Author's Note: Before this chapter begins I would like to make a little note: a lot of what follows here are things that I created with my own thoughts and opinions based on hints and such from the show itself. Others I just expanded on because I could. Obviously nothing here is canon and I expect most if not all of it to be completely destroyed when we eventually get our second season of RWBY to tell us more about the world of Remnant.
Until such a time, however, please enjoy.
The Schnee Quarry has increased productivity by a third at least when compared to the beginning of last year, Weiss thought with a sense of pride. The freighter had already left for Vale two days earlier and the refineries are having difficulties keeping up with the influx of Dust crystals to purify and crush them. While putting aside one report to replace it with another, the heiress took a moment to glance at the screen of her business scroll. Stock prices have recovered and gone up by five percent.
For a year of effort after taking control of the Atlas branch of the SDC, Weiss thought she was doing rather well.
It had been as she had expected it to be. After their last year at Beacon, Team RWBY had graduated with each member being officially considered as a fully-trained Huntress who was now free to make their mark upon Remnant however they pleased. Of course, being Huntresses, there was only one thing that Blake, Yang, and Ruby could do with the training that had developed them into formidable warriors.
For the Schnee heiress, on the other hand, there was only one thing that Weiss could do with the studies and obligations that came before her time at Beacon.
Not to say that Weiss found herself taking complete control of the entire Schnee Dust Company mind you. Although she had been bred throughout her childhood for that eventual claim, she had spent four years at a prestigious combat school that taught nothing but fighting and humanity's natural enemy. While it would serve to make Weiss a powerful individual in terms of physical strength and knowledge of battle, had it debilitated her when it came to business and its own politics?
Her father hadn't spared her and Weiss didn't expect him to. To test her he had handed over control of all of SDC's assets within the Atlas region; a major center of SDC's industrial power. Atlas not only possessed the Schnee Quarry within its lands but the railways that would deliver the Dust to the refineries which would in turn send now quality-proven Dust to the docks. At the docks were the freighters that would deliver Dust shipments to Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, and pretty much anywhere else that the open seas allowed those ships to travel.
Such a process that supplied most of the known world with Dust required hundreds of thousands in terms of personnel and equipment that were used to mine, refine, and ship out Dust. All of which Weiss found herself managing to make sure that this well-oiled machine remained as such. For a first assignment soon after she had graduated from Beacon, it was rather harsh.
However, Weiss was very well aware that she wasn't at Beacon anymore. Those relaxing, happy times with caring teammates coupled with periods of life-threatening yet exhilarating engagements with the Grimm were gone and replaced with the cold, merciless logic that was needed to run such a large company. And even with those four years at Beacon, Weiss was still able to understand her father's logic when it came to this assignment: if she couldn't handle Atlas – large as it was –, then how can she possibly be entrusted with the entire company?
It was a heavy weight of responsibility but Weiss had taken it upon her shoulders willingly. Nothing made it more apparent than her first week when she found the desk of her newly-appointed office quickly filling with documents such as shipping manifests, production reports, profit margins, and personnel numbers not only for this year but for previous years as well in order to find patterns and compare it to the numbers that Weiss will be producing during her time. With them she could uncover what she should be expected to do, where she could tell she was falling behind and take action, and so on.
And Weiss enjoyed it. She may have been willing – perhaps even desired – to leave certain aspects of her upbringing behind her when she went to Beacon but while her childhood was far from perfect, there were certain aspects that she took actual enjoyment from such as her family's company. Beginning her teenage years, Weiss started to realize just how enormous and how much influence the Schnee Dust Company exerted throughout the world of Remnant.
For once she understood the numerous trials and staggering feats that her grandfather had accomplished in not only creating but expanding the company as it came to be once it had been handed over to her father. Her teammates got a brief look at it whenever the Vytal Festival came around and they found the heiress absolutely gushing over the amount of planning and organization that had to be done for an event that big.
But that was a festival. This was the Schnee Dust Company. And instead of being an observer, Weiss was in the thick of it.
I'm part of the process, the heiress thought. I manage, I make things happen, and the results that unfold are due to my choices and those who follow them.
Her father had given her three years. In three years he expected to see those results that would determine if all the money and resources that he had devoted to creating a proper successor paid off. It was not family pride that motivated Weiss but the idea that she could prove to her father that she would be even better than he expected. Three years? She would only need one to show results that she would later throw into his face.
She knew this because she had an edge; an idea that her father had never considered before. It was something that she didn't learn from him or any of her trainers but, rather, a byproduct of her time at Beacon.
To get the results that even her father wouldn't expect, Weiss focused on the Schnee Dust Company's most valuable yet most misused resource: the laborers.
The SDC had taken some political fire from civil rights groups and actual fire from a terrorist group for their questionable labor practices concerning the use of cheap faunus workers. As much as Weiss would later feel ashamed of her family's practice, that Schnee logic nonetheless understood the reasons as to why this happened.
That faunus night vision that had led them to the greatest military victories for their freedom worked equally well within the dark mines of the Schnee Quarry whereas humans needed special equipment in order to overcome it. It was not just the night vision either as different varieties of faunus possessed differing traits that went beyond whether they would be born with tails, ears, or horns. One could have increased agility and flexibility to maneuver through cramped tunnels, the other an extra bit of hardiness to handle the physical labor of the actual mining, and a third could possess acute senses that allowed them to detect toxic gasses or other dangers that could be found in a mine.
Grandfather Schnee had used the prejudice and unfairness that the world directed at the faunus to his advantage. When most of Remnant is populated by humans who exhibit contempt at the minority that was the faunus, the founder of SDC had given them a place to escape from it all. It would pay criminally cheap, offer them minimum shelter, and work them for long, hard hours in the dark but it was something that kept them away from the bigotry of human society and gave them a place in the world. Apparently that was enough.
But that was the past. The world was changing, the faunus were becoming more and more integrated into human society, and Weiss understood that the SDC needed to follow. Before she attended Beacon, Weiss knew of the deplorable conditions of the faunus laborers. She had known how their dwellings were nothing more than camps constructed at the quarries, that their pay was nowhere near enough to establish a living in a city, and that even if they could they would be too exhausted to do anything other than crawl into bed after a day's work.
Weiss had known all about it and she hadn't cared. In her mind, those workers should be grateful for being granted the opportunity to be productive members of society considering what their kind in the White Fang had done to her family.
Beacon and her team had taught her the folly of blaming an entire species for the actions of a few of its members. When she had visited the quarry, she was accompanied by the motivation to make everything right. She had walked away with personnel files, on-site recommendations and opinions, and then she had gotten to work.
Wages had been the most obvious thing to deal with although Weiss had issued them gradually as did promotions. Faunus who had worked for so long and so hard with little reward but establishing plenty of experience were finally allowed to move up the ladder where they could use their newfound authority to better monitor and direct their brethren for better productivity. Seeing their co-workers recognized and awarded with higher pay and benefits got the rest increase their own effectiveness. And so Weiss got the ball rolling.
