Weiss awoke to someone kissing her. They were soft and plentiful and as she lay in bed, eyes closed, the young Schnee heiress felt like she could lie there forever. Then something licked her and she realised something heavy was resting on her chest,
Sitting up, Weiss found herself staring at the thing kissing her. It was a corgi. For a few moments, the corgi and Weiss looked at each other, each waiting for the other to make its move. Then the dog barked happily before jumping off her lap and scampering out of the room tail wagging.
That might be the strangest wake up call, Weiss had ever had. Wait, why was she putting any ambiguity into this? It was without a shadow of a doubt; the strangest wakeup call she had ever had. Where even was she? This wasn't Winters- oh right.
A foggy memory came back to her. They had been out to celebrate her initiation into Beacon. This had involved drinks and shots... Lots of shots. Just the memory was enough to make her shudder as her body realised it should probably be hung over.
And that's when she got a head ache.
Groaning, she looked around the room, taking in the surroundings she had mostly ignored in an effort get to sleep as fast as possible. It was tidier than Yang's had been. Kinda surprisingly really, she would have expected Ruby to be as disorganized and messy but the floor was mostly bare save from a few items of clothing that Weiss soon realised were hers.
Where the clutter seemed to lie was on her desk and shelves. Every blank space was covered by pads of paper and various models. They all seemed rather violent for Weiss's tastes with the subject mostly revolving around different weapons and monsters. However, she couldn't deny the quality even if the art itself was rather grim. Some drawings were heavily stylized and others more realistic. Ruby was talented, there was no doubt about that.
Above her desk, Ruby had stuck what must have been her favourites as well as some actual photographs. One stuck out amidst the sea of violence and weapons. A simple photo containing what looked like an eight-year-old Yang proudly grinning on her father's lap, while a young Ruby was being held by a woman dressed in all white. It could only be her mother, the woman looked near identical to how Ruby looked now.
The photo brought a lump to Weiss throat. The photo looked spontaneous. Just a regular day for them but still they had been happy enough to know their joy should be captured. All of the Schnee family portraits had been painstakingly posed over hours to ensure the perfect image was created. Why couldn't she have had this? It wasn't fair.
Not wanting to think about it anymore, Weiss pulled herself from the bed and headed for the door, trying to repress her splitting headache. Someone was showering but she could hear the sounds of the TV down the stairs. Hopefully it was Yang or Ruby since Weiss didn't really want to have a hungover conversation with her boss.
Thankfully when Weiss descended the stairs the only person she found was Yang. The blonde was sprawled across the couch, wrapped in a blanket looking rather pathetic.
"Hey Ice Queen," she croaked. "Nice PJs."
For a moment, Weiss was confused before looking down and remembering what she was wearing. Well that was just great. Yellow and black weren't really her colours at the best of times but Weiss didn't know if she had ever even worn a tank top before, let alone shorts. They were just so-
She stopped the train of thought before it became offensive to her friends. Maybe it wasn't what she was used to but they had served their purpose as sleepwear adequately enough. They had been slightly loose on her but that was mostly due to the size of Yang's... assets.
Then she realised what Yang had called her and scowled.
"Don't call me Ice Queen. Seriously, it stopped being funny weeks ago."
"Maybe to you," Yang said with snicker that quickly developed into a groan of discomfort. "I just think... I think that-"
Weiss rolled her eyes.
"This joke is literally hurting you to say."
"Worth it."
"You are unbelievable," Weiss said as she sat down on one of the chairs.
She didn't really know what she was going to do right now. Winter would be working so she would be spared that lecture until later but the thought of spending her hangover stuck in an empty apartment was even less appealing. For now, Weiss decided to just stay here until she wore out her welcome.
Turning her attention to the TV, Weiss realised that Yang had been watching children's cartoons. She managed to bare a few minutes of the asinine colours before she had to comment. Catching her friends gaze, Weiss raised her eyebrow.
"Really?"
"I like them," Yang said simply.
"It means that when she has to run to the toilet to throw up for the eighth time in one morning," Taiyang said appearing from the kitchen. "She hasn't lost track of the plot."
"I'll have you know this has a very rich story... And it's only six times."
Taiyang looked like he wanted to say more but Weiss noticed her eyes flicker slightly to where she sat. Sighing he turned back to the kitchen clearly not wanting to talk to Yang about this in front of her.
"I'm heading out now," he said. "I'll see you later okay?"
"Kay."
"I love you." There was a pause. "I love you Yang."
"...Love you too dad."
Weiss suppressed a giggle at the blondes slightly red face. Taiyang gave one final wave before walking out the house, closing the door behind him. Weiss looked at Yang.
"How sweet."
