Sorry for the slightly late upload guys. Was taking care of some tests yesterday, but here you are! Do enjoy :3 Nothing special in this chapter.I know I know . . . it all seems like filler . . . but bare in mind that The giant fight in Schnee Manor's 'backyard' will surely make up for it!


Chapter 7 - Settling In

Wow, so this is where Weiss lives?

I stare out Weiss' lowered window in complete shock and awe. The beautiful cut grass that surrounds the large mansion is such a healthy shade of green I never thought it were imaginable. Surrounding the property is a large, black fence that towers what most houses would have as a form of border making entry impossible for the normal person.

The mansion itself is far beyond what I thought it to be. It stands at four stories tall, and based on its shape as we entered. I assume that from an overhead view it will have a near perfect shape of an H. The horizontal strip being the area where we are currently stopped in front of and will enter.

I am only guessing, but I bet that the house has 'wings' specified for certain activities. One may be for eating, the other for sleeping, and so on and so forth. The building itself is a snow-white texture, and the windows have sort of a shiny, golden outline that is not that common, but also fits very well. The front door is a large, black double door, possibly doubled my height and has a fancy white glass with the Schnee Crest sitting in the center. If the door to the limo was not suddenly opened I could easily get lost in how fancy it is.

"Ms Rose, Ms Blake, Ms Yang, Ms Hitomi, Mr Branwen and Mr Xiao Long . . . allow me to welcome you to Schnee Manor." The calm voice the speaks to us as we all climb out is none other than the peculiar butler with an almost demonic grin that coats his face so naturally.

"Thank you, Sebastian . . . That will be all for now. I'll call you if you're needed." Weiss speaks in a borderline whisper, and when she is done he gives a simple nod and begins to walk away.

"Well, everyone grab your suitcase and let's get inside." Uncle Qrow says with his loud, enthusiastic voice. As he speaks he claps his hands and rubs his palms together.

"All our luggage is already inside." Weiss corrects, making us all look at her in confusion. We've barely been stopped for a minute, and we just got out the limo. How could our stuff be inside?

"Um . . . we just got her Weiss. I doubt you're fancy people are that fast." Yang says to interrupt the silence and confused stares.

"They aren't. Sebastian is simply an overachiever." Weiss explains and begins to walk for the large door, and the six of us follow. The walkway to the door is made of well-paved concrete, but once the door opens there is an instant change of scenery.

Beyond the door is a red carpet that leads straight ahead to a staircase that climbs until it makes contact with the far wall. From there it parts to the left and right, leading between the two sections of the house. The banisters are a reflective, chrome-gold color that shines with the bright lights of the overhead chandelier of the ceiling that is two stories high. The main room reminds me strangely of the room we used for prom night in Beacon. Below the red carpet, the floor is a shining, black texture that i can easily make out my reflection, as well as the reflection of the golden banisters. The walls are of course a white texture, although not as pearly as the outside walls of the building. They're probably one shade darker, making it so the inside doesn't have a blinding contrast if someone were to look at the floor and then look straight ahead.

However, the biggest surprise to me are all the maids lined up on either side of the red strip. There are easily about 20, and the moment we step into the mansion we are greeted by all of them in unison with a loud "Welcome to Schnee Manor!"

It's slightly disturbing when I realize that they all look the same. Each having a complexion similar to my own, but standing at somewhere around Blake's height. All of them wear the typical black and white maid outfit and their hair in ponytails. The only differences I can spot between them are different hair colors of white, red, black, blonde, and brown, along with different lengths.

"Are all the bags upstairs?" Weiss asks immediately, completely unphased by the welcome.

"Yes they are, Ms Schnee. Would you like them brought to the appropriate rooms?" The maid in the very front asks. While all of them are in very beautiful white and black outfits, the one in the front has the colors reversed. Both making her stand out the most and leave me in assumption that she is the 'Head Maid' should that title even exist.

"That's fine. We changed room accommodations last minute. Just . . . make sure the room at the end of Wing B is spacious. Move the furniture as you see fit. The one staying there is slightly restless." Weiss whispers, and Shun, knowing it is her being spoken of steps up with a grin.