To be fair, it wasn't as easy as it sounded as Weiss had to take in the consequences of these actions of goodwill. The entire point of faunus laborers were that they were cheap and the heiress was using money that the company made by avoiding doing what she was doing. And even if she bettered the lives of some workers she couldn't do it for all of them. Business sense said that she would have to lay off a number of them in order to continue this trend.
That was the only time that her father contacted her. Having ceased communications with his own daughter and making it quite clear that she would have to do this on her own when this all started, Weiss's actions had apparently concerned him enough to break that vow and ask what she was planning. The heiress wondered if it was the money she was spending or the betterment of the faunus laborers that concerned him the most. If she knew him well enough, it was probably a mix of both.
Either way, Weiss had hung up on him in reply. Her message had been clear: she had three years to get results and until then the choices and the consequences were hers and hers alone. If he wanted any part of this he had to wait for over two more years. She trusted that the businessman of her father would understand that this had been an investment and investments took time to see if they would gain him wealth or lose it.
Sit back, shut up, and let your investment work, was Weiss's silent rebuttal. He hadn't tried contacting her again.
Her father's concerns weren't completely invalid as Weiss was losing the company money. In the first few months the numbers had dropped due to increased wages, implementing procedures to cut the strenuous hours that the laborers worked, and even addressing complaints that had long been ignored in terms of improving some of those camps.
But those were for the short-term and Weiss wasn't going to allow her thinking be condensed by a temporary decline of SDC stock. It was the long-term that she knew she was going to get the results that she desired as she was not only relying on the quarry but the changing world to get what she wanted.
Her labors eventually bore fruit. A couple generations ago she couldn't say that she would be anywhere near as successful as she later became. However, faunus integration and easing tensions between them and humans that she had depended on saw her through. The previously bad press became promotional opportunities once people started noticing the changes going on in Atlas.
Specifically, it was the dramatic shift of the nearby city's ratio of human and faunus inhabitants. Laborers who now found themselves with money and, with it, an opportunity to better their lives were moving out of the camps and settling down in actual housing. Increased downtime between shifts also gave them a reason to enjoy the city life with their saved-up Lien which included buying the very products that the company they worked for made; from Dust to Shi-nee toothpaste.
As Weiss had planned, her changes went far beyond the quarry. Atlas itself was benefiting from the population growth what with higher demand to provide for them. Its city was growing and Weiss had used her complete management power to invest a bit more of SDC's funds into it. A portion of its population already directly employed by the company to work the refineries and docks, the constant flow of faunus laborers was expected to bump that portion to an entire third. This led to opportunities that, if the latest proposals that had been offered to the SDC were any indication, will prove to be highly beneficial.
Admittedly it had taken Weiss more than a year to witness any kind of development but what she was seeing on both paper and an electronic screen told her enough. Based on her calculations, she would have plenty to justify to her father that she had done well by giving the people he and his father had oppressed a chance. More importantly, she had managed to obtain something with the laborers that he couldn't: loyalty. No more laborers walking out when they had enough which would've left untrained replacements - not that the SDC ever did train their workers as they favored on-the-job training - at best and future members of the White Fang at worst.
On that subject, it certainly helped that terrorist activity from the White Fang had been brought to an all-time low in the Atlas region. Once having claimed to be fighting for the betterment of the faunus people, the fact that the SDC was bettering the lives of their brethren have given them little to justify any attacks they may've been previously planning on their old foe. That alone would be saving thousands if not millions of Lien that could've been lost to sabotage not to mention the lives of human personnel working in the region.
So here was Weiss Schnee almost two years later. How did she feel? Exhausted. Proud but exhausted. During this whole situation she barely had any time to relax. Now maybe she could just-
Knock knock knock.
Weiss slumped in her chair and tried to resist the urge to plant her face into her desk. She forced herself to move past this moment of weakness and immediately straightened. As soon as she accomplished that with both herself and her desk she soon called, "Come in."
"Sorry to interrupt," came Charlotte, her secretary. The graying brunette – almost twice Weiss's age – held a small stack of papers in her arms. She had been working for the company almost as long as the current Schnee head and Weiss had to assume that her usual frosty exterior was a product of working under her father for that long.
Weiss had expected trouble or at least some sign of dislike from the older woman considering how her own plans contrasted harshly with her father's but the supportive smile that briefly came to her face told her otherwise. That tone of her voice also helped when she placed the papers down on a space that Weiss had just cleared on her desk.
"Another proposal," Charlotte informed, sounding congratulatory as the documents were yet another product of Weiss's efforts.
It also reminded the heiress that there was still work to be done. She had won her own personal battle but she expected more when she eventually became the head of the Schnee Dust Company. Placing her hand on the papers, she slid them towards herself and offered her secretary a polite, "Thanks."
With a nod of her head Charlotte turned and left, closing the door behind her. Once she heard the door click shut the heiress blew a long, tired breath and returned to her slumped position in her chair. Her movements demonstrating how tired she felt, Weiss slowly flipped through the pages of this proposal. Eyes staring at the pages but not reading the words, Weiss ended up tossing the stack to the side for later. She didn't feel like it right now.
Besides, the sudden smell of roses told her that she had someone more enjoyable to direct her attention to. Weiss tried to lift herself up from her seat but hands grabbed her shoulders and coaxed her to remain seated with a bit of pressure.
"No need to get up," that playful, beautiful voice came from overhead. The hands slid along her shoulders to the base of her neck where rough, calloused fingers began to massage the muscles with a surprising gentleness. "Just sit down and relaaax."
With so many years of practice on these muscles that were always tied up in knots due to the stress of Weiss's past and future, the new arrival knew just how to loosen them up. It didn't take long to make the heiress gasp and arch her back as strong thumbs dug deep into her shoulder blades. Against their ministrations her muscles had no chance, melting almost immediately which forced Weiss to go limp.
The rhythmic pressure of those fingers on her neck and shoulders felt divine and Weiss experienced no shame in uttering an occasional moan at the treatment. With her there was nothing for her to hide…although her office possessing acoustic-dampening features – heavy, solid-core doors and cellulose insulation among other things - to counter potential eavesdroppers helped in allowing Weiss to let her partner know how good she was making her feel.
Weiss closed her eyes and let her head fall back as the kneading of her shoulders continued. When she opened them again it was to see the grinning, loving gaze of her red-cloaked lover. No doubt she used the brief opening of the door to sneak in. Summoning up enough strength, Weiss lifted a hand to grab onto that hanging braid and pull Ruby down to bring her mouth to hers.
Ruby halted her massage in order to shift her body and tilt her head to avoid an awkward, upside down locking of their lips, going further by kneeling down next to Weiss's chair. Weiss thanked her for her consideration as it allowed to better slip her tongue into Ruby's mouth, kissing her fiercely which caused her partner to let out a muffled squeak of surprise. The sound only strengthened these pent-up feelings of longing and desire that had come to the forefront as Weiss hugged Ruby with the same degree of fierceness, all the while drinking in the rosy fragrance of her hair and sweet, strawberry lips that she had missed.
Lost as she was, Weiss barely noticed her burning lungs until she felt Ruby weakly struggle in her grip. Realizing that suffocation was probably not the best way to celebrate this latest reunion, Weiss released her girlfriend who stared at the heiress with wide, surprised eyes and a dusting of pink on her cheeks. Weiss assumed her face was even redder than that.
