Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth.
A beady-eyed crow cawed a warning to its fellows who dotted the dusky green scrub land before flapping away from its perch at the top of a dull brown telegraph tower, scared off by Weiss' dapple gray gelding as it bore her down the bumpy dirt road, the tired beast's tail twirling as it swatted at the fat black flies that swarmed around its flanks. The buzzing insects were energetic during the long, hot afternoons and hungry for horse blood. Weiss could feel her mount's exhaustion in every slow, dragging step, the juddering thuds of its hooves against the dry ground shivering through her body and scraping her hard leather saddle against the inside of her legs, which were already sore from a whole day's riding.
The pair of travelers had begun the day some twenty or so miles; by Weiss' untrained estimation; to the east, spending the night in a small hotel on the edge of Vale City that had had scratchy bedsheets on a too-small bed, rising early to follow the sun west. They had stopped in every tiny conglomeration of buildings that passed for a town along the way, both of them happy for the short but frequent rests. In the last such town, the overly friendly bartender, probably so after seeing her heavy purse, had said with certainty that a blonde girl fitting Weiss' description had passed through just the day before, heading for Patch, a mining town less than a half day's ride away. "The filthy liar should be flogged..." Weiss mumbled through parched lips. There hadn't been a place to stop and drink for the last several hours, and the early Summer's sun set the air to a boil.
Her horse's weariness was mirrored on its rider; Weiss sat slumped over in the saddle, her sweat-soaked hands laying heavy against the pommel, the slack reins lightly held between her tired fingers. The hood of her cloak kept her face shaded from the burning sunlight, but the rest of the cape only served to contain the heat beneath its cover, and her cotton shirt clung to her back, stuck and stained in sweat. She grimaced with every jostle of her body, her moist wool pants rubbing uncomfortably against her thighs and knees, and pain flared every time her rear hit the saddle. Her mouth hung open, taking deep raspy breaths of the sun-scorched air, her dry tongue fruitlessly running across her thin lips to try and wet them. She whispered a prayer to the sky for a place to rest. Even a rocky outcrop would do; it wouldn't kill her if she had to sleep outside for one night.
Luckily for her butt and her horse's hooves, after following the road around the base of a hill the red-shingled roof of a clock tower poked into view from between two short cedars, signaling her arrival to Patch. "Thank the Lord..." Much needed water and rest awaited them in the mining town.
As she passed a tall sign painted with the words 'Welcome to Patch!' the church bell rang six times, the loud 'Bong!'s echoing through the small valley the town dwelt in, and soon the street that had been empty during her approach was filled with miners, covered in grime from their work, each man making his way to one building or another. Weiss guided her exhausted beast through the growing crowd, aiming for a two-story saloon with a trough of water sitting by its doors. Descending from the saddle with a groan, she hastily tied her horse to a post and stroked its neck as the poor thing guzzled water, taking a moment to stretch her legs before she entered the bar. She was too tired to worry about her packs, trusting that no one would go through her things while the street was so busy.
The well-greased doors swung open easily at her touch as she stepped out of the hateful sun and into the welcome darkness of the ale house, but she kept her hood pulled over her head lest someone recognize her as easily as Junior had the previous day. Relief replaced fatigue when no heads turned to face the latest patron and she staggered on weak legs to the bar, opting to stand rather than take one of the few available stools; the ache in her rear hadn't gone away yet. The bartender, an amiable looking old man with hardly any gray hair left on his head, wandered across to her, placing down the rag he held and resting his elbows on the polished wood. "What would you like, darlin'?"
"W-Water. Please." Weiss pulled a lien out of her pocket and slid it across the surface, but the bartender shook his head.
"Don't worry 'bout it, honey, 's on the house." he said, winking at her before turning around and grabbing a small glass from a cabinet. He filled it from a pitcher set next to a row of taps and plopped the drink in front of her.
"Th-Thank you." The water was divine, sliding down her throat and putting fresh energy into her body and mind. The bartender, seeing her content, started to walk to his next customer, but Weiss put out a finger to hold his attention for a moment longer. "May I ask you a question, sir?"
The man laughed. "A 'please', a 'thank you', and a 'sir' all in one day? Girl, you have more manners than the entire town put together! Ask." He refilled her cup.
Finishing her fresh dose of water with a sigh of satisfaction, Weiss asked, "Have you seen a woman with blonde hair and purple eyes come through here?"