"Hey, I can move furniture around. No need to give me a royal treatment." She smirks, placing her forearm on Weiss' shoulder.

"O-Oh . . . A faunus . . ."

"Nothing wrong with me being a faunus . . . is there?" Shun growls. While training with her I've noticed a slight tell she has when she is about to throw a kick, and with her growl I look down to her foot to see that her right heel is lifted off of the ground, letting me see the white underside of her black sneakers.

"Shun . . . please. She is the kindest person in this mansion, and therefore the last person you will detect any faunus hate from. Believe it or not, just because of who the owner of this place is does not mean everyone here is against you." Weiss cuts in almost instantly.

Shun nods her head and turns her gaze back to the Head Maid, "Sorry . . . I'm just edgy. If you don't mind, I'll take care of the furniture. I wouldn't mind if you stop by to direct traffic, though. I'm terrible at rearranging." Shun's mood changes in a heartbeat and I can see a bright smile from the Maid.

"Of course! I'll accompany everyone to their rooms! If you'll all follow me." She responds and quickly begins walking through the two lines of maids that nod their head as we all pass by. I follow quietly behind Weiss and Shun who are next to each other. Yang and Blake standing side by side behind me and finally Dad and Uncle Qrow are the last.

"Is my father home?" Weiss asks after we climb the first set of stairs and turn left to go up another.

"He is out on a business trip, Ms Schnee. He is due back in two days time."

The second flight leads us out of the main lobby and into another split hallway. Right at the three-way intersection is a door. That door turning out to be a stairwell that we follow the maid through and are sent into a climb of two flights on a spiraling staircase that has the same golden banisters, white colored walls, and a red carpet on the steps that contrasts to the black carpet in the hallway we exit at. As I exit behind Shun and Weiss I see that all our bags are neatly stacked in the middle of the hallway.

How did they bring them all up here this fast?

"Straight ahead leads to the next wing of the building. To the left are three bedrooms set for Ms Schnee's arrival, and to the right are four more . . . one of which is set with proper accommodations, as well as Ms Schnee's room at the end of the hall." She explains, letting us get a brief layout of the building.

While she speaks and explains I do my best to listen, but can't help letting my eyes wander around. I analyze the ice-blue textures of the wall in comparison to the white walls that were downstairs in the lobby.

"I'll show my teammates to their rooms. Ruby, Blake, Yang. We're going right." Weiss calls out, making me, Blake and Yang break off a few feet to the right and go fishing for our bags in the neatly organized pile. Shun, Uncle Qrow and Dad doing the same after we are done and following the maid down the opposite hallway.

"You made sure Dad and Uncle got the fancier rooms, didn't you?" Yang chuckles as we all follow Weiss.

"Slightly better than yours . . . I can send you down there if you want." Weiss looks over her shoulder at Yang with a smile.

"Nice try, Ice Queen. The further from my dad the better. Last thing I need is him knocking on my door just cause he hears one sound."

"Yang! I don't need to hear that!" I groan and semblance my way next to Weiss who isn't that far ahead, but I wanted to add the dramatic effect.

"Seriously, Yang . . . It's bad enough that Ruby saw in the bathroom." Blake says in as hushed a tone as she can in an attempt to make sure I don't hear her out of consideration.

"Okay. Yang, Blake here is your room." Weiss points to the door that looks to have a special emblem on it. The emblem is a black nightshade with orange and yellow flames surrounding it. It seems oddly familiar, but I've never seen that color scheme used before.

"Awwww, Weiss you deceptively nice heiress!" Yang yells from behind me, causing me to jump and get out of the way as my sister proceeds to hug and squeeze my girlfriend, much to her anger and physical pain.

"Yang! Let her go before you break her back!" Blake jumps in, wrapping her arms around Yang's shoulders and tugging the arms off before my sister can continue her infamous bearhug.

"Ugh! That's the last time I ever try to do something nice for you, Yang!" Weiss groans, both hands on her back to rub her pained midsection.

"Well, it was also a gift for me too . . . Thank you very much, Weiss." I look over my shoulder at Blake who has a wide smile at Weiss before shifting her eyes to the door.