"Wow," Ruby breathed which upped Weiss's facial temperature by a couple more degrees. The surprised look on her face eventually died down and those silver eyes focused on a point on Weiss's face. Upon lifting a hand and stroking her cheek, Ruby's fingers came back with a couple drops of liquid. "Happy to see me I assume."
Weiss sniffed and used her suit sleeve to wipe at the tears that Ruby made her become aware of. "What do you think, you dolt?"
Smiling sweetly, it was Ruby's turn to wrap her arms around Weiss and pull her close. The heiress willingly buried her head into her shoulder, her hands grabbing fistfuls of that familiar red cloak as she clung to Ruby.
This was not the first time that Weiss found that icy shield she had placed around her heart melting as soon as she was reunited with her love. The feelings of loneliness, longing, and complete and utter frustration at being separated from Ruby that she kept contained within her while she fulfilled her own duties came flooding out like the tears that stained the cloth that covered Ruby's shoulder.
It was more than just simple weeks – sometimes a full month – of separation that their opposite callings forced them to undertake that reduced Weiss to this pathetic state. There was also the fact that no matter how much they loved one another, no matter how much it hurt, it was the current circumstances that kept Weiss from making Ruby truly hers. Whether it was a sneaky visit in her office such as this or a midnight rendezvous in the bedroom of her apartment, the unfairness of this society and her family's own strictures that stood adamantly between them would always bring tears to her eyes despite indulging in the one person who made her happy.
One day she hoped to make things different. In her own way she was changing the structure of society this very moment with her work in Atlas. But as much as it benefitted a downtrodden people and further united two differing species of Remnant, Weiss still hadn't come close to being united to the one she loved most. Only when she became head of the Schnee Dust Company will she have the power to change everything.
Until then she was restricted to these wordless displays of affection that conveyed the one thing she wished to say out loud without fear of reprisal: I love you.
Weiss eventually pulled her face out from Ruby's shoulder but just so she could press her forehead against hers. Though her eyes were probably red and pale cheeks tear-stained, staring into Ruby's bright silver ones and seeing the caring smile blossom on her face forced Weiss to push her sorrow to the side in order to fully appreciate this moment that gave her hope that everything will work out.
One day. Until that day arrived they had to remain separated from one another.
What felt to be too soon, Ruby retreated from Weiss, standing up and surveying her desk before examining the entire office. While such a big office, there was very little in terms of decoration and Weiss had always felt bad about that. At the wall behind her desk was a full-length window that offered a rather expansive view of the city that Weiss indulged in from time-to-time, turning her chair around to see it sprawled beneath her. Currently the curtains were pulled together but Weiss could've sworn that they were open before Ruby's appearance.
Dominating the center of the office was a desk that seemed rather similar to the ones that the professors at Beacon usually had for themselves in their classrooms. With Weiss's small frame it looked rather large for the heiress but the space had been put to good use as two-thirds of it was taken up by stacks of paperwork and her scroll.
If she had a pot of coffee and some mugs it would've looked very similar to Oobleck's cluttered desk but she had kept them off to the left side of the room on a low table that had a couch on one side and two chairs on the other. A small bowl of sugar and short pitcher of cream completed the selection.
Although Ruby's addiction to coffee and dousing it with as much sugar as possible hadn't changed and the scythe-wielder was clearly eyeing the drink, she held back for now. Instead, the leader of Team RWBY turned around to face Weiss again. With her arms behind her back and a rather humorous grin on her face, Weiss became suspicious.
"What?" she asked.
"Someone else has missed you toooo," Ruby practically sang, body swaying in place.
Weiss quirked a brow, stretching the scar at her eye as she stared at her partner. "Yang?"
Ruby shook her head. "Nooope."
"Blake?"
"Nooope." After a second's thought Ruby frowned which, even at twenty-one years of age, hadn't gotten any less cute. "Well, not to say that they don't miss you. They do. A lot."
Weiss felt a spike of regret at that. It was rather rare to have Team RWBY together in one place and Weiss knew that much of the blame was on her. In order to meet her deadline, the heiress had to painfully reject invitations for a reunion that would involve all of them. When combined with the career choices of her former teammates, it was all but impossible. While the life of a Huntress may offer more freedom, missions came with a variety of circumstances that would request either one Huntress or a whole team. It wasn't uncommon that each member of Team RWBY would be sent on three separate missions with each one being completed in a different timeframe.
They had nonetheless been able to meet up at one point in time after their graduation from Beacon. It had been four months ago when Weiss had felt that the bulk of her work had been completed and she was able to allow herself a couple days off. She had not only met up with Ruby, Yang, and Blake but even the members of JNPR and old professors from Beacon.
All of them had gathered to witness their faunus teammate being pronounced as Blake Belladonna Long.
As envious as she was that the other half of Team RWBY had managed to find their happiness, it didn't mean that Weiss couldn't be happy for them especially as those two had been able to willingly brave through their own problems that came with not only two women getting married but a faunus and a human woman getting married. At the very least it was rather amusing to see Blake dressed in her black tux while Yang had gone with the white, frilly wedding dress. Not that being the one in the dress had stopped Yang from pouncing on her newly-declared wife as soon as they had been told to kiss.
"Alright," Weiss sighed. "I give up."
Ruby had been slowly approaching the heiress, the grin permanently etched on her face and her arms refusing to reappear from behind her back. Weiss constantly shifted her gaze between that face and those hidden arms as she tried to figure it out.
Too late. With a theatrical flourish of her cloak, Ruby held out what she had been hiding. The rattling of metal told the heiress the identity of the object before her partner held it over her desk. Her eyes widened in recognition.
"How did you find that?" she asked incredulously.
Ruby scoffed at the question. "Come on, I've been to your apartment enough to know your hiding spots. You did give me a key after all." She shrugged. "And I got bored."
Ah, right. A bored Ruby was a bad Ruby; Weiss should've known. She refocused her gaze on the long, sheathed form of Myrtenaster.
Despite her years with her precious rapier at her side, Weiss had never given Myrtenaster a proper scabbard mostly because she hadn't wanted such a thing getting in the way of her own acrobatic movements when she fought. Once she drew her weapon it would become dead weight that she didn't need. The heiress had thus chosen to go with a simple, buttoned loop at her belt to hold the rapier in place. The super sharp blade could easily cut it so the loop was designed to tighten around at the base of the blade where the Dust exhaust port was located to hold it while avoiding the danger. Weiss could then draw her weapon like a regular sword or, with a forceful tug, unbutton the loop to better drop into her opening stance.
When she had decided to put Myrtenaster away in a hidden compartment within her closet (she thought that had been a safe bet as, even if Ruby wanted a change of clothes after awakening in her bed anything in it would be too small for her), Weiss had given it a proper covering. In the end she had chosen a black leather scabbard that was designed with white roses and thorns that wove intricate patterns all along its length. She had thought it to be a beautiful and fitting design to keep her weapon contained until…well she didn't know when she would pull out her weapon again.
