Chapter 6:

Cold Breath

Reevaluation T minus 22 days

Jaune was exhausted by the time he finished his early morning practice with Pyrrha. While he was still helping Weiss with her training, he still had to practice with his own mentor to get stronger himself. Learning and remembering all the skills and techniques required to fight efficiently was as taxing on his mind as it was on his body when he had to execute them.

"You're getting stronger Jaune," Pyrrha pointed out as she offered a helping hand to her leader and partner, which he graciously accepted.

"I hope so, going to need to be if I'm to help out Weiss," Jaune stated as he brushed himself off, so he didn't notice the slight frown on Pyrrha's face as he said that, and when he looked back up to his partner he saw a cheerful smile.

"It's a good thing you're helping her train her right hand, she doesn't know how lucky she is," Pyrrha pointed out as the two left the gym, since the cold weather prevented them from training on the usual roof they commandeered the gym for practice.

"I'm just happy to help," Jaune admitted modestly as they traveled down the hallway towards the cafeteria.

"So… no ulterior motives?" Pyrrha asked in a way that sounded cautiously hopeful.

"No… what do you mean by that?" Jaune asked, confused about the question.

"This isn't all just to get Weiss to go out with you is it?" Pyrrha figured getting to the point was best. But she instantly regretted it as Jaune got miffed.

"No Pyrrha, I'm doing this to help her, you'd think I'd take advantage of her being in a tough situation, I'm just helping her, that's it!" Jaune didn't realize he was yelling until he finished, then he felt guilty immediately, "I'm sorry Pyrrha, I didn't mean-

"No, It's alright, I shouldn't have made such an assumption," Pyrrha admitted with a dismissive wave of her hand, "It's just that,"

"Yea,"

Pyrrha looked at Jaune in the eye, she so desperately wanted to tell him how she felt, but couldn't find the strength. Finally she said, "Nothing, nothing important anyway, just glad your intentions are pure,"

Jaune gave a nod of understanding along with a friendly smile; Pyrrha returned the smile before the two went silent as they entered the cafeteria, got their breakfast, and sat down at the usual table with the rest of their team and most of Team RWBY.

"Where's Weiss?" Jaune asked as he and Pyrrha sat down.

"She's in the library," Blake said as she read her ever present book.

"Yea, she wanted to get some extra practice in with her hand," Ruby explained as she cradled Crescent Rose in her arms like a new mother holds her newborn, feverishly looking around for any threats.

V

Weiss was getting frustrated; her handwriting was still too difficult to read as she struggled to rewrite the same sentence. Only to have it appear even worse each time she put pencil to paper. Eventually she gave up and leaned back in her chair and stretched out stiff muscles. She truly felt like she wasn't getting anywhere, or at least not fast enough to pass the reevaluation test anyway, she leaned forward and rested her chin in her palm and simply got lost in her thoughts.

She found herself observing the room with mild interest. Students were silently studying, reading, or casually browsing through bookshelves while others chatted quietly amongst themselves about this and that. Standing up, the Heiress walked down the aisles of bookshelves in search of any book on cripple rehabilitation or something of the like. Weiss was so engrossed on reading the titles of the books as she walked along that she bumped into someone and the two collapsed.

"Ouch!"

"Watch it!" as Weiss pulled herself up she realized she had crashed into Velvet Scarlatina. Weiss quickly righted herself and offered her hand to the Faunus, who was about to accept the hand until she looked up and saw who owned it was, she then swatted the offered hand away.

"What was that for?" Weiss asked incredulously as the Faunus righted herself.

"I could ask you the same thing," Velvet retorted as she brushed herself off, "Why'd you crash into me?"

"I wasn't looking," Weiss admitted, "but what's your problem?"

"My problem?" Velvet crossed her arms and glared at the heiress, "Don't my ears remind you of anyone?"

"Are they supposed to?" Weiss questioned coldly.

"My sister?" Weiss simply raised an eyebrow in response, "Violet Scarlatina, one of your Father's housekeepers?"

Weiss' mind dawned in realization. Aside from the differing hair colors; Velvet was actually the spitting image of the purple haired rabbit Faunus that was a lived in maid back at her manor. The Schnee Manor had so many lived in Faunus housekeepers that Weiss had never bothered to learn their names, only identifying them by the animal traits that they had.

"Sorry, I didn't know-

"That's rich, given that you both essentially live on the same property," Velvet interrupted, "If you can call it a living when working for such a horrid man as your Father,"

"My Father is a great man!" Weiss instinctively defended her dad, even if she didn't always see eye to eye with him.

"Not from what my sister tells me," Velvet retorted, "How many siblings do you have anyway?"

"None, my mother died in childbirth!" Weiss replied quickly, she immediately regretted saying that, feeling ashamed, Velvet seemed surprised, but not for what Weiss was thinking.

"You have no Idea do you?" The bunny Faunus asked with genuine shock and surprise in her tone.

"I have no idea about what?" Weiss asked.

"Ask your father the next time you see him," Velvet retorted, and without another word, left the Heiress rooted in place and full of question.

V

Jaune waited for Weiss to show up, he looked at the clock to see that it was a quarter passed eight; she was late by a full hour. Releasing a sigh Jaune made his way back to his dorm room, thinking that Weiss didn't want his help anymore.

As he reached his dorm, he was about to open the door when he saw Weiss walking down the hallway and towards him with a scowl on her face. Thinking he'd done something wrong the knight cowered in fear, until Weiss stopped in front of him and said, "I need you to come with me to my manor over winter break,"

"Umm, Weiss I thought we'd agree that we would stay at Beacon during winter break?" Jaune questioned curiously.

"I… need to tell my father about my hand, and I figured showing would be best, that would require me going home and I doubt he'd let me return to Beacon after the talk, so you need to come with me so you can continue helping me train during the break," Weiss explained.

"I don't know if I should Weiss," Jaune began, but Weiss quickly interrupted him.

"It wasn't a request, it was a command," Weiss pointed out coldly, causing Jaune to sweat.

"Okay fine, I'll come along," Jaune conceded, "I need to bring Pyrrha with though,"

"What? Why?"

"I still need my own training Weiss," Jaune explained as he opened the door to his dorm as bid the heiress goodnight.

"Fine, just be at the airport tomorrow afternoon after classes," Weiss insisted as Jaune started closing the door.

"Yea, sure thing," Once Jaune closed the door shut he released a sigh he didn't know he was holding. He turned around to find Pyrrha standing in front of him, nearly causing him a heart attack.

"Pyrrha, don't scare me like that!" Jaune exclaimed,"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Pyrrha apologized as Jaune walked past her and started packing his things.

"No problem, by the way I need-

"I heard Jaune, I know you want me to come with you and Weiss," Pyrrha admitted, "You can count me in,"

Good, we leave tomorrow, after our final classes before winter break," Jaune explained as he packed his clothes into his suitcase, secretly terrified of Meeting Mr. Schnee.