The man's smile dropped and his expression grew stiff. "Why would someone like you be lookin' for Yang Xiao Long, huh?" He leaned forward, keeping his voice low, "You should stay away from her, she'd be trouble for someone like you." His eyes flicked behind Weiss at the clacking sound of the saloon doors being pushed open and left to smack closed. "Speak of the devil and she doth appear..."
Weiss listened to the steady, confident rhythm of leather boots walking across the wooden floor, remaining still as the footsteps approached the bar. "Hey, you old geezer, gimme a whiskey." Weiss glanced to her side, where a tall woman in a long brown jacket and wide-brimmed hat sat on one of the stools, her boots tucked up onto one of the rungs. A wild mane of curly blonde hair flowed down the woman's back, and as she reached into her pocket for some money, displacing her coat, Weiss spotted a gleaming revolver with a golden grip tucked into its holster. As if feeling her gaze, the woman's head turned to face her, and Weiss was met with stunning purple eyes boring into her. 'Like the star above Bethlehem' was an understatement. After a moment, the eyes lost their hardness and looked her up and down, a slight grin pulling at Yang Xiao Long's mouth. "What're you lookin' at, princess?" Her voice was rough, with a heavy Southern twang. Yang turned back to the bar when her drink was placed before her. "You never told me you got a new barmaid, old man." She took a swig, swiveling in her seat toward Weiss. "This one is fine. Let me see your face, darlin'." Her fingers brushed against the hood, and Weiss jerked away.
"Keep your hands off me, you-"
Yang's boisterous laugh boomed through the bar. "Haha! Ooh, geezer, you got a good one." She grabbed Weiss' wrist and pulled the smaller girl closer, causing Weiss to lose her balance and have to hold onto the bar to keep from falling to her knees. "Have you seen the rooms upstairs yet, honey? Maybe you and I should check 'em out together."
With her arm bound in the blonde's fierce grip, Weiss pushed herself to her feet and reached to her hip, gripping her silver derringer. Snarling, she swung the small gun out of its hidden holster and pointed the barrels at Yang's chest. "Let me go, you uncouth lecher!"
Purple eyes glanced at the gun then slowly ambled up Weiss' body to stare into frosty blue. "Now I like her even more," A smile split Yang's face as her fingers unclenched from Weiss' thin wrist, the blonde holding up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Always been a fan of the feisty ones."
The bartender shouted, "Young lady, put that thing away before someone gets hurt! No fighting allowed!"
Weiss kept the pistol aimed at the bounty hunter's chest as she backed toward the door. "You..! You..! How dare you! If we were in Atlas I'd-" If they were in Atlas, the blonde would have been hanged by sunset. But they weren't in Atlas, something that Weiss was constantly reminded of. She'd never be allowed to set foot in a bar if they were in Atlas, and certainly never be allowed to travel on her own. Pouring all her wrath into one final glare, Weiss stuffed her derringer pack into its pocket and turned around with a huff, only too late feeling the fingers that held the seam of her hood.
The cloth fell from her head to pile about her shoulders, revealing her snow-white hair that shined even in the dimness of the bar, and Weiss froze as a quiet gasp wound its way around the saloon. "Well shoot, snow angel, I thought you smelled rich, but not that rich. What's a Schnee doing alone all the way out here, huh?"
She knew she should just keep her mouth shut and continue out the bar, but the fierce desire to put the bothersome blonde in her place was too strong. Without turning around, she growled "I was looking for the most efficient bounty hunter in the West, but she seems to be more preoccupied with drink and... and women!" She twisted to face Yang, her displeasure showing in an angry scowl. "The legends we hear back east give you too much credit. You are the same unrespectable, belligerent filth that floods the alleys of our city, wishing ill on all their fellows who have even an ounce of greater fortune." Yang recoiled as if suddenly smelling something foul, raising an offended eyebrow. "You are greedy, dirty, and rude, and I won't have anything more to do with you." Her tirade finished, she pushed through the doors, leaving the bar shocked silent.
Stumbling as she stepped down from the saloon's raised porch, Weiss cursed and grumbled to herself while she made her way back to her horse, pulling her hood back over her head to try and salvage some anonymity before the whole town – or the whole countryside – knew that a Schnee girl was in Patch. Word had most likely already reached home that she'd been spotted in Vale City.
The sight of an unfamiliar pair of boots beside her horse, visible through the beast's legs, stirred her ire, and she increased her pace. "Stop, you mongrel! Get away from my horse!" When she came about on the other side, pistol in hand, the startled expression on a young girl's face made her freeze in her tracks, puffs of dust pluming from the toes of her riding boots. "What, who, who are you? What are you doing to my horse?" The girl's hands were entwined in one of Weiss' pack's laces, the knot half undone, but there was no glimmer of guilt in the girl's startlingly silver eyes.
