Weiss slowly and carefully pulled her brush through her long, flowing snow-white hair, while quietly counting each stroke of the brush as she went. It was still early in the morning, and she hadn't needed to get up for school quite yet, but there was a lot on her mind that prevented her from staying in bed any longer. And the biggest thing occupying her thoughts was one cat Faunus named Blake Belladonna.
Weiss stopped stroking her brush through her hair, and slowly put it down on the vanity she was sitting before. She found her thoughts going back to the day before, when she'd brought the young, injured Faunus into her home. Thankfully when her driver had pulled the limo up to the front entrance of the expansive estate Weiss called home, she'd seen that her father's personal limo was not there. She had let out a small sigh of relief, as she'd waited for Alfred to come around to her door, and open it for her. As she'd exited the vehicle she'd looked up at her driver with a slightly-pleading expression, as her cool blue gaze had slipped to the side to look at the young Faunus climbing nervously from the back of her limo.
Alfred had only released a slight sigh, before he had lightly nodded his head. The older Schnee...Master Schnee to every servant and employee in the Schnee Manor...would not hear it from Alfred that young Mistress Schnee had brought home...a Faunus.
Weiss let out a slight sigh of relief, before she reached back and gently clasped Blake's small hand in her own. The poor Faunus's hand was a bit cold and clammy, and Weiss couldn't help but try to give Blake as reassuring a smile as she could. She could understand how Blake must be feeling right now. How her Father thought of and treated Faunus in general wasn't exactly a secret. But at this moment Weiss didn't care about all of that. A classmate of her's had been cruelly treated and hurt, and Weiss would be damned if she didn't at least try to help. It was something her Mother would have done...
Shaking that last thought from her head, Weiss looked up at the vast building before her, and tried to figure out exactly how she was to get Blake in passed all the household servants, who would all likely be milling about.
"If I may be so bold as to offer a suggestion to your likely...quandary...Mistress Schnee. May I suggest that you perhaps use the sash you have tied around your waist, to create a bow for your young guest's...appendage," Alfred suggested with all the aplomb of a man offering the suggestion of a cold glass of water on a hot day...not at all as a man suggesting how his young charge may 'smuggle' someone into their home.
Weiss looked down at the light blue, silk sash that she had tied around her waist, before quickly looking back up and giving her driver an approving nod and smile. Lightly releasing Blake's still slightly-clammy hand, Weiss quickly untied the sash from her waist, and turned to fully face the young Faunus. "Okay Blake, can you tilt your head down for me just a bit, so that I can make a bow for you? You probably already know that there would likely be uncomfortable...and possibly unpleasant...questions if I brought you into my home without the bow atop your head," Weiss said with an apologetic smile on her face.
Blake swallowed around the nervous lump in her throat, and lightly nodded her head in understanding and agreement. She did in fact know just how much trouble Weiss was likely risking, trying to bring her into what Blake was thinking was the very belly of the beast. But Blake was quickly realizing that Weiss Schnee was not someone you could easily stop, once she'd apparently made up her mind to do something.
So, Blake just resigned herself to being pulled along in the wake of Weiss's unstoppable current.
So, she slowly lowered her head, and Weiss made quick work of tying and looping the sash into a more-than-acceptable bow atop Blake's head; giving the little cat-like ears a temporary, snug home. Weiss stepped back a bit and gave her handiwork a satisfied nod, as Blake slowly raised her head and gave her Faunus ears a light twitch. They actually felt kind of nice, wrapped up in the soft silk of the bow, and Blake found herself giving Weiss a shy smile of thanks.
A small, answering smile tugged up the corners of Weiss's lips, before she released a light cough and spun around on her heels to point imperiously at her home.
"Alright, no more time wasting! Let's head inside!" And without another word, Weiss grabbed back hold of Blake's hand, and confidently marched the Faunus into her home.
~o~o~o~
"Now stay still...I know this may sting a bit," Weiss said softly, as she lightly dabbed a cotton ball soaked in disinfecting alcohol on the cut on Blake's forehead.
