Early morning light streamed into the room, falling onto an occupied bed. Groaning, Weiss opened her eye to stare up at the white ceiling above her. The scent of antiseptics and the plain white room told her she was in the infirmary. Lifting her right hand, she grimaced as her fingers swept lightly over her bandaged face. Her aura had taken care of the dust burns while she slept, so most of the cloth was over her left eye. Feeling a weight on her other hand, she turned her head to see what it was.
"Ruby...?" Blinking slowly, she took in the sight before her. Two small hands were wrapped around her own, and her red-cloaked leader was slumped in a chair next to the bed, sleeping peacefully. The sound of her name roused her, and she looked up at her partner.
"Weiss, you're awake!" A smile broke across her face. Realizing they were still holding hands, Ruby quickly let go and shifted her chair closer to the bed. Weiss frowned at the now missing warmth. "The doctors said that you'd be fine, so I wasn't too worried. Oh, before you ask, the rest of us are fine. After you were..." Ruby's mouth turned down in a frown, "after you were hurt, Professor Goodwitch slammed that huntress into the wall and had all the other students leave. Goodwitch had us bring you here while she took her to see Professor Ozpin. You should've seen her, she made an Ursa Major look like a teddy bear," Weiss chuckled softly.
"How long was I out?" Ruby glanced at the clock on the wall.
"Just overnight. Depending on what the doctors say, you may be able to go to some of your classes today." Looking at her partner, Weiss noticed the slight bags under her eyes.
"Did you spend the night here, with me?" Ruby flushed.
"N-no, I mean, I did, but it wasn't a problem. I didn't want you to wake up all alone," she wrung her hands, trying to decide how to explain her not-so-reasonable reasoning. "I was worried about you, and wanted to be the first person you saw. Is that bad?" Weiss smiled, and a weight Ruby hadn't known was there disappeared from her chest.
"No, I don't think it's bad. Thank you, Ruby," pushing herself to sit up, Weiss felt the bandages around her head shift. She sighed as her hand ran across her covered eye socket. Ruby reached out and slowly pulled her hand away, looking sadly at her injured partner as their fingers intertwined again.
"Do you remember what happened?" The heiress paused, but nodded slowly as her memories of the previous day rushed back.
The darkness was stifling. Her face had gone numb, thankfully, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything more than just hang limp. Familiar voices registered in her ears, but she focused on the even breathing of the woman holding her up.
"... Why?" Weiss silently cursed her weak voice, sounding so much like a crying little girl.
"'Why?' Maybe I don't like kids. Maybe I hate liars," Weiss flinched as the hand in her hair twisted. "Maybe I just like hurting people." Weiss took a deep breath before responding.
"I don't believe that."
"Oh?"
"You're a huntress. If you liked hurting people, you wouldn't be someone who fights to protect others." Chuckling, Clare shifted her hold on Weiss, loosening the painful grip.
"You've got a sharp mind, Snowflake, but you're naive if you think all huntsmen are good. It's too bad your team wasn't smart enough to give up before it came to this. If anyone takes one more step, I'm taking a prize," Weiss winced at the sudden yell, then stilled as she felt cold fingers rest against her eye. Feebly fighting back, she hung uselessly in her dark world while the fingers pushed and curled around the orb. Goodwitch's voice reached her ears, but the pounding of her heart warped the words. Clare waited a moment before she started to pull her hand back, but a loud sound made her pause. A sigh slipped from her lips. "That's a pity."
Weiss gasped as the fingers stabbed into her eye, feeling so much like a knife. A slight tug and it was free, knuckles scraping against delicate skin as Clare claimed her prize. Feeling her mind slipping away, Weiss could only scream and cover her eye as she was dropped, consciousness gone before she hit the ground.
A warm squeeze brought her back to the present. Turning back to her partner, she saw the concern etched across Ruby's face.
"I'm okay," Weiss answered the unasked question and gave Ruby's hand a squeeze back. Ruby smiled brightly, but the worry didn't completely disappear. "Did I miss anything else?" Ruby shook her head.
"Nope, we brought you here and then had the rest of the day off. Oh, I need to let Yang and Blake know you're awake!" Pulling out her scroll, she quickly shot off a message. A slight smile flickered across Weiss' lips, but faded quickly as she realized that there was still one question she needed answered.