Technically she still didn't; Ruby did. Ruby who was currently hugging it…caressing it…and making Weiss rather jealous right now.
"I found her all alone in a cold, dark corner," Ruby gushed, the sheathed blade pressed against her chest while her head nuzzled the hilt. "You should've seen the dust on her and I don't mean the good Dust kind. All dirty and clearly aching for someone's touch."
Weiss felt her brow twitching in irritation at the sight of her lover giving her…love to an inanimate object. When Ruby dropped a hand to teasingly rub along the length of the rapier the heiress jumped to her feet and snatched it from her girlfriend. "Give me that!"
Giggling like mad, Ruby spun on her heel and made a dash for the coffee pot.
Glaring at her partner's back, Weiss shifted her attention to the sheathed Myrtenaster. With her one hand holding the center of the blade, her other hand came up to wrap its fingers loosely around the hilt. She held it in front of her to properly inspect it.
Even though it had been nearly two years, the weight of her weapon and how the hilt fit her palm was just as she remembered. Myrtenaster was light with the long blade balancing out the weight of the cylinder and metal prongs that acted as the guard. Weiss used her thumb to cock the hammer back before her fingers pressed down on the trigger to snap it forward. With that same thumb the heiress released the lock and the hand she had on the blade pushed down to perform the top-break action that left the rear of the cylinder exposed.
Had the cylinder been loaded with Dust cartridges, the extractor located in the middle would've pushed them out so that new ones could be loaded in. Very rarely had Weiss needed to reload as when the occasion called for it the battle would already be over and Weiss would be too exhausted to continue anyway. It was during her third year at Beacon that the snow-haired woman's stamina and Aura improved enough that she would still be able to keep fighting even after expending the energies of one load of Dust.
After pushing the blade up and locking both it and the cylinder back into place, Weiss finally drew Myrtenaster from its scabbard. More time was needed to erase the memories that had been embedded into her muscles. As if she was back in the sparring mats, Weiss brought her weapon across her body and held the hilt at the right side of her face. With one of the metal prongs nearly touching her cheek, Weiss stared down the length of the blade with the tip pointed forward.
It was her usual opening stance that, with the power of Dust, would allow her to transition to a high-speed thrust. She didn't thrust but, instead, kept Myrtenaster in its position while she mentally went over the sequences and forms that had been drilled into her. She was pleased to feel her muscles instinctively tensing in such a way that would allow her to complete whatever maneuver crossed her mind.
"You may not believe it," came Ruby's voice, knocking Weiss out of her reverie, "but you're missing the team a whole lot."
Weiss relaxed out of her stance and pointed her rapier up in order to inspect the steel blade. It had been polished recently which she immediately recognized as Ruby's doing. Looking at her lover, she saw Ruby stirring her coffee to properly mix what had to be her usual dose of cream and sugar.
"I'm missing fighting certainly," Weiss admitted, lowering and sheathing her weapon. "Dealing with Yang's puns, on the other hand, was wearing thin." She gave Ruby a wink to show that she was kidding. Mostly.
"Ah." Ruby swept her gaze upon the cluttered desk. "I think you moved up to really difficult prey though, love."
Hearing the words as she was placing Myrtenaster on her desk, Weiss paused before a frown came to her features. The tip of her index finger unconsciously traced one of the white roses before she confirmed, "More truth to that than I want to admit."
Before she could become lost in the gloomy thoughts that accompanied her situation with her company and her father, the heiress felt the warm, wet sensation of Ruby's lips on her cheek. Weiss had learned to stop questioning how easily such displays of Ruby's affection for her brightened up her mood so she just accepted it along with the coffee that Ruby had apparently prepared for her.
As would be proven a few seconds after she had taken her first sip of coffee, however, was that Weiss still had trouble accepting how evil her girlfriend could be.
"You know…" Ruby started slowly after Weiss let out a refreshing sigh, "…funny thing about all this."
Something clicked in the mind of the Schnee heiress. Whereas just moments ago she had written off the actions of her lover as sweet yet harmless displays to make her feel better, hearing that ominous tone made Weiss wonder about something.
Why, exactly, had Ruby gone through all the trouble of retrieving her weapon?
"I happened to hear about a job when I was coming over here."
The mug of coffee became very still in Weiss's hand as the heiress looked to her partner who was smiling sheepishly.
"It's a small job," Ruby continued explaining. "There have been multiple sightings of Beowolves at Atlas's borders lately; its being assumed that their numbers have gone up again and need to be put down. I can easily handle it myself…"
"…But you want to see if I can come along," Weiss finished for her.
"Oh, well, I didn't say that but if you insist so much I suppose I could let you join me!"
Weiss lowered her head, hand coming up to meet it as she sighed. Despite her apparent exasperation, the movement was also meant to hide the smirk at Ruby's antics. She thought she did a good job of killing it before looking back up at her girlfriend. "I can't. I have duties here."
In a display that was very unlike an adult, Ruby blew a raspberry in the direction of the heiress. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alright, if you want to play that game then consider this as part of your duties!" Planting her butt on the desk, Ruby sipped from her own mug of coffee while her free hand idly prodded at some of the paperwork surrounding her. "I can't help but notice that there's a lot more construction going on compared to when I last dropped by."
Oh no, Weiss silently dreaded. She's going to use logic. She hated when Ruby used logic. It proved how devilishly clever her girlfriend could be and why it had ended up being a wise choice for Ruby to be given the position of leader of their team.
After all, a good leader knew how to manipulate her teammates.
"Makes you wonder how much room this city can make for their latest additions," Ruby continued, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "All these good people wanting a nice, warm home to settle into after a hard day of work. I mean it's probably not such a big deal now but you gotta wonder, in the not-so-distant future, how long before some expansion is needed. A couple less Beowolves can make things just a tad easier don't you think?"
Weiss was going to need to sit down for this - and quickly regretted her decision. Sitting back down in her chair while Ruby remained on her desk put her in an even worse position as the height difference between the furniture and women proved to make Ruby more imposing. Though well-used to this trick with how others sought to use her small stature against her, Weiss had never let it affect her before.
Then again, those others didn't have the advantage of being the love of her life who possessed an impish grin that was making her heart flutter in her chest.
"You probably know better than I," Ruby went on, giving Weiss a break when that grin disappeared behind her mug as she took another sip of coffee before continuing with, "but the latest numbers say a population increase of two…no, maybe three?"
"…Five percent as of last week," Weiss grudgingly answered. She expected that number to be much higher when her three year deadline expired.
Ruby left it at that, enjoying both the coffee and the position she had just placed the heiress into.
Being able to do little else than sip her own, Weiss looked to that cloaked nymph who seemed so out of place in her rather plain office with her vibrant dress of red and black. Slowly her gaze moved from Ruby to the sheathed Myrtenaster that lay next to her.
Weiss did miss it. She missed everything that Beacon had given her that her own family – with all their riches and fame – could not. That camaraderie and respect that you developed by fighting alongside others against the monsters of Grimm. That level of trust and understanding that allowed you to predict what your teammates were thinking or how they would react next which gave you the ability to know where your own skills could be used to best supplement the group.
Shared victory. It had been such an alien concept in the past.
