But then, it occurred to her how much her life had changed in ten years. She went from being the rich, lonely heiress to a company known the world over for its terrible practices to a woman without a solid means to support herself or her family, and despite how materialistically she'd lost so much… she couldn't help but feel blessed. Things were difficult now, true, but she had a loving wife and a happy family, a good relationship with her sister and friends who would go to the ends of Remnant for her and she for them. She had love, more love than she'd imagined possible during those cold, lonely days in that too big mansion for a too small little girl.
But for all that had changed, a few specific things certainly hadn't.
"It does." Weiss smiled. "And as I've said it before: by your side is where I belong. Whatever mission you undertake, I'll be with you, and even if it takes twenty years, I'll do everything in my power to earn the respect of your people. We can't hurry that along but we can work towards a brighter future." She reached out, grabbing her wife's hand. "Isn't that what we've always been trying to do? This seems like the next step." She shrugged. "But if you'd rather not, I understand. It truly is your decision, Love; I'll support you either way."
Even though Blake seemed to be mulling it over still, she could see the shine coming back to amber eyes, the drive to continue fighting for Faunus everywhere stirred once more.
"Mom was a big part of things." Staring off into the distance, she squeezed Weiss' hand back. "Even if Dad was officially in charge, Mom did a lot to keep things going. She still does, behind the scenes. If I take the title, I'll need help."
"And you'll have it." Once, she believed that a person only succeeded based on their individual merits. Since then, she'd learned and grown so much, though. "Whatever you need, just let me know. I'm sure there's no challenge in this world that exists that we can't overcome."
Her father had once told her something similar, that being a Schnee meant they had more power, influence, and wealth than most could even fathom, and that they would never face a challenge that their riches couldn't overcome.
He'd been wrong on that front because he didn't truly understand what enriched a person's life. It wasn't money or prestige. It was something far more basic yet somehow so scarce.
Blake's expression softened as she leaned forward, drawing her into a sweet kiss. "I'll talk to my Dad tomorrow. I love you, Weiss."
She smiled at her wife so wide it hurt. "I love you, too."