"So... You saw it, right?" Ruby tilted her head, confused. "My eye. You must have seen that my eye was..." Voice trailing off, Weiss fought off tears. Now was not the time to lose her composure. Ruby's eyes widened in understanding.
"No, we didn't see anything! She said to keep it covered, or it would be hurt!" Weiss stared at her partner blankly. "Oh, uh, see, that huntress said the she didn't actually take your eye, she just made it seem like she did. Something about applying pressure in the right place and adding some theatrics. You'll be fine in a day or two, so don't worry." Ruby's smile faltered as she looked at the fear and confusion on the heiress' face. Leaning forward, Ruby wrapped her free arm around Weiss' thin shoulders, resting her head in the crook of her neck and smiling as she felt a hand alight softly on her lower back. Closing her eyes, she could feel her partner relaxing into the hug. The slam of an opening door broke the moment, and they quickly pulled apart.
"And how's our favorite heiress doing today?" Yang sauntered up to the bed, grinning and plopping down next to Weiss' right hand. Blake slowly followed, taking a spot on the foot of the bed.
"I've been better." Blake reached a hand to lay on Weiss' covered leg, but left it hovering an inch in the air. Eyes full of guilt, she could barely look at her teammate.
"I'm sorry, Weiss. It's my fault, if I hadn't thought that I could sneak up on her-"
"It's not your fault," Weiss cut her off quickly. "If it hadn't been you, I bet Yang would've messed up instead." Yang grumbled at the insinuation, but Weiss ignored her. "I won't have any lasting injuries, so don't worry about it." Blake's shoulder relaxed as a weight left them. "If you still think you need to make it up to me, then make sure these two go to class. We already missed one day, I don't need to deal with trying to teach them things that they should have learned in class."
"Consider it done." Glancing at the clock, Blake stood and grabbed Yang's arm. "Speaking of class, we should get going. Come on, Ruby," Ruby quickly looked between Weiss and Blake, obviously torn. Weiss smiled and nodded toward the door.
"Go, you dolt. I'll join you as soon as the doctor says I'm allowed to go," Ruby nodded and moved to leave, but stopped and glanced down at her hand. Weiss followed her gaze and flushed, letting go of the hand that she hadn't even known she'd still been holding. A short goodbye and Weiss was left in silence. Leaning back into the pillow, Weiss looked at the ceiling as her still warm hand lightly traced her bandaged eye, using just enough pressure to feel the emptiness below the cloth. Smiling ruefully, she closed her right eye, savoring the control over the darkness. The soft squeak of the door alerted her to someone's entrance, but she didn't pay them any mind.
"You're looking a lot better, Snowflake." Eye snapping open, Weiss faced the speaker. Moving slowly, Clare stopped at the foot of the bed and stood, watching her. Gone was all of the terrifying presence from yesterday, and she shuffled awkwardly as she waited for Weiss to respond. A full minute passed before Weiss opened her mouth.
"You cut your hair." Twitching at the unexpected comment, she ran her hand through her short, swept back locks. A small grin appeared under the ever present sunglasses.
"Yeah, figured it wouldn't be worth the hassle to try to get all the knots out."
"It looks... better," silently cursing her manner-filled upbringing, Weiss clenched her jaw shut. It was insane to try to have a normal conversation with someone so dangerous. Clare let out a short laugh at the compliment, before the silence filled the room again. "... Did you want something?"
"Mhmm, here," She reached into a pocket and pulled something out, holding it towards Weiss. "I thought that you'd like this back."
Weiss stared, and the held item stared back. Round and perfectly painted to match, the orb looked so small in the hand of the tall woman. Taking it gingerly, Weiss turned it around, checking for scratches or cracks.
"I talked to the doc already, and he said that you can take the bandages off and leave whenever you want. Do you need any help with that?" Clare gestured to the item, and Weiss shook her head. Getting out of the bed, she walked over to the mirror that hung on the wall. Swiftly unwrapping the bandages, she took a moment to look at herself, stress and lack of sleep evident on her usually perfect face. Well, almost perfect, she thought as her eye landed on her scar. Sighing lightly, she slipped the prosthetic into place with practiced ease.
"Why?" Not bothering to turn around, she watched Clare through the mirror. Clare scratched at her cheek, where an imprint of a hand was slowly fading.