Weiss glanced down at herself. She wasn't dressed in her combat attire and hadn't been so in the past year and a half. She wore a light blue, long-sleeved jacket but it was a much more formal suit jacket that was buttoned over a white shirt rather than a dress. No combat skirt or boots either; traded in for pants and high-heels.
Her father and her family's other shortcomings aside, Weiss did enjoy what her position allowed her to do. Although it wasn't fighting the Grimm, she knew that a person could do something other than slay monsters to create a better place. She treasured her time at Beacon but becoming an official member of the Schnee Dust Company gave her opportunities to create rather than destroy. She was giving people a chance, allowing prosperity to strengthen one of humanity's territories, and making the world better because of it.
Despite being in the same world, she in her chair and Ruby on her desk represented two separate existences. The most important thing that Weiss strived for in her work was to eventually see them come together. She had the power to do that but she had to be patient.
A sudden weight on Weiss's lap told her that Ruby wasn't going to be. Setting her now empty mug aside, Ruby had slipped off the heiress's desk and onto her girlfriend. Before Weiss had time to react, Ruby had drawn her arms around her neck and pressed her cheek against her own.
"It'll be like old times," Ruby murmured sweetly, rubbing their exposed flesh together. "Think of it as one of our incursions into the Emerald Forest. Just you, me, and a bunch of soon-to-be-dead Grimm." Her head lowered so she can place a light, teasing peck on the heiress's throat. "And when we're done it'll just be you and me."
Weiss had to suppress an excited shiver at the feel of the scythe-wielder's lips brushing that sensitive pulse point. Sex and logic; Ruby wasn't playing fair at all.
As ridiculous as it was to point out such a detail, when Weiss set her own half-empty mug aside to better hold Ruby against her she couldn't help but say, "This isn't usually the time for Beowolves." Even if she wasn't a Huntress, Weiss had nonetheless kept up with reports of the local Grimm populations. They would spike every year and a job would eventually be posted to trim their numbers but such a season for Beowolf hunting was still a couple months off.
She felt Ruby shrug within her arms. "Could be in response to Atlas's population rising. It didn't come from one of Professor Port's contacts but I don't see any reason to worry about it. Does it really matter?"
"No." Weiss set her chin on top of Ruby's head, eyes closing with contentment. "No, I guess not."
They stayed like that for a good minute with Ruby's head resting against her chest and Weiss's resting on top of hers, their arms around one another. With each breath that Weiss drew she took in that rosy fragrance that put her at such ease. Even though Ruby was taller and heavier than Weiss, her weight and body only achieved at warming and comforting the fencer when drawn as close as she was.
Weiss didn't open her eyes when Ruby shifted within her lap, thinking that she was trying to get more comfortable. It was only when she felt Ruby lean back towards her desk and she heard something sliding along the wooden surface of the furniture that the heiress opened her eyes.
Ruby held Myrtenaster right in front of her face. Once she had her girlfriend's attention, she shook it and performed a bad attempt at ventriloquism.
"Grimm please 'kay thanks," 'Myrtenaster' pleaded.
Weiss giggled and retook possession of her weapon. "Dork."
With one hand on Myrtenaster and the other around Ruby, Weiss found herself holding onto two of the most precious things of her previous life. Her cloaked partner had planned this all too well and Weiss knew that she was on the verge of accepting.
There remained one fear: could she do it? It had been almost two years and while her body remembered how to fight it didn't mean that it could still perform as it did. Restricted to a desk during that whole time with her deadline keeping her from even practicing to keep her skills sharp, Weiss knew she was no longer at her prime. She didn't want to become a liability.
Ruby must've seen the uncertain look that Weiss had directed at Myrtenaster because she gave the snow-haired woman a small squeeze. "It's alright. I'll be there to protect you."
Weiss let out a breath of defeat, those words sealing her fate. While her skills may've dulled, Ruby had sharpened her own in her quest to become a powerful Huntress. She would trust her as she always had. Placing Myrtenaster down and leaving it to lean against the side of her chair, she reached over and tapped on her scroll to open a line of communication with her secretary. Ruby watched her, curious but hopeful. Weiss held up a finger as a sign to keep quiet.
"Yes, Ms Schnee?" came Charlotte's voice from the device.
"Charlotte, I'm going to need you to cancel my 9:30 tomorrow morning," Weiss informed.
There was a brief pause before the reply came, "Understood." Between Weiss and her father, Charlotte knew better than to question a Schnee.
"I'll also be leaving early. You may retire for the night."
She also knew how to take a hint even if she didn't know the reason behind it. "Understood."
When the line closed Ruby opened her mouth to express her joy. Weiss turned the finger that she had risen upon her girlfriend, pressing it against her lips to keep her quiet. With head tilted, Weiss counted the seconds to give what she hoped would be adequate time for her secretary to be far enough away from the office. Finally she glanced down at Ruby.
"I'll go." She kept that finger against Ruby's lips to stop her from cheering. "But it'll have to be quick. We'll leave early, do the job, and come back. Clear?"
"Crystal!" Ruby chirped happily. Thinking of it as a sign that she should get up now, Ruby started to slide out of Weiss's lap. A hand that grabbed her shoulder kept her in place.
"We're going to make one minor change to your plan though." Weiss's other hand came up so that she was holding both of Ruby's shoulders.
Ruby tilted her head curiously up at her. "Hm?" The hands tightened their grip, forcing her to look at them.
Before the red-cloaked Huntress knew it, she found her back practically slamming upon Weiss's desk. With her grip still on Ruby's shoulders, Weiss had removed herself from her chair in order to stand up and over her girlfriend, her ice blue eyes narrowing predatorily as they slid over her form. In this position with Ruby's cloak flared out and body on display, Weiss was free to examine all the physical changes that had caused her to become smitten with her partner during that fateful year at Beacon.
Ruby trembled beneath Weiss's gaze but not from fear. Her eyes were wide with surprise but they became replaced with something else. The initial emotion wasn't unexpected; while Weiss was willing to drop her façade of the prim and proper heiress when it meant connecting with her love at such an intimate and physical level after a period of separation, this was the first time that she was taking the initiative in her office.
"You and me first," Weiss explained, bringing her head down. "Grimm second."
Ruby didn't seem to mind this turn of events. When Weiss brought her into a kiss that matched the fierceness of the previous one, her arms and legs came around the heiress to keep her in place.
There was little room for thought with what happened next. All there was was the enjoyment that came from one another's loving company as they expressed their heartfelt feelings in such a primal display of passion.
There also came this one, undisputable truth: this was where Weiss desired to be the most. Within Ruby's arms was the warmth, safety, and love that she could only find here. As long as she was with Ruby she would be happy.
As long as she was with Ruby, everything would be alright.
"YOU NEARLY GOT HER KILLED!"
Ruby shrunk back at the loud, rage-filled words.
Mr. Schnee, head of the Schnee Dust Company, hadn't let his lofty position make him weak. When you were fighting a war with a group hell-bent on tearing apart your family's legacy that controlled the majority of the world's supply of Dust, you couldn't be. In this kind of business you had to be both sophisticated and tough. He was doing a painfully good job with the latter.