"Oh, is this one yours?" she asked, turning her attention back to her business with Weiss' bags. When she finished tying the knot she took a step back, tucking her hands into the shallow pockets of a pair of black wool pants with patches of brown leather sewn onto the sides, admiring her handiwork with a friendly grin. "Your gloves, mighty fine ones if I may say, fell off your saddle. I was worried someone might snatch 'em, so I tucked 'em into your bag." Her voice was clear and full of youth, free of the harsh accent that was prominent in the western areas of the country.
"And you thought it best to lay your hands on my belongings? Does no one in this town have any notion of personal property?!"
The girl, slightly shorter than Weiss with a well-trimmed mop of deep red hair that caressed her forehead and the side of her face, shrugged, a confused expression replacing her smile. " Well, umm, I'm beggin' your pardon then. I didn't think anyone'd mind..." She scuffed her shoes through the dirt. "Just thought it was a kindly thing to- OH MY GREAT GOODNESS, IS THAT A SHAWCROSS DERRINGER?!"
Weiss frowned in surprise as the redhead, overcome with a sudden brightness of pure excitement, leaped forward and grabbed her by the arm, pressing her face close to the silver-plated weapon in Weiss' hand. "Hey! What do you think you're-"
"Wow, it is! They only made a hundred of these! Ooh, and it's one of the first fifty too! That's so rare!" Ignoring Weiss' scowl, the young girl fawned over the pistol, turning Weiss' hand to get a better look at every facet of the gun. "It's amazin' that they managed to rifle both barrels; the accuracy on this little shooter is better than almost anything the same size! Where'd you get it?" When she looked up, finally seeing Weiss' mask of offended rage, she pinched her lips together and took a step away, quickly clasping her hands behind her back. "Sorry, ma'am. I went and infringed on your person."
"You most certainly did!" Weiss spat, "What in God's good grace did you think you were doing?"
"It's just that... guns and I... I like them, ma'am." The young girl pointed at Weiss' weapon, "And that one's one of the greatest."
"Well, I-"
Weiss jumped at the sound of clattering wood, whipping her head to her left to find the source of the commotion. Yang Xiao Long emerged from the saloon, one revolver drawn and a furious glare spread across her face as she leapt off the ale house's porch, landing with a 'thud' and crossing quickly to the pair of women standing by the water trough. "Sis, you alright? I heard you scream an' came runnin'!" She slid to a halt behind the two women, her blazing eyes flicking between each of them. After a moment, recognition flared in her face and she holstered her gun, sighing as she brushed past Weiss to the small redhead. "Sis, what're you doing botherin' her?" Grabbing the girl by the arm, Yang turned to Weiss and tipped her hat. "Sorry, Ms. Schnee, she didn't mean nothin' by it. Ruby, apologize to Ms. Schnee."
"What? Why? Ow!" Yang elbowed Ruby in the side. "Um, sorry Ms. Schnee?" She leaned over to the blonde, muttering, "I didn't even do anything, Yang, why do I have to apologize?"
Craning her head down in a vain attempt to keep their conversation private, Yang whispered back, "Because she's a Schnee, sis. Don't you know who they are?"
"Uh, well, I-"
Weiss' incredulous gasp broke into their discussion, "You are her sister?" She strut in front of the redhead, who jolted to attention under the piercing blue glare. "You are Ruby Rose?" Weiss inspected her from the top of her head to her boots, scowling in disbelief. "You are the Reaper?"
Ruby Rose, the famed Red Reaper, blushed and looked away, scratching the back of her head. "Heh, uh, yeah. That's what the papers back east called me after the... the... Which one was it, Yang?"
"I think it was when the Torchwick gang tried to rob that bank."
"Ooh, yeah, that's right! Yup, after that they called me the 'Reaper'." Her toothy smile was filled with pride. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Schnee."
"And are you," Weiss snarled through tightly clamped teeth, "an insufferable, barbaric brute like your sister?" The grin collapsed, the light in Ruby's eyes fading as she looked to her sister in bewilderment. "Get out of my way, I've had enough of this town!" The sisters stepped away to allow Weiss to untie her horse and climb into her saddle, tugging the reins and guiding the still-tired gelding away from the bar. She refused to even glance back to see their reactions, following the road back to the main avenue in search of the fastest way out of Patch.