The young Faunus let out a slight hiss of pain at the slight sting of the alcohol, but Weiss was so gentle and careful in cleaning off the blood from her wound, that Blake found the built-up tension in her shoulders slowly dissipating. While Weiss finished cleaning the wound and then reached for a small, white bandage to place over it, Blake found herself looking around the young Schnee heiress's bathroom.
It was massive. And it didn't even compare in size to the actual bedroom, Weiss had hustled her through on the way to the bathroom. In fact, Blake thought to herself, as her golden eyes roamed around the room...Weiss's bedroom and bathroom combined would come pretty close to swallowing her foster home whole. That was just how ridiculously large Weiss's personal living area was.
I wonder how many Faunus laborers were probably forced to make this monstrosity of a home, Blake found herself thinking uncharitably, as Weiss finished putting the bandage over her now fully-cleaned and sanitized wound.
"There, all done. It shouldn't get infected or scar now," Weiss said with satisfaction, as she stood looking at Blake with her hands on her small waist.
Blake dragged her thoughts from the dark place they'd been headed, and gave Weiss a genuine smile of gratitude.
"Thank you. You really didn't have to help me as much as you have, and in fact I know you could have...and still could in fact...get into trouble for helping me. So, thank you again...Weiss...I truly am grateful," Blake said softly, as she bowed slightly before the Schnee heiress.
Weiss quickly raised her hands and waved them wildly before herself, as an embarrassed flush overcame her face.
"H-Hey now, none of that nonsense! I merely did what any proper young lady of my stature is supposed to do. Help someone in need. N-Now come along. We better get you home before it gets any later," Weiss stammered out as she once again took firm hold of Blake's hand, and gently tugged the young Faunus out the bathroom and into the bedroom.
Blake felt a small smile tug up the corner of her lips, as she was imperiously pulled along behind the young Schnee heiress through the overly-massive house, back down to the front entrance and back out to the limo where Alfred was waiting patiently.
The day had been pretty insane; what with almost getting run over by a bike, and then getting attacked by a sick fiend of a boy. But Weiss's unsolicited kindness was giving Blake hope that perhaps this school year, she would actually be able to enjoy herself, and maybe...just maybe...be able to make a new friend.
Blake allowed to small smile to grow on her face, as she climbed into the back of Weiss's limo behind the heiress, and settled in for the ride to her foster home.
Maybe her day would end on a good note after all.
~o~o~o~
Weiss let out a soft sigh as she picked up back her brush, and once again began slowly stroking it through her hair. Her thoughts just continued to swirl around the young Faunus girl she'd helped yesterday, and she found herself having a thought she hadn't had in a very long time...
Maybe...just maybe...she could finally make...a new friend.
~o~o~o~
"Alright, Mom! Ruby and I are off! See ya later after school!" Yang called out enthusiastically as she climbed onto her bright-yellow bike, with Ruby climbing on behind her, and wrapping her little arms around her big sister's waist below the school bag Yang had on her back.
"Just make sure you don't run over any more poor Faunus today!" Summer Rose exclaimed with a teasing grin, as she waved at her two children from their home's front porch.
Yang let a slightly-embarrassed chuckle escape her, as she lightly rubbed the back of her head. "You got it, Mom! No run-over Faunus today! See ya later!" Yang yelled back in reply as she turned the bike, and began pedaling quickly down the sidewalk. "Later, Mom! Love you!" Ruby called out to their mother with an enthusiastic wave, as she and Yang quickly picked up speed on the bike.
"See you later, my darlings!" Summer called back before with a small smile, she turned and headed back inside their home. Yang and Ruby made it to school in record time, as Yang did not want to incur the wrath of Miss Goodwitch two days in a row.
As they both climbed off of the bike and Yang locked it into place in the bike rack, she spotted a familiar figure trudging slowly towards the school entrance.