Schnee was a huge, powerful man who managed to dwarf Ruby the same way that the Huntress did with his daughter. Age and the difficulties of his life had made that short bristle of once-white hair completely gray. Yet the hair was the only sign of his advancing age as surely the strength in those large arms that his own immaculate suit failed to hide the muscularity of still had a long way to go from weakening. Ruby had certainly felt it when he had nearly crushed her right arm when dragging her out of the hospital room.
Even if she had wanted to fight back, her left arm being in a sling kept her from doing so. As did the guilt and self-loathing as familiar ice blue eyes glared down at her with intense, undisguised hatred.
Because Ruby knew that she was the one responsible for Weiss's critical condition.
The circumstances leading up to the disaster didn't matter. She could blame the contact for lacking in information. She could blame whoever had first recorded the Beowolf sightings for not thinking of it as something more than growing numbers.
Blaming some faceless individual was useless. She had been the one who accepted the mission, she who had the most experience, she who had the most skill, and she who had pushed Weiss into going with her. She had been there and was unable to prevent what had happened. She had been the one to assure Weiss that she would protect her.
She was the one who failed.
That one observation that Weiss had made and what Ruby had dismissed so easily could've prevented all this had she not been so arrogant. It was true that it wasn't the usual season where a Beowolf population would need trimming but she had thought nothing of it. Her previous missions and growing reputation as a successful Huntress had blinded her to possible dangers.
The Beowolves had not been drawing closer to the Atlas region because of numbers. They had been forced to move because of a simple introduction of bigger, more vicious predators had used their declining numbers as an opportunity to take over.
When Weiss and Ruby had left to slay Beowolves, they found themselves running into a recently-constructed nest of hissing, slithering King Taijitu.
If anyone had been aware of their presence, the mission level would've been bumped up significantly. It wouldn't have been a job that could've been easily done with one Huntress; at the very least it would've required two.
It had not been two Huntresses that had been sent out. It had been one Huntress and the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. Had Ruby known she wouldn't have brought it up to Weiss. She would've waited until later and contacted Yang or Blake or both for assistance. If anyone from JNPR or the other graduating teams from Beacon happened to near the Atlas region she would've called upon their help if she wanted to. Ruby would've waited, saved the job for another time, and focused on spending as much time as she could with her lover within the safety of her apartment.
Weiss would not have found herself in front of the fanged maws of two Taijitu that sought to devour her.
Her delicate snow angel still possessed that speed and grace that had been refined at Beacon Academy. As the two serpents chased after her, their bodies slithering above and below one another while they snapped at Weiss, the former Huntress spun and twirled, expertly avoiding their bites and keeping her distance from them.
Such movements could've fooled anyone into thinking that Weiss hadn't been weakened by her time of inactivity. Ruby knew better. While her acrobatic movements made it difficult to see, the cloaked Huntress knew of the sweat that was dripping down a flushed, porcelain face as her stamina started to fail her. They had been fighting for a while now, slain a number of the serpents, and it was getting to Weiss along with the minor cuts and bruises that marred her flawless skin. And there was one other danger that came with their situation.
Despite her growing exhaustion, Weiss managed to take advantage of an opening to stab the blade of Myrtenaster into the ground, a blue Dust cartridge glowing brightly. A wall of ice came into existence, not only creating a barrier between her and the Grimm but actually catching a white-scaled Taijitu within its icy grip.
Breathing heavily, Weiss used the moment to wipe the sweat that was starting to drip into her eyes.
Outside of her restricted vision, a dark silhouette drew closer.
It wasn't just Taijitu that they were fighting.
The sound of shifting vegetation alerted Weiss to the Beowolf that used the opportunity to strike. Bounding out from its hiding spot, the creature lunged towards her, a clawed hand swiping at her head. Weiss stumbled back but it was too late.
Her Aura prevented the monster from ripping off her face. As the claws were just about to connect, they met resistance as they reached the protective force field.
The resistance didn't last a second as it was not only stamina that Weiss was running low on. Aura levels depleted, the strike continued unabated. The extra split second kept the heiress from being struck down by all five claws, but one managed to get through and sliced into the skin of her cheek, barely missing her eye.
Letting out a pained cry that sank Ruby's heart, Weiss held a hand to her cheek. Blood from the deep cut quickly stained her fingers and face.
The Beowolf would've pressed the attack had it not been for the black Taijitu that Weiss hadn't trapped with her ice wall. Having slithered passed her frozen barrier, the oversized snake knocked the Beowolf aside in order to try and swallow the heiress whole. Weiss managed to back-flip out of the way, avoiding the cavernous mouth.
When she landed it was to be hit with the Taijitu's tail. The force sent the heiress flying back, bouncing off the ground once, and then slamming into a tree.
The strong, thick trunk held.
The bone within Weiss's body that made that horrifying snap upon impact did not.
Eyes going wide with unspeakable pain, Weiss opened her mouth in a silent scream. Her consciousness let her feel it briefly before it too gave out on her. With Myrtenaster falling from her limp fingers, the heiress slumped against the bark. The only movement that came from her was her long hair. Having come loose from its ponytail, it fell like a curtain around her unmoving form.
The Beowolf loped up until it was towering over the seemingly lifeless heiress. Its jaws opening wide to reveal its jagged teeth, it bent down with every intention to sink them into the back of her neck.
It didn't realize it was dead until its two halves had already hit the ground.
Ruby was breathing heavily but not from exhaustion. With the blade of Crescent Rose embedded in the soil after her successful blow on the Beowolf, the Huntress stared with shocked, grief-stricken eyes at the limp form of her lover.
Guilt, rage, sorrow, anguish, and hate that was not only directed at the Grimm but herself too came together to form an emotional storm that thundered within her chest. Staring at the broken body of the most important person in her life, the blood that dripped from her chin, and the blood that pooled around the two halves of the Beowolf, the red coloring stuck to Ruby's vision.
Soon it was all she could see: a red haze that left her blind to anything else. It did not leave her deaf and Ruby took note of the menacing hiss as a Taijitu rose up behind her. Identifying the sound as belonging to the one responsible for hurting Weiss, Ruby had spun around, the embroiled emotions within her coming forth in a scream as she brought her scythe around to enact her vengeance.
She couldn't remember what, exactly, took place in this blinding world of red that she found herself in. She remembered hearing screams – one her own, the rest not – and brief moments of satisfaction that lessened the all-consuming rage and grief that afflicted her. The relief ended abruptly, forcing her to look for more of it.
When her vision cleared, Ruby found herself, Weiss, and a circle of death and destruction that had been established around them.
She became aware of a body that had become sore, especially the agony that radiated from her left arm. The torn muscles and tendons that the doctors would identify later had not come from the Grimm but, rather, an overexertion of the tissue that had been further strained with an unstable application of Aura while madly swinging Crescent Rose. Had Ruby continued, she could've torn her whole body apart.
She almost wished that she had. Lacking relief, she could do nothing to appease her anguish that fully came to bear on her. It only got worse when she retrieved Weiss. Within her grip she could feel something shift within her girlfriend's body that shouldn't. The cut that parted the flesh beneath her left eye painted a portion of her face and strands of her white hair red. She looked like the corpse that Ruby feared her to be.