Unfortunately, her journey out of the town would have to wait until morning. After a quick inspection of her steed revealed that it was in desperate need of rest, Weiss changed course for the closest hotel. It wasn't as though she wouldn't benefit from rest as well, despite her eagerness to leave. An attendant helped her take her bags to her room; a corner suite, importantly equipped with a comfortable queen-sized bed, that overlooked Patch's vital river.
Preparing for bed after a light meal in the hotel's dining room, Weiss changed into her silken nightgown and wrapped herself underneath the bed's warm covers, fluffing the lumpy pillow before laying her head on it's cushioning surface and twisting off the oil lamp on the nearby nightstand, letting darkness fill the room. But much-wanted sleep eluded her; her mind was occupied by swirling thoughts.
Weiss groaned as she rolled onto her back, folding her arms across her chest and staring at the dimly lit ceiling. All the newspaper clippings she kept hidden in a suitcase under her bed at home had lied to her. They had described Yang Xiao Long as a pious woman of captivating beauty, a model citizen who was as adept at cooking and riding as she was at bringing criminals to justice. To Weiss, alone and entrapped by societal expectations, she had been freedom personified, the pinnacle of inspiration.
Although, they had been correct on one matter; Yang Xiao Long had been the most stunningly gorgeous being Weiss had ever seen. When those lavender orbs had pounced upon her...
How unfortunate, then, that her manner and personality were so contrary to their newspaper descriptions. Weiss had expected a heroine that fit the idealized figure her imagination had constructed, and when her first impressions of the blonde bounty hunter had shattered that expectation, it felt like the entire reason she'd started this journey was... false. Though she was loathe to admit it, perhaps her father had been right.
With such disappointment filling her mind, her eyelids slowly lowered, and soon quiet snoozes slipped from her lips as she drifted into a most welcome sleep.
…
Dawn's mellow rays diffused through the thin curtains that covered her room's windows, spreading pale light along the wood-paneled walls and gradually coaxing Weiss to give up on sleep with dismayed reluctance. Neither her mind nor her body were keen on continuing her journey west, and she decided to indulge herself with just a few more moments in bed before setting out on another full day of riding. Sighing and tugging the sheets tight to her neck, she snuggled against her pillow, content to just lay and relax.
"You gon' spend all day layin' there, princess, or should I tell Ruby to warm some coffee?"
Covers flew from the bed as though they were caught in a tornado as Weiss launched upward, clutching the collar of her nightgown close to her chest. "What!?" Her eyes flashed across the large room until they locked onto Yang Xiao Long reclining in a high-backed armchair in a shaded corner, the blonde's brown hat resting on the armrest, her twin revolvers held crossed in her lap. "What in heaven's name are you doing in my room?!"
A crooked grin split Yang's face as she pushed herself out of the chair, holstering her guns and picking up her hat before walking across the room with slow, swaggering footsteps. "My job, darlin'." When she arrived at Weiss' bedside, she reached into the inside of her long jacket and pulled out a large piece of wrinkled paper, dangling it in front of the startled girl. "Daddy wants you home, princess."
Weiss tentatively stretched out her hand and took the paper from the bounty hunter, who let it slip from her grasp and took a step back as Weiss ran her eyes across the page. In large bold letters so fresh the ink still smelled, it read 'REWARD', followed by a blurry photograph of a girl with an unmistakable scar across the left eye. "For the safe return of Weiss Schnee to Snow Dust Acres in Atlas City," she read the small script that underlined the picture aloud, her ears unbelieving of the words her mouth spoke. "A lump sum of-"
The paper was snatched from her grip. "Twenty thousand lien!" Yang crowed as she folded and tucked the note away in some hidden inner pocket of her coat. "Easiest money I ever made in my life! Showed up last night off the telegraph, printers had it out just as I was walkin' by. And little lovely you stayin' right here in my home town!" Chuckling to herself, Yang stepped forward and kneeled onto the bed. "Alright then, princess, time for us to get movin'."
Weiss shied away from the blonde's reaching hand, her heart hammering in her chest as she desperately searched her mind for a solution. It was all over, and too soon! It hadn't even truly begun yet! She'd accomplished nothing! Her frantic gaze fell upon her silver derringer, laying peacefully next to the lamp on the nightstand, and she grasped at it, knocking the lamp over to shatter on the hardwood floor in the process. Armed, she whipped back around. "You won't take me back, you-!"