"I was mad. First Glyn was cold, and then that Ozpin told me that I wouldn't have a choice about this job. I spent the last few years alone in the wilderness, and suddenly I'm supposed to take care of and teach a bunch of kids?" She held her hands in the air. "That's insane! I'm bad enough with people I know, I shouldn't be at a school." Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair. "Damn, enough of those excuses. Upset or not, I shouldn't have done that to you. I'm sorry."
"And if I don't accept your apology?"
"I start begging? Wouldn't be good to have the Schnee heiress pissed with me," she grinned, but let it drop when she met Weiss' frosty glare. "It's none of my business, but how'd it happen?" Weiss stiffened.
"You're right, it's none of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've missed enough class already," stomping toward the door, Weiss refused to look at the older woman.
"The school doesn't know, does it? It's not in your records." Freezing, the heiress slowly turned away from the door, eyes full of fear. "It's well made, I'll give you that. If we hadn't been so close I probably wouldn't have figured it out. But missing half your vision is likely to get you, or one of your teammates, killed eventually."
"What are you going to do? Tell the professors?" Weiss swallowed the rest of her words. If word got out, not only would she most likely get kicked out, her father would be furious that the well-kept secret had been revealed. Clare looked back at her calmly.
"Now, why would I do that? There's nothing to gain. Though I do think I'm supposed to report things like this, so keeping quiet could be a pain in the long run. Hmm," she tapped on her chin thoughtfully. "How about this: I agree to not say anything, and you agree to special lessons?" Weiss stared at the offered hand. "Look, this is the best deal you're going to get. You don't have to worry about being expelled or getting one of your friends hurt, and I can say that the two of us have made up, which should get Ozpin and Glyn off my case."
"What type of special lessons?" Clare grinned and tapped her sunglasses.
"Let's just say that there's more than one way to see the battlefield," a moment passed while Weiss watched the huntress.
"... I don't have a choice , do I?"
"Sure you do. It just happens that if you say no I'll tell the school about your little deception. And I'm sure that won't end well." Another second passed, and Weiss slowly shook the offered hand. "Good. Then we'll start tonight. Meet me on Beacon cliffs at midnight." Waving at the door, Clare signaled that their conversation was over. Weiss sighed and left the room, headed for class.
She might as well try to have a normal rest of the day.
To say Glynda Goodwitch was furious would be an understatement. She was seething, and would have been pacing if it wouldn't have scared the infirmary staff even more. Standing by the closed door, her jaw tightened as it swung open. Nodding stiffly at her white-haired student, Glynda waited a moment before stomping into the room, eyes landing on the huntress sitting on a bed. That damn grin was on her face again, like everything was just a game.
"You apologized," Clare nodded, even though it hadn't be a question. "Then we're going back to my quarters."
"Mhmm," standing and stretching, the grin never left the taller woman's lips. Glynda wanted to wipe it off her face with a quick strike, but knew that it wouldn't work. After all, she'd managed to keep the grin all through last night. Frowning, the blonde professor considered the night's inpromptu meeting.
"You have been here less than twelve hours and already sent a student to the infirmary. Do you have an explanation for your actions?"
Looking up from her kneeling position, Clare shrugged, makeshift arm restraints clanking together. Small grin settling onto her lips, she stared up at the man standing before her. Arms jerked further behind herself, the huntress glanced over her shoulder at the glaring woman standing a few steps back, riding crop in hand. "I did tell them not to move, or else," Ozpin took a step closer, cold brown eyes staring down at her.
"I had you come to Beacon to help my students, and instead you tried to blind one of them?"
"Technically, if I'd been trying to blind her she would have lost both eyes. I just scared her and roughed her up a bit, that's all," her voice trailed off as Ozpin's cane came off the floor to rest on her chest.
"You are here to teach them skills to survive being huntsmen, not to end their careers before they begin. You will never lay a hand on one of my students again," leaning on his cane, he pushed it harder against the huntress with each word. "If you do, then..." one final push, and he let the threat hang in the air.
"Understood," grinning, Clare raised an eyebrow. "Think you can move your cane? Any farther and it'll rip the back of my jacket, and I like this jacket," Ozpin stared unblinking as he slowly pulled his cane back. A soft 'shlurck' and the cane was free to rest on the ground. "Are we done? I'll apologize to Snowflake if it'll help," ignoring her, Glynda moved to Ozpin's side, whispering quietly to him. Once they finished their conversation, the headmaster looked back at Clare.