"Shut up."
"Oh Weiss you're up."
Rubys voice pulled Weiss from her daze and she turned to find Ruby walking down the stairs toward them. Her hair was still wet from showering causing the red tips to stick to her face. It looked kinda... Why was Ruby giggling?
"Yes," she answered cautiously. "Obviously I'm awake."
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, thank you for letting me use your room."
"Anytime."
She was still giggling. Weiss was too hungover for this. What was so funny that Ruby wouldn't just tell- Weiss looked down before glaring at the girl.
"Really?"
"Hmm?"
"Don't play coy with me Ruby Rose. You gave me these clothes."
"I didn't think they would look so funny on you," Ruby said. "Yellow is not your colour."
Weiss let out at humph as Yang snorted.
"You both will tell no one of this."
"It's already in the group chat," Yang said lazily.
Eyes widening in shock, Weiss leapt from her chair and stomped over to Ruby. They girl was holding up her scroll, showing the crystal clear image of Weiss dressed in Yang's pyjamas and staring blankly at the TV. From the angle of the photos, it was clear it had been taken from the couch.
"When did you even take this? You're barely conscious."
Yang grinned before wincing.
"Not so loud please... or shrill."
"I am not shrill."
Stomping back to her chair, Weiss sat down wrapping her arms around her legs. The shrill comment hadn't really bothered her but it worked as a good distraction for her real issue. No one had ever mentioned they had a group chat. She may not have a scroll right now but there was no reason she couldn't have been added before.
Did they talk about her on the chat? Weiss felt her eyes narrow in suspicion. Of course they did. Yang had just posted a picture of her for goodness sake. She would wager that they talked about her all the time. Probably poking fun at how bad she was at her job. About her family life and her past wealth.
Her internal seething's were interrupted by something fluffy and heavy landing on her lap. Letting out a yelp of shock, Weiss stared down at the corgi that had woken her up.
"Zwei no," Ruby said.
"Zwei yes," Yang said.
Weiss ignored them both as she engaged the dog in a battle of wills. It was mocking her. Tilting its head to the side and panting like the adorable little ball of fluff that it- No stay strong Weiss. If you reward this sort of behaviour, then it will never stop. Must resist the cuteness.
Zwei let out a content bark and it was at that point, Weiss realised she was scratching its ears. Dammit. Well in for a penny... The corgi rolled over onto its back and soon Weiss was cooing softly as she rubbed his belly.
Then she remembered she wasn't alone.
Her head snapped just to see Yang's scroll disappear back beneath the blanket, a smug grin on her face. Wordlessly, Weiss picked up the glass on the table next to her and struck it against the surface. A loud sharp note rang out and Weiss sighed in contentment as Yang covered her ears with a groan.
"A lady should have better manners when she is a guest," Yang muttered.
"And a host should respect their guest's privacy."
"I didn't even post it yet."
Ruby rolled her eyes at them and Zwei barked again.
"Yeah I know," she muttered.
"Ruby you are talking to a dog."
"She does it all the time," Yang said. "At first I thought she was trying to freak me out but now I'm kinda concerned."
"Zwei understands me," Ruby said lifting the dog from Weiss and hoisting him into the air. "Don't you Zwei."
The corgi barked.
"See." Ruby stuck out her tongue. "You're just mad that Zwei doesn't listen to you."
"Yes he does," Yang said. "Zwei, come here boy."
The dog didn't move from Ruby's arm.
"Traitor."
Weiss shook her head, ignoring the throbbing pain reverberating within it. The dog was cute but it's cuteness was diminishing with every loud bark. Yang seemed to agree, finally pulling off her blanket and shakily rising to her feat.
For a second, the blonde just stood their eyes closed, looking like she was trying to fight the urge to throw up again. It was then Weiss noticed, Yang was still dressed in her clothes from the night before. That can't have been comfortable.
After a few moments, in which Yang managed to regain her composure she opened her eyes and started heading towards the stairs.
"I'm going to go somewhere quiet and sleep. If I'm not awake at six, wake me up Rubes. I have a date."
"Again? Reese just broke up with you last week."
"Plenty of fish if you cast a big enough net," Yang yawned. "I'll see you later Weiss."
"Good bye."
And that just left Weiss and Ruby alone. With nothing else to do, Weiss said nothing merely watching her friend play with her dog on the couch. After a few minutes though, it became clear that Ruby was starting to feel awkward.
She was wearing out her welcome and Weiss knew it. Ruby was too nice to ever ask her to leave but it was clear, Ruby didn't really know how to host her. She should really just leave and go back to Winters... alone.
"Ruby," she said suddenly. "Do you know any good breakfast places?"