"I . . . don't get it." I admit.

"Rubes . . . Weiss pretty much mixed Blake's emblem with a fire colored to my usual color-scheme. It's practically OUR emblem." Yang can't stop smiling as she talks and wraps her arms around Blake to hug and cradle her faunus girlfriend.

"Anyway . . . I'm sure you two will like the accommodations made . . . Let me show Ruby to my room." Weiss is quick to begin walking away and leave my overly affectionate sister with Blake, although I think her real reason is to escape being in Yang's hug-range.

"So, we're staying in your room?" I ask, although it is a very poor attempt at small talk.

"I just said that, Ruby . . . Just umm . . ." Weiss pauses, stopping at the final door at the end of the hall. It is about five doors away from Yang and Blake's room, and on the door itself is Weiss' emblem ". . . don't laugh"

Weiss takes a deep breath and pushes the door open. I follow her into the room and go completely jaw-dropped in shock. Weiss' room is completely tidy and neat with a beautiful white bed, white dresser, black carpet, ice-blue wall with white snowflakes designed all over it. But what has me jaw-dropped is in the corner of her room she has the world's largest stack of stuffed animals all neatly placed next to each other on a corner-furniture that is made of large, round platforms that get smaller in progression as you go up, making it seem like a tree-type of thing for all the teddybears to sit on.

"Oh . . . my . . . god" I say, staring at all of the teddybears, and Weiss looks at me with a visible flinch between each word I say.

"Ruby . . . It's a simple explanation rea-"

"THEY'RE SO CUTE!" I shout and semblance pass Weiss to the group of teddybears. Without thinking I lean down and wrap my arms around as many as I can and cradle them towards me. Each one is completely different and unique. For example, the six I managed to pick up are all the smallest, and are each a different animal. Although, I realize that there is a bit of a money investment in each of them considering her emblem sits right in the middle of each stuffed animal.

"Ugh! YOU DOLT! Put Buttercup and Snugglekin back on the second rack! Make sure you put Sergeant Fluff on the third rack against the wall! He likes to lean against it, and don't you dare think to put Grouchers next to Sergeant Fluff! They hate each other."

I pause, slowly looking over my shoulder at Weiss who stares at me with complete seriousness.

"Snugglekin? . . . Sergeant . . . Fluff?" I question, Weiss pausing in shock and then covering her lips. To think the Schnee heiress, a girl who use to scold me constantly for being childish would have a teddybear collection AND have them named is just a complete mind-blowing experience.

"St-stop being a pest!" Weiss shouts, turning her head away from me and putting her bags behind the door.

Now that I take a moment to look at the room, it is extremely spacious. Easily the same size as our room in Beacon. There is a large, queen-size bed near me which is directly across the room from the door. To the right of the bed (when looking at it from the doorway) is where I am currently with her massive community of stuffed animals. Along the other side of the bed is a gigantic mirror that is practically as big as the bed, but I see a slight crease in the middle of it and a few ridges underneath and on top. It is a mirror, but behind it is most likely a closet, or another room. When looking to the right from the room door is a door of the same size which is open. Inside I can see ice-blue tiles and a porcelain sink. That must be the bathroom. Next to the bathroom door is a 3-4 foot high dresser that has tons of drawers and many different cosmetics and brushes on top. The drawer itself is long enough to take up an entire wall of my room.

"I think it's cute, Weiss. Can I take one with me back to Beacon?" I ask with a smile, but Weiss quickly runs over and takes the small batch from my arms and places them back on the shelf in their appropriate spots.

"I'll get you your own, Ruby . . . it's just . . . These are literally all I have been able to keep throughout my childhood. My father would take out any old clothing and pictures I have, and replace them on a regular basis for me. This room was given to me roughly four months before I attended Beacon. I had a large argument with my father when he wanted to take away my stuff animals when I was younger. At the time there were far less, but I came to an agreement that these are the only things I can keep . . . If it makes things less weird . . . Snugglekin and Sergeant Fluff are my first two teddybears." Weiss looks at me with a smile.