"We are done if you make a promise to Glynda that you will not harm another student, and will follow her orders," the huntress' grin faltered for a second.
"Fine, Glyn, I promise I won't hurt another kid, and I'll do what you say," nodding at the promise, Ozpin returned to his desk, signaling the two women to leave. Glynda yanked the bound woman up and moved towards the door. Clare turned to follow, but paused when her head bobbed forward. Long hair fluttered to the ground as she glanced back at the headmaster.
"A final warning. I believe in second chances at my school," Ozpin's hard eyes looked over his spectacles. "You will not get another." A quick nod and Clare turned to back to the door, a straight line across the back of her neck coloring the skin below it scarlet.
The walk back to Glynda's quarters was silent except for the clacking of heels. Walking a few steps behind Clare to keep an eye on her, the blonde professor glared at the woman's relaxed body language. A beep from her scroll alerted Glynda to a new message, and she glanced down to see a message from the infirmary. Freezing, she read the message about her injured student. "We need to go back to Ozpi-" looking up, her orders died on her lips. Clare was gone. "I'm going to kill her," gritting her teeth, she picked up her pace, eyes swiveling as she searched for her lost captive. Mood worsening with each passing minute, she almost broke her scroll when it beeped again. Her eyes narrowed as she read the new mail, and she stormed towards the infirmary. As she entered the main office, Clare glanced up from where she loomed over a terrified doctor and grinned.
"Oh, Glyn, that was fa-"
SLAP.
The doctor flinched as the huntress' head whipped to the side. Glynda raised her hand and struck again, hard enough for blood to drip from Clare's lip. Slowly the shaggy-haired woman turned her head to look down at her attacker, grin still in place, but it had lost its humor. Glynda swallowed and fought the urge to step back as she met the piercing eyes barely visible through the tinted lenses. "We're leaving. Now," tossing a nod at the doctor, Clare sauntered out of the room with the blonde professor on her heels until they reached the staff quarters. Throwing open her door, Glynda shoved the taller woman onto the couch and glared down at her. Opening her mouth to speak, Clare beat her to it.
"He wasn't a student, and I didn't hurt him, just threatened him a bit. Nothing that went against my promise," soft clanks filled the room as Clare broke free of her restraints. Glynda didn't even blink; if they had really wanted to lock the huntress up, it would have taken a lot more than just some chains. "It's been a long time, but you should still remember Glyn: I'll never break a promise I make to you," she waited a few moments for a reaction, and sighed when none came. "Anyways, you got a note from the doc that your student'll be fine, right? So it's all good."
Pulling out her scroll, Glynda stared at the two newest messages. "I did get a message from the infirmary," glancing between the scroll and Clare's calm grin, she bit her lip slightly as she made a decision. Swiping quickly, she watched as the first message was deleted. "Even if Ms. Schnee will be fine, it doesn't excuse what you've done," putting her scroll away, she lifted her eyes to see that Clare had stood up and silently moved closer, leaning in close.
"I'm glad some things haven't changed about you, Glyn," the whisper floated gently in her ear. "When the kid wakes up, I'll apologize to her, alone. Once that's done I'll do whatever you want me to, okay?" An almost inperceivable nod, and the taller woman stepped back, smiling brightly. "Great, then I'm going to grab a shower. I'm all sticky."
"Hey Glyn, you're spacing out," snapping out of her memories, Glynda glanced at her couch, where Clare was making herself at home. Jacket and gloves tossed onto the coffee table, the huntress relaxed after her visit with the injured girl. "Something on your mind?"
Shaking her head, the professor moved towards her bedroom. "Not something, someone," muttering to herself, Glynda prepared for the long day ahead. She still had tasks to take care of and classes to teach, and she wasn't finished with Clare. Hands pausing over paperwork, she let a small smile form. If Clare thought Ozpin's punishment had been all she'd have to deal with, then she didn't know Glynda as well as she thought.
A/N: So, Clare isn't done with Weiss yet. Who saw Weiss' secret coming (really, let me know, I'm curious)? Special thanks to Orion Matrix for chatting with me and reminding me that you guys can't read my mind *slowly takes off tinfoil hat*, which led to some improvements to this chapter.