Strong fingers clamped around her wrist, forcing her arm up to point uselessly at the ceiling. Lavender eyes gleamed with laughter inches in front of her. "Not this time, honey, not this time." Yang's breath smelled like burnt toast as it tickled Weiss' nose. "Come on then, let's go..." Yang lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Weiss' slender waist and hauling her out of bed, draping the screaming girl across her shoulder.
"What are you doing?! Put me down, NOW! You beast! You brute! Heathen!" Weiss, still in only her nightgown, was forced to suffer the bounty hunter's shoulder jabbing into her stomach with every step as she was carried out of her room, her fists and knees pounding impotently against the larger woman's back and hips. "I've never been treated with such indignity!"
"Princess, hush up or I'll hush you up." Yang grumbled over her shoulder as she eased her way through the hotel's narrow hallway, careful to keep from bumping her cargo against the walls. "We've got a long ride ahead of us, and I won't tolerate you yappin' the whole way."
Weiss ignored this, shrieking protests at the top of her lungs even as she was bounced against Yang's shoulders as the latter descended the staircase to the ground floor. The attendant and the few other patrons in the lobby stared at the pair of women as they crossed to the entrance, too shocked to comment until after they were gone.
Balmy air and a light gust of wind ruffled Weiss' hair as they emerged onto the street, feeling cold as it whispered through her thin clothing. Her bearer jerked to a halt, and Weiss craned her head to try and see why. "Here you go, sis, got you a gift."
"Wow, thanks!"
"Yup. Now, you remember to take care of the horses and this ole biddy's belongings while I'm gone."
"Sure will, Yang!"
"Good. See you in a few days, and with a big ol' stack of money too!"
She was shifted into motion once again, forced to glower at Yang's heels as she walked across the town. Glancing up, she saw the shrinking figure of Ruby Rose standing next to her gelding and an additional two horses, inspecting her derringer. Her eyes widened as realization flooded her mind. "Wait! Wait!"
"I'm listenin'?" Yang repositioned Weiss on her shoulder, but did not stop walking.
"We're... we're not taking the horses?"
"Course not! That'd take days to get you back to Atlas! No ma'am, our train leaves at nine thirty on the dot! I'll have you home tomorrow! I'll even let you sit on my lap on the way there..."
Tragedy. Defeat. Even as she had been screaming and beating her fists against the blonde, Weiss had been planning her escape. Everyone had to sleep sometime, and she could've ridden away in the night and continued her expedition. If she was put on that train, forced to ride with Yang as a guard, there would be no way to evade returning to Atlas City. And her father. "Wait! No! Just... just stop for a second, you devil!"
"Aww, but darlin', we're almost there!"
Time was scarce, and she was desperate. "Don't put me on that train! Just stop for one second!" Yang ignored her, even speeding her pace slightly. "You, you want the money, right? Well, what if I said you could get double! Triple!" She looked down and saw the boards of the train station. "Just stop and I'll tell you how!"
The footsteps stopped.
Weiss felt hands on her waist, and then was ungracefully deposited onto the ground. Yang took a step back, eyeing the shivering girl with skepticism. She crossed her arms, "How, then?"
Huffing her unmade hair out of her eyes and wrapping her arms around her chest to try and retain some amount of her besmirched dignity, Weiss glared at the tall blonde. "Thank you." She was very mindful of the thinness of her clothing, and did not miss Yang's investigative glance downwards. "Ahem." The purple eyes returned to her own, unrepentant. "I am out here to transport a captured criminal to justice. The reward is... comparable to my own. If, if you let me go, and assist me with the travel, you can have it all. We both know I have no need of money." Yang rolled her eyes, but nodded. "And when that is complete, you may escort me, under agreeable conditions, back to Snow Dust Acres and collect that reward, if you wish. Do we have a deal?"
Yang stood silent and still for several moments, her eyes squinted in contemplation. Making a decision, she stepped forward and held out her hand. Just before Weiss took it, however, it retracted, and Yang spat into the palm of her hand before offering it again. At the white-haired girl's grimace of disgust, she said, "There's still plenty of time to put you on that train, darlin'."
"How revoltingly uncultured..." Weiss raised her hand to her mouth and spat, then gripped Yang's sodden hand. "There."
White teeth flashed in the brightening sunlight as Yang grinned and shook their arms up and down. "Deal!" They both released, and Weiss immediately wiped her hand on her nightgown. "Well then, princess, let's go get you dressed for the road. I ain't gonna wait for that money forever, you know." The bounty hunter gave Weiss a gentle shove in the direction of the hotel. "Ruby'll be so surprised!"
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