As it turned out however, breakfast was off the table. By the time Weiss had showered and gotten ready, it was well past noon. Still Ruby said she knew a good Italian place so before long the girls were sitting down to order.
"Penna alla cream," Weiss ordered, falling gracefully into the accent. "And a glass of water."
"Pepperoni Pizza and a strawberry milkshake for me, thanks."
The waitress nodded before heading back to the kitchen. Weiss leaned back in her chair before curiously asking.
"What's pizza?"
Ruby's looked at her incredulously. Her mouth opened and then closed without making a sound.
"What?" Weiss said. "Is it a Vale specialty? Winter hasn't taken me to many places. She works too late most of the time."
Ruby just continued to stare at her.
"How do you not know what pizza is?"
"Is it common? Maybe it has a different name in Atlas."
"I don't think so..."
Weiss watched as Ruby started trying to explain the dish. For some reason this involved a lot of hand gestures.
"Okay so it's like a dough base with tomato sauce and cheese. That's just the normal type but you can get lots of different type. Normally meat or vegetables but you..." Ruby trailed off before she let out a sigh. "You know what pizza is don't you?"
The grin that Weiss had been trying to suppress broke free and Weiss had to cover her mouth to contain her laughter. Ruby huffed, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair.
"Very funny," the girl muttered.
"Oh come on," Weiss said. "I've had to put up with way more jokes. At least let me have my one."
"I don't make those jokes..."
Rolling her eyes, Weiss opened her mouth to retell one of the many jokes that Ruby had made about her past. But to her surprise, Weiss found she couldn't think of any. Not one princess joke or rich girl comment.
"Okay Ruby I apologize," Weiss said. "I won't do it again."
"Thanks," Ruby said brightening immediately.
They talked about nothing for a while until their drinks arrived. Weiss sipped her water marvelling at the way Ruby could always order the most sugar filled drinks and still stay in such good shape. Pyrrha and Yang worked out a fair amount and Weiss herself took great care in her diet. Ruby just seemed to eat whatever she wanted and still maintained the same size as Weiss did.
Speaking of which...
"My clothes are okay aren't they?"
"Yes they fit quite well." Weiss smiled. "And I think red suits me better than yellow."
Like her sister, Ruby tended to stick to a singular colour. It worked for her and with her own wardrobe made up entirely of white, Weiss could hardly judge her for it.
Not wanting to wear her dress from last night or walk around in Yang's pyjamas, Weiss had borrowed a black skirt and red hoodie. Not something she would normally wear but the heiress had to admit it was comfortable. She could understand why Ruby wore so many.
"I saw your drawings," Weiss said.
Ruby's silver eyes widened as her face went beat red. Instantly she quickly looked away from Weiss, staring at the ground to avoid her gaze.
"You saw my sketchbook..."
"No just the ones on the wall."
The girl seemed to relax at that but still wouldn't look at Weiss properly. Strange behaviour. She wondered what was in the sketchbook that could elicit such a reaction.
"Don't be embarrassed. They were pretty good from what I saw."
"You're just saying that."
"I'm really not."
"I'm okay," Ruby mumbled. "Nothing special though."
Weiss frowned. If she had known Ruby would act like this, she wouldn't have brought it up in the first place. She didn't understand what the big deal was. If you were good at something you should be proud of it.
Their food arrived before Weiss could say anything though. Deciding to leave the topic alone, she started to eat. Honestly it was pretty bad. The sauce was watery and the pasta overcooked. Ruby's pizza also looked rather greasy but Ruby was devouring it happily none the less. It made sense she supposed. Ruby had probably never had proper Italian food to be fair to her. It wasn't really her fault her palette was unrefined.
"Weiss, can I ask you something?"
"Depends on what it is. You already know more than most."
"It's nothing personal... Not really." Ruby paused. "I just wanted to know what you do when you aren't working."
Weiss paused. The truth was that she didn't really do much. If she wasn't working or doing something with the group, she just kinda hung about at home. Killing time wasn't really an acceptable answer but Weiss couldn't really think of an acceptable lie.
"Nothing really," she admitted. "I used to sing but not anymore."
"Why? Wait, never mind. You don't have to answer that."
Was she that transparent? Who was she kidding, of course she was. Every problem she had in her life came back to the same thing. Weiss could get hit by a bus and she would still find a way to blame it on her family.
"It's fine Ruby," she sighed. "But yes I haven't really sung since I left Mantle. I guess I lost my muse."
"I'll just have to help you find me a new one."
Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"Just you?"
"Well," Ruby stammered. "The others can help. If they want. I just want to hear you sing I guess..."
"Tell you what," Weiss said with a smile. "I'll sing for you, when I see your sketchbook. Deal?"