That slow, weak breath offered Ruby both hope and fear as she made her way back to civilization. Hope for as long as it continued Weiss was still alive. Fear for the very real possibility that at any moment it would stop.
It nearly did. When the doctors had taken her away Ruby thought it did. She hoped that it was just the fear of separation that made her imagine it when she handed over Weiss; the fear that she would never see her again.
It was Ruby's exhaustion and mind-numbing grief that allowed the doctors to treat her. Even if the personnel that treated her arm couldn't help Weiss, she would've refused their help with the mistaken thought that she was taking them away from making sure she continued to draw breath in this world. Of course, once they realized that it was Weiss Schnee they were treating, it was probably only the best that were taking care of her.
It also meant that her father was going to become involved. As if timing it perfectly, he came barging into Weiss's room just as Ruby was being told that her snow angel would live before dragging the Huntress out.
And here they were.
"She is the one and only successor to our line," the Schnee Head growled, barely containing the rage that had sent him into a rant earlier and will probably occur again. "In our war it would've only taken one act of sabotage, one successful assassination, one slip of security to end the Schnee name right then and there. And just as she was beginning to take her place in the company, one decision of a stupid little girl almost kills her!"
Ruby had nothing to say as there was very little she could voice against the truth. With her head bowed, eyes watering, and breathing labored, she took the insults full force.
I'm sorry, she silently apologized. She didn't say it out loud as it would only make it worse. She knew that because it was what had launched him into an incomprehensible raving when she said them upon sighting him.
"You are nothing," he continued. "A commoner. A delinquent!" His voice was getting louder with each word. "You think being a Huntress means anything? It does not!"
It doesn't, she silently agreed. Although her chin was practically touching her chest she could hear the footsteps that paced in front of her. The subtle changes in the air hinted that Weiss's father was now gesturing wildly with his arms.
"You fight and die as you should!" he exclaimed. "A Schnee controls the very thing that keeps humanity alive! By controlling Dust we control our evolution as a species! Humanity needs Dust! It does not need the dogs that are sent out to fight beasts we have already conquered! My daughter does not need you!"
There came a cold, wet sensation as her tears trailed down her face. She doesn't.
All Ruby had to do was turn her head to see the indisputable proof of that. She may have been pulled from the room but the door remained open and she was standing at the perfect spot to peer into it. With the curtain having remained pulled to the side, she could still see the battered body of Weiss.
The worst had been dealt with. While it was difficult to see them with the hospital gown and blankets that had been pulled over her body, the bones had been repositioned and were starting to mend. The bruises and cuts, however, Ruby could see at her girlfriend's bare arms and face, including the one beneath her eye that the Beowolf had been responsible for.
The doctors had been too busy saving her life to donate their time on a cut that, while deep, had not been life-threatening when compared to the others. When Weiss had been declared as in the clear, her body's own natural healing abilities supplemented by her slowly-replenishing Aura had started to heal it on its own. Any stitches that could've prevented scarring would be too late now.
It was going to leave a mark that would always remind Ruby how she had let Weiss down. When, for one horrifying moment, she had come close to losing her while she had been in her company. The ache in her chest that came from looking at that injury made Ruby wonder how she could possibly look at her again without being reminded of her failure.
The answer to that was easy: she couldn't.
"YOU GET AWAY!"
The palm struck her hard against her chest, winding her. The unexpected blow knocked Ruby back, away from the door, away from Weiss, and onto the floor. She coughed as she tried to catch her breath.
Above, Mr. Schnee glowered down at her. "Don't even look at her!" Turning to the open door, he reached out, grabbed the handle, and slammed it shut.
With a pained expression both from the blow and her own heartache, Ruby stared at the door that cut her off from Weiss. That was probably going to be the last time she was ever going to see her again.
Whirling back around, the head of the SDC focused back on her, a threat already being spouted, "Do not even think of trying to-"
He stopped when he realized that Ruby was already gone, a settling cloud of rose petals signaling where she had been a moment ago.
"What did you do?"
It had been two weeks since Weiss had been hospitalized. While not yet cleared to go, Weiss had gotten sick of staying in her room and had demanded to at least be allowed to travel and had used whatever pull that came with her name to see it done.
She wanted answers. Not once since she awoke did Ruby come to see her. When she asked about a red-cloaked Huntress, the staff had been rather evasive about replying to her. The uncertain glances that they gave to one another told the heiress all she needed to know. She had suspected the reason for her girlfriend's disappearance as soon as she realized that her father was here.
He didn't come to see her either. The pieces were painfully easy to put together.
"What. Did. You. Do?" she questioned again, nearly spitting out each word. The glare she sent at his back looked as angry as the scar that was still raw and red beneath her eye.
She had known how to find him. As soon as she claimed a power wheelchair and left her room she would find him. Rather, he would put himself in a position where she would be able to locate him when he was alerted. After all, he wanted to make sure that his successor wouldn't hurt herself and if all he had to do was answer a couple questions then he would.
Weiss hadn't been disappointed; she didn't even have to leave the current floor before she found him. The hall was unusually empty – his doing, she knew, to avoid an audience of the common folk – with him right in the middle and staring out a window to look upon the human city.
She really wished that she didn't need the wheelchair when she pushed the stick forward to slowly eliminate the distance between them. Unfortunately, even with her anger, she understood the gravity of her injuries. Her bones had been properly set and were mending but she had to be careful. Even if she had been formerly trained as a Huntress and could properly manipulate her Aura to quicken the healing process, broken bones were still broken bones. They would still need time and it was best that she didn't strain them unless she wanted to lengthen her stay here.
And an argument with her father can be very strenuous.
"What I had to do."
The calm, cool words were clear evidence of that as Weiss tightly gripped the arms of the chair. She hated that. When she had been a child, when the White Fang had been at their most active, her father had been far from cool and collected at home. In public he remained a businessman, in the privacy of their home Weiss remembered him more as a madman.
Being the false businessman here was equivalent to a slap in the face for Weiss.
I bet this wasn't what Ruby saw, you bastard, Weiss thought, fuming. You probably went rabid. Thrown as many insults and threats as you could to scare her off. The idea that she hadn't seen Ruby because it worked infuriated her.
"Do you think I didn't know?" her father questioned, turning around to face her with his hands behind his back. Calm and controlled. Too bad Weiss could see the same anger and offence that burned in her eyes within his matching own. "About your trysts with that woman? We all have them and I was willing to let you indulge in your share thinking that you would move on."
"Move on?" Weiss growled.
"Yes, well, apparently that was taking you a little longer so I gave it a little push. We all wish to remain young and rebellious Weiss but we have to grow up eventually. I was willing to let you go to Beacon because I thought it would help satisfy your needs while improving your status and reputation through success to better prepare you for your role. Surely you understood that for you came to accept your place in the company right after you graduated. You just needed a bit more time to get over some of your…disagreeable tastes."
Disagreeable? Her knuckles turned white with how tight she gripped her chair. My Ruby? She's the best thing that's ever happened to me.