"Hey, Blake! How ya doing! Wanna walk to class together?" Yang called out, as she and Ruby quickly made their way over to the young Faunus. As the two girls came closer to the young Faunus, Yang immediately noticed a few different things about the girl. The first of them being the cute new bow Blake was now sporting on her head, which was covering up the Faunus's cute kitty ears. Yang found she was a little sad not being able to see the adorable little ears this morning, but her other observations about Blake stopped her in her tracks, and sent all other thoughts rushing straight out of her head.
"Oh my god, Blake! What the hell happened to you!" Yang exclaimed in horrified shock, as she took in the sight of the white bandage on Blake's forehead, and the still-healing cut at the corner of the Faunus girl's lips.
Blake quickly averted her golden eyes to the ground in embarrassed shame, as she quietly mumbled that she had "fallen down some stairs" at home. Yang didn't believe a word of what Blake had just said, but she didn't know how to broach the subject of what had obviously instead happened to the Faunus girl. Yang didn't even want to think that what she suspected had actually happened at Blake's home, was actually what went down.
Her parents wouldn't...would they..., Yang thought worriedly to herself, before she did a bit of a double-take at what was now happening before her.
Ruby had come from behind her sister, and had stepped right up in front of Blake. Then with a slightly-trembling hand, Ruby had slowly reached out to Blake, as one would to a kitten that may bolt at any time, and gently rested the tip of her fingers against the side of Blake's split lip.
Yang could only watch with opened-mouth shock, as her baby sister looked up with grey eyes glistening with unshed compassionate tears, at the quiet Faunus girl who stood rooted still in her own shock at the young girl's touch.
"It's okay, Blake...whatever happened...it's all going to be alright..." Ruby said in a soft voice as she slowly pulled her hand back, and gave Blake a slightly-tremulous smile.
Blake's throat bobbed slightly, as she tried to swallow down the emotion she was obviously feeling.
No one had ever touched her so tenderly and kindly before...no one that is until yesterday, when Weiss had done the same thing for her forehead. Now two people in two days had shown Blake that they cared...about her...and the young Faunus was finding she was having a bit of a hard time processing it all.
"Blake! What are you doing just standing out here like this! The school bell will be ringing soon" Weiss Schnee exclaimed loudly, as she quickly approached the standing stock-still trio. However, the Schnee heiress came to a total and complete stop when she came close enough to see Blake's face. Her jaw fell slightly open, and her crystal-blue eyes widened in disbelieving shock.
"Blake! What happened! No no, wait...you know what...we're going to talk. In private. Come on, let's go," Weiss said with all the authority of a queen as she reached forward, grasped Blake's hand, and more gently than Blake expected pulled her forward towards the school. Yang and Ruby were left standing behind, both of them staring with equal expressions of shock and confusion, as the absolute last thing either had expected to see was Weiss Schnee, coming along and pulling a not-unwilling Blake away with her.
"Um Ruby...did we just...miss something? Something like...potentially very important?" Yang asked her little sister, as they watched Weiss tug Blake inside the front doors of the school. Ruby looked towards the doors Blake and Weiss had just disappeared behind, and a slightly thoughtful expression crossed her face.
"We probably did. And I bet Weiss has all the answers to what's going on. And if she doesn't, she probably will soon. Let's see if we can find Blake and Weiss at lunch, and try to find out what's going on with Blake then. I'm worried about her...something potentially serious is happening with her, and I just feel like you and I should help," Ruby answered, as she gave Yang a slightly-worried look.
Yang nodded her head in agreement, before she slung her arm around her little sister's shoulders.
"Let's head inside too then. The bell is going to ring soon, and the last thing you or I need is Goodwitch getting on our cases again," Yang said with a grin and wink down at her sister, before she began leading them both up the steps towards the school.
Ruby nodded her head in agreement, as they both pushed open the doors and entered the school.
Yes, today at lunch they would look for and either find Blake, Weiss, or both of them and get to the bottom of what was happening with their potential new friend Blake.
AN - Hope you all enjoyed this chap. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, and this lil universe I'm creating with our four fave girls =3
- Yuri