[A/N]: The delays in chapter posting will continue until the reviews/views ratio improves.
Chapter Three: Hugs will make it all better.
It came to the surface that Weiss' father had not parted from his daughter on the most favourable of terms. The man had apparently descended into alcoholism some time the previous year after the death of a colleague; this had apparently been the last of some thirteen family friends who had been killed. It was unquestionable that the White Fang had been behind it. Blake was ever more grateful that she'd left that crowd when she had.
When, on one particularly bad day, Weiss' father had come home only to overhear his wife and daughter discussing plans for Weiss to attended combat school in the city, He'd objected in a rather direct fashion that Weiss had only a passing familiarity with swordsmanship and was not fit for combat school. Weiss had in turn explained that she'd in fact been planning this for some time and could he please stop drinking while she was trying to talk to him. She'd gone on to say that if he'd been paying attention he'd know she'd been training with a certified tutor for the past year and had more than made up for time with intensity, which had even allowed her to pass the Beacon entrance exams, or had he not noticed when she'd been gone for a whole week last month.
He had decided he didn't like her sass.
She had told him she didn't like having an angry drunk for a father.
He had swung the bottle.
She had left the following month after a complicated legal proceeding. That had all ended with what amounted to a semi-emancipated minor status whereby technically her legal guardians were the nurse-maid who'd done most of the hands on mothering she'd received on the one hand and the Faculty of Beacon academy on the other. It was truly amazing how Mr. Winger, the attorney who worked for the dust miner's union, had managed to turn Huntress-School into an acceptable substitute for military service and guarantee that the widow Dampers (Weiss' nanny) would retain her job at the Schnee household if she wanted it with immunity from being fired until Weiss reached the age of majority.
She had also left with a scar over her left eye. It was quite tidy for being glassed up by an amateur.
And now, it was all getting to be too much. Her mother had, theoretically, only ever wanted Weiss to be happy doing whatever she desired. Because of this her mother had supported her drive to get trained for combat school. Mrs. Dampers agreed whole heartedly and had even exploited her connections in the community to locate a discreet, and more importantly to the mind of Mrs. Dampers, female tutor who had given Weiss the sort of training that people normally had to track down weird little Zen guys in hidden river valleys to receive. For the year leading up to her leaving home, Weiss had worked every day at the kind of training that under involuntary circumstances would have been called attempted homicide. Weiss had loved every minute of it, mostly because it kept her out from under her parents' feet, but also because in her considered opinion of herself she looked good with visibly toned abdominal muscles.
But her kind-hearted mother never knew when to give Weiss' father the talking to he needed. So here they all were, with Weiss facing an invitation she couldn't reasonably refuse from the parent whose love for her was never in question, even if she was a bit distant at times. There was no getting around it; she was suddenly going home for the holidays. Train tomorrow heading through the Forever Fall Forest and north from there to the Schnee estate, with picturesque views of the giant hole in the ground from which eighty percent of Vytal's energy propellant was quarried.
Weiss had finished her explanation only to have the whole team pile on the bunk next to her and pull her into the center of a group hug that tried and may have succeeded in at least temporarily keeping all evils at bay.
Weiss spent the rest of the evening packing and checking up on train schedules. There was an overnight holiday special to the town nearest the estate, and because she'd failed to convince her parents to take a non-business interest in email, she instead sent word to Mrs. Dampers via a kitchen hand who she knew took tea with her old nanny. All this planning had settled Weiss down and her teammates had slowly relaxed their concern for her until things were more or less back to normal.
Then Yang had dropped the bomb.
"So Blake; if Weiss is headed home for the holidays, have you think up some other plan for what to do with yourself? I know all the guys in JNPR were heading their separate ways. I can't imagine that it'd be too fun to just hang out here for two whole weeks."
"It's fine. I talked to Goodwitch and she said that they're no strangers to students staying through the break."
"That's awful! Nobody should be alone for the holidays!" Chimed Ruby; "Weiss, tell her how nobody should be alone for the holidays!" The fearless leader ordered directing her gaze down to the bunk bellow. Weiss had her trunk open on the bed and was neatly folding one of her spare combat skirts.
"It isn't ideal, but from what you say about your uncle Qrow's place there's hardly any room to begin with, let alone for more than two visitors who really like each other, so taking her with you would be right out of the question." This was true. Ruby and Yang had both said that their uncle had cramped accommodations in the attics of Signal academy. Apparently he'd been found in the attic by the previous owner of the property and when Signal had bought the land they could not dislodge him with anything short of burning the place down. When all combative measures had proved inadequate the headmaster of Signal had invited Qrow to stay on as an instructor and given him the use of one corner of the attic.
For once, it was everyone who spaced out to recall things the sisters had said about holidays at uncle Qrow's place. Then the obvious idea occurred to their fearless leader.
"Blake could go with you to your parents' place to keep you from being so lonely." The room seemed to consider Ruby's proposal. Weiss seemed to be avoiding Blake's eye. Ruby was looking back and forth between the two while Yang was just chuckling softly so that nobody would notice.
"If you want to comeā¦" Weiss began finally meeting Blake's eyes. "It's not like it'd be a good idea to advertise that you're Faunus or anything, but apart from that I don't see why not." Blake just nodded and calmly went to get two small suitcases that held all her worldly belongings. Weiss sighed inwardly. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad after all.