"My business was my own," she spoke aloud. "You had no right to interfere in my personal affairs."
Her father shook his head. "Ah, see, that's the problem. The good of humanity is what we're about, Weiss; there is no room for personal affairs."
Weiss raised her brow, accentuating both scars while she spat, "Good for humanity? You mean the good for the Schnee dynasty."
He shrugged. "I see no difference between the two. Dust has been what allowed humanity to survive and prosper and it is the Schnee name that spreads it all throughout the four kingdoms. We use it as a resource that we cannot survive without. That chair which you are sitting in right now is powered by Dust. The technology that saved your life was only achievable through Dust."
"Dust allowed humanity to fight the Grimm," Weiss countered. "Huntresses like Ruby were the ones who gave us a chance to build our civilization in the first place when we had been on the brink of destruction. They fight the Grimm even now so that we don't return to dust."
"I don't see how that invalidates my point. If anything, it proves just how wasteful it is to invest in that woman and her kind."
There was that word again: invest. Weiss had grown up around that word and had learned to tolerate it. She had been an investment, had accepted it, and it was why she got on with her life knowing that she could never have any kind of closer relationship with her father. When she had been younger and more naïve she thought proving to her father the potential she had would get him to love her.
But hearing Ruby being considered as not only an investment but a wasted one stoked the fires that burned within her soul. She knew that the answer to her next question would make her livid but she found herself asking it. "Why, pray tell, would she be considered as a wasted investment?"
Her father seemed surprised at that which Weiss took some satisfaction in. His answer, however, made it short-lived. Nodding in what she assumed was an understanding manner, he spoke, "I see. Understandable. I guess four years at Beacon would affect your thinking on the subject."
Weiss glared, wordlessly telling him to get on with it.
"Huntsmen and Huntresses have saved humanity from the Grimm, I'll give you that," he allowed. "But that was years ago." He motioned with his hand to take in not only the hall that they were standing in but the cityscape that could be viewed from the window. "Do we really look that desperate anymore? Are we anywhere near as primitive as we once were? Humanity has advanced, our technology jumped ahead by leaps and bounds. All of this was because of Dust, not your Ruby Rose.
"They're just exterminators now that are sent out to maintain the status quo. They're not contributing to society as we are. When we grow it is through economics, politics, and business. Not fighting. We maintain their combat schools for convenience but even then that'll change. Dust and the technology that they use will eventually replace them in a matter of time. Well, if they live that long. After all, it is a dangerous business and you never know what may befall them even if it's something as simple as a little bad luck."
Weiss had listened to all of it in silence. She hadn't spoken a word, instead enduring that arrogance and superior tone that had her grinding her teeth. Her arms were shaking and she wasn't sure what was going to break first; her chair or still-healing body.
Then she heard it. That last sentence that froze her entire being. The glare that she had been directing at her father was replaced with something else: disbelief.
"I happened to hear about a job when I was coming over here."
He…he didn't.
In response to her concern, Ruby shrugged. "Could be in response to Atlas's population rising. It didn't come from one of Professor Port's contacts but I don't see any reason to worry about it. Does it really matter?"
Her father was many things. She hated him for all of them but not once did she think he could go that far. Could the war with the White Fang and his own subjugation of a species turn his thinking to justify something like that?
"Do you think I didn't know?"
If he had truly known…if he had been able to track her…had figured out that she was going to be in the area…
"Yes, well, apparently that was taking you a little longer so I gave it a little push."
If you had Lien you had options. You can create opportunities. If you greased the right palms you can gain information…or keep it away.
"The good of humanity is what we're about, Weiss; there is no room for personal affairs."
Lost in this appalling thought, Weiss didn't notice that her father had been approaching her until she felt his hand on her shoulder. She jerked her head up, her disbelieving blue eyes meeting ones that have turned cold.
"You are my daughter and you are a Schnee," he spoke, his gaze and voice unwavering, completely unaffected by her silent suspicions that she directed at him. "You are the only one who's worthy to be my successor. You have done me proud, Weiss."
A long time ago that had been all that Weiss wanted to hear from her father. It had been what had given her the motivation to go through a rotten childhood and harsh upbringing.
And all she wanted to do right now was bite that hand that he had never once given her before. Whereas Ruby's touch had made her warm and loved, her father's chilled her to bone and disgusted her.
"Your three years aren't up yet but I can see that you will do the Schnee name proud."
I don't want it.
The only reason that Weiss didn't were those words that came unbidden to her mind. They had come to her immediately, without warning, and she found that they were completely and utterly sincere.
I don't want this.
Dropping his hand from her shoulder, her father walked away.
I don't want any of this!
Weiss felt sick. The nausea kept her in place, forcing her to lie back as she was afraid any movement on her part would push her over the edge. She took deep, slow breaths in an attempt to center herself.
Is that what being a Schnee means? Is that what my name is? Is that what my entire family is built upon? With a plan of deceit, subjugation, blood, and madness?
Forget trying to change it. Forget trying to better it. Her name be damned, she was going to let it end here.
Weiss eventually returned to her room. She stayed without fuss and waited until she was cleared to go. Before she left, the hospital staff handed over some items that had been requested to be kept for her: her Myrtenaster complete with scabbard and a stack of Lien. The latter, she soon figured out, was her cut from the disastrous job plus extra to cover for 'unforeseeable complications'.
How considerate of him.
She was going to need it. Once she got out of the hospital she made a quick stop to her apartment to retrieve some of her personal effects. Then she made a direct line for the docks where she booked a discreet, anonymous passage on one of the freighters heading to Vale.
She was going home.
Author's Note: Alright…so…that happened. The only thing I wasn't too proud of in this chapter was the argument between Weiss and her father being a bit short; I felt like I should've expanded it more. Ah well, I was still looking at this like a quick, two-parter fic…
…which has become a three-parter. BLARGHSAGHOUIANGADPNGOGNSAOGNA! It's happening again! Why do I do this to myself!? I think my problem was that I put my copy of The Incredible Hulk into my computer and had the movie playing over and over again in my headset while I was working on this chapter.
*sigh* …I'm going to need a break after this. Not gonna lie, this chapter was pretty intense for me to write when it came to the disastrous Huntress mission and the thing with Ruby and Weiss's father. My plan is to get the third and FINALFINALFINALFINAL part of the fic up by Monday. Then I'm gonna take the rest of that week off. My friends bought me Mists of Pandaria (although we had previously agreed that we didn't care about the pandas…the announcement of Warlords of Draenor and all the cool stuff they're doing convinced us otherwise) and I'll be using a Scroll of Resurrection to get into that with them again. And then I promise I'll get back to Recurring Dreams and finish that up. Like I said, this so-called oneshot became much more than I expected…which really tends to be a trend when it comes to me and my work.
Anyway, hoped you enjoyed it. The conclusion shall occur in the next chapter. Read, review, then sit and wait for the finale!
…I hope there's no business or economic majors reading this fic. Now that the chapter is over I can say that I had about 25% understanding of what I was typing in the beginning and BSing the rest. If it sounded all believable to you people then, hey, guess I'm a good writer right?