"Wow . . ." I stand in shock that the only thing Weiss has been able to keep and cherish from her childhood are the group of fluffy animals kept neatly stacked in the corner of her room. I mean, I still have old parts from my first model of Crescent Rose, but I guess that is more 'normal' since it is mechanical parts and not teddybears, but with the sentiment she has attached to them, I am more than understanding of what value they hold in her eyes.

"Anyway, put your bag down where you wish. The bathroom is over there." She points to the door I had looked through before. "There's a toilet and shower in there, and if I should be in there then there is another bathroom in the hallway. I'll show it to you later."

I nod my head while Weiss speaks. Truth be told I would not want to wander around here without her. I may end up getting lost and I have no idea if there are always attendants walking around so they could help me find my way back. I'm sure they're all very busy, and the last thing I want is to further burden them by having to escort me throughout the house to a room that could be just around the next corner.

"Alrighty. So, since your dad isn't home what do we do for dinner? I mean, I guess when he comes back it's a definite that we'll be eating here, right?"

"That would be the case . . . I'm not following you, Ruby." Weiss blinks at me, showing her confusion with squinted eyes.

"What I mean is I think it would be cool to venture into Atlas a little. Go find somewhere to eat and explore the area . . . I know Atlas is home for you, but I don't think Blake, Yang, or Shun have been here before, or me for that matter." I explain to Weiss with a smile on my face. The entire time she looks slightly off into space, debating of venturing is a good idea for the day or not.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt . . . We can either walk or take a limo . . . that will decide how early we should leave. I'll leave that up for all of you to decide." Weiss moves to her bed to sit down, and absentmindedly I follow, seating myself right next to her. She's been insanely quiet for the most part. Well, not insanely, but Weiss is usually more talkative with me. It's easy to tell that something is bothering her, but I've learned that I can't push her to talk sometimes. She'll tell me when she is comfortable enough to talk about it, or at least has it worded properly. It's how she is, and most likely how she will always be.

"So, do Blake and Yang have a room like this?" I ask to break the building silence.

"Roughly the same size, yes. Slightly smaller I believe. I had their room customized a little bit . . . the emblem was just the first bit. I'm sure Yang will appreciate it the most. I'm scared to go near her until she's absorbed it all." Weiss sighs, reaching behind her to rub her lower back.

"Want a massage? I did tell you I use to give Yang massages. I wasn't joking, and I won't need to lift up your shirt." I add.

"I suppose that couldn't hurt . . . Just my lower back, please." She looks at me and leans back to lay down on her bed before rolling over onto her stomach. Her usual white outfit blends in so well with the ice-blue sheets and the white pillowcases. It is easy to tell that this room is Weiss'.

"As you wish, Princess." I smile.

Weiss is quick to scoff at the way I answer her and pulls a nearby pillow over to rest her arms on, and then lay her head on top of her arms. While Weiss gets comfortable I slide off of the bed and remount by placing my knees on either side of Weiss until I am able to rest my rear on the back of her thighs.

I reach down to Weiss' waist, untying the bag she keeps tied onto a ribbon wrapped around her waist which carries a few extra crisp dust shards. I place the bag down next to the pillow where she can see it and proceed to drag my fingers along her sides, finding a good spot to hold while I press around with my thumbs for that pained spot.

After a few seconds of searching I can feel Weiss tense. I nod to myself and begin playing around with that specific spot. Each firm press and movement earning a momentary flinch and groan from Weiss who eventually learns to relax from the sensation. Yang really did a number on her with that hug, although it is probably something that would have settled itself in a few hours.

"I think that does it . . . I hope." The last two words coming out as a whisper. Yang is the only person I have ever massaged, but her semblance makes it a lot easier to work on her. The real masseuse is Yang who has actually taken classes on the subject. Although I think when she took those classes she had other things in mind.

"I'm sure that'll be fine. Thank you, Ruby." Weiss sighs, not even budging after I stopped.

"You okay?" I lean down to plant a peck on her cheek.

"Tired . . . I didn't sleep much. I'm just going to lay here for a bit, Ruby. There's a remote on the dresser, and the projector is overhead." Weiss mumbles and drifts off to her own little dreamland seconds later.

No problem, Princess. I'll be here when you wake up.