Ruby shook her head quickly.
"No deal."
"Why not?"
"No one sees my sketchbook," Ruby said. "Not even Yang."
Frustrated, Weiss leaned back in her seat. The seed of curiosity had already latched itself inside her and she was determined to see what Ruby was so desperate to hide. It couldn't be a talent issue if she displayed some of her so brazenly on the wall. So what was the issue?
After they had eaten, Ruby soon left her. Her dad had left a list of chores and jobs for her to do and with Yang in her current state, it seemed unlikely she would be getting help. Weiss had almost volunteered to help just avoid going back to the apartment but had thought better of it. Ruby had seen too much of her vulnerabilities already. It was best she didn't know how weak Weiss really was.
So she paid for lunch, despite Ruby's reluctance and had started the wall back to Winters home. It hadn't taken that long even with incessant heat beating down on her. Dust she missed Mantle weather. Vale was far too hot.
And that's where she found herself now. Standing outside, the door staring down at the package that was waiting on the mat. It wasn't large, had express delivery and most curiously, it was addressed to her.
Who could have sent her anything? No one knew she was here. Even if Winter had gotten her something, she wouldn't have had it shipped under Weiss's name. Picking up the parcel, Weiss opened the door and walked inside. Placing the package on the table, she stared at it. What could it be?
She shook her head. This was ridiculous. It was just a box and she highly doubted there was going to be anything even remotely dangerous inside. She just had to open it and find out.
After a few more seconds, her hands obeyed her. Getting a knife from the kitchen, Weiss slid the blade down the sides, careful not stab whatever lay inside. With the seal broken, she opened the box revealing the contents inside.
It was a scroll and that meant there was only one person who could have sent it.
"Daddy," she said to the empty room.
It was late by the time Winter got back. Weiss was sitting in the couch half watching TV and half fixing her new scroll. Her sim card from her old one had thankfully been undamaged after her outburst so her contacts had transferred over fairly easily.
Ruby had seemed happy that they could talk easily again but Weiss had quickly regretted letting Nora know. Within five minutes of the first text, Nora had started asking her if she had ever held a sloth. Dust that girl was strange.
Hearing the door open, Weiss slid the scroll away and waited for her sister to call her. She had been dreading this lecture all day but there was no way to avoid it. Her only hope was that Winter would be too tired to make this last too long.
"Weiss?"
"In here," she replied standing up to look at her sister, eyes widening in shock at her appearance. "Winter you look-"
"I'm fine Weiss," her sister replied. "Just tired. It's been a long day."
Weiss swallowed trying not to look at the bags under Winters eyes or strands of hair that had escaped from its normally pristine bun.
"Anything specific?"
"Just the usual stuff. Usual people." Winter walked over to the fridge, pulling out a microwave meal. "Have you eaten yet?"
"No but Ruby and I had lunch. I might get something later."
Winter nodded. Closing the fridge, she pierced the film several times before putting it in the microwave. Weiss was getting nervous now, waiting for Winter to drop the hammer. But still Winter just talked.
"Where did you go?"
"An Italian place by the pier."
Her sister nodded.
"I think I know it. I remember it being pretty terrible."
"It was." This was getting infuriating. Time to bite the bullet. "Look about last night-"
"It's fine Weiss."
A list of excuses had been ready on her tongue but they all failed at Winters words. What did she mean? Wasn't she mad? Her confusion must have been evident on her face as Winter sighed.
"Look it's like you said last time," Winter said. "You're not a kid. You went out and stayed at a friend's. Nothing wrong with that."
The microwave beeped and Winter pulled out her food, ripping off the film with a little more force than usual. Clearly Winter was annoyed by what had happened but for whatever reason, she wasn't willing to fight about it.
"You're really not mad?"
"I trust your judgement Weiss," Winter said as she started to eat. "So I'm not worried."
"Good," Weiss said dropping back down onto the couch. "Glad to hear it."
It was hard to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Weiss hated silent judgment most of all from Winter. Her sister was meant to be worried about her. That's what elder siblings were for. Yang was so protective it extended to her friends and she had punched a guy for just daring to put the moves on Pyrrha. Why wasn't Winter upset at her? Did she just not care?
"I got a new scroll by the way," she muttered. "Same SIM card though."
"How did you get that?"
Her sister seemed genuinely curious for the first time that night. No doubt wondering where she could have gotten the money for it. Despite her annoyance, Weiss knew she should tell Winter it was from father. Her sister would want to know.
"It's Ruby's old one," she lied. "She upgraded recently so I'm borrowing it."
Yes, Winter would have definitely wanted to know. It was a good thing that she trusted Weiss's judgement then.