Weiss sat in Klein's car outside of the airport, watching the skies from her window because she knew that her sister's plane was about to leave. She didn't want to miss it, since it felt like a bigger goodbye than it was, and so she was just waiting for Winter to leave for wherever she was going next. After that, she and Klein were going to be sure to go back to the manor, and Weiss knew that she would be once again left to her own devices.
It wasn't an ideal situation by any means, but that was something that didn't necessarily bother Weiss. Home was still home, even if she ended up feeling foreign and wrong when she was there. At least now she was going to be able to stop worrying about hiding her sister's presence.
That wasn't to say that she was glad that Winter was gone. Weiss couldn't know when she was going to be able to see Winter again for sure, and so that was stressful in its own right.
But she'd gotten to see plenty of her sister. The two of them had spent more time together than they had been able to in years.
Winter was going to be fine. Weiss was going to move on with her life, doing her best to make sure that she wasn't pushed out of the company. When the time came, she was going to be sure to be available to the Board of Directors if they needed her.
And if Blake needed her, Weiss wasn't sure that she would be opposed to another meeting.
In the last week or two, Blake had gotten more and more scarce. The last time that Weiss had talked to her properly had been that night together in Blake's apartment. The reports that Blake had put out since then had been few in numbers, and usually offered very little that was new.
That didn't bother Weiss as much as it could have, but it did make her worry. She couldn't know whether something had happened, or whether Blake was just keeping a distance from her. Regardless of the true situation, Weiss didn't consider any of it to be to her liking. Not when things were still so complicated with her own family and she was without any reliable sources to talk to that weren't directly connected.
Weiss loved Klein, and her mother, and her brother, but she needed someone that was separate from the family in as many ways as possible. Blake had fit the bill, but now Weiss wasn't so sure.
A part of her even felt used, as foolish as it was.
But in the end, that wasn't going to matter, Weiss figured. In the end, she and Blake were going to go their separate ways because that was what their lives dictated.
And she was ready to leave the airport, then. She looked up to the sky and watched as the plane that carried her sister left, going over her head and flying off to wherever in the world where Winter was going to end up being needed. They'll see each other again, Weiss is sure of that.
"Klein, could you-" Weiss began to speak up but she froze when she watched a familiar figure leave the airport. Blake was there, looking down at her phone (no doubt looking to figure out whether or not she had missed an email). She was pulling a bag behind her, a relatively small one.
And Weiss couldn't help but roll the window down and try to get the reporter's attention. It was the least that she could do, right?
"Blake Belladonna." Weiss said, holding her head high as she looked out the open window at the woman.
Blake heard her and perked up, looking away from her phone and then staring at Weiss in surprise. She hesitated, looking back over her shoulder like she was looking for something but then sighing.
Without too much hesitation, Blake began her approach and Weiss waited patiently. She set her hands down in her lap, because at least this way she could avoid any strange reactions.
"Weiss." Blake greeted her, giving a very slight bow as she got close. "What are you doing here?"
"Winter just flew out." Weiss explained herself. "What are you doing here?"
"I just flew in." Blake sighed, reaching up so that she could brush her dark hair away from her face. "Waiting for my ride home now."
"Cab?"
"Yes." Blake sighed.
Weiss hesitated then looked to the front of the car. "Klein?" She asked, leaning forward just the slightest bit. "Would you mind taking on another passenger?"
Klein hesitated. He looked back at Weiss and raised an eyebrow, just doing his best to check that this was indeed what she wanted. "Are you sure that you want to, Miss Schnee?"
"I am, Klein." Weiss answered, holding her head high. "It's been awhile since I've gotten to speak to Blake."
Klein seemed to stare at her warily, but after a moment he finally sighed. "Very well." He offered, unlocking the car door with a quiet thump. "Miss Belladonna, you may join Miss Schnee if you wish."
Blake blinked, and she looked like she was in a complete state of disbelief. She smiled though, and walked around the car so that she could sit beside Weiss.
Once she was in beside her, Weiss hesitated for a moment before looking to Klein. "We can leave now." She announced, and the man took the order well enough. He started the car, and Weiss took the chance to relax a little bit more and talk to Blake.
"So." Weiss started, looking the reporter down. "Where have you been?'
"I went home to Kuo Kuana for a bit." Blake said simply enough. "I wasn't in much of a mood for work."
"That's understandable." Weiss said, smiling softly. "I was just wondering where you'd gone." She hesitated, but then decided to bring another question up. "Are you going anywhere particular?"
"No." Blake replied calmly. "I was planning to just go back to the apartment and unpack."
"Right." Weiss answered. She thought hard- there had to be something that she could do or offer to make this less awkward. Lunch perhaps? If Blake was getting off a plane, she was probably hungry.
"How would it sound to you for us to get something to eat?" Weiss asked, cocking her head to the side slightly to talk. "Maybe we could use it as a chance for us to catch up." Weiss was fairly certain that the request was going to end up being forward of her. But, it was also that she could think to suggest at that point.
Blake hesitated, reaching for her wallet like she wanted to check inside and figure out whether she'd be able to afford a meal. Weiss leaned in towards her and held a hand over Blake's.
"I can pay." Weiss offered, smiling across at her. "It wouldn't be a problem."
And Weiss wasn't surprised when Blake stared across at her with disbelief on her face. However, Blake just nodded and pulled her hands away from her pockets in an attempt to relax again.
"Lunch sounds lovely." Blake said finally. "So does a cup of tea."
"I prefer coffee." Weiss said, smiling as she leaned back in her seat. "Klein, could you take us to the Platinum Swan for lunch?"
"Of course." Klein called back to her. "Would you like for me to call ahead and set a reservation for yourself and Miss Belladonna?"
Weiss felt her face heat up quite a bit over the question because somehow putting it in the terms of needing a reservation felt different. She glanced over at Blake, and the way that Blake was looking at her was only enough to make her blush darker. And that was embarrassing in itself.
But she needed to give Klein an answer regardless of how nervous it made her feel.
"That would be wonderful." Weiss answered her family's butler. "Thank you."
Klein looked away from her then and picked up his phone to make a call.
Weiss coughed quietly and looked to Blake. "I hope that this isn't too forward?"
"It's definitely not what I was expecting." Blake replied, also doing her best to keep her voice down. "I'm going to feel out of place."
Weiss frowned, because there was the issue of formality, but if Blake was with her then surely she would be able to get in just fine. Klein was also sure to request a private dining space for the two of them.
"I'm sure it'll be okay." Weiss said, smiling at Blake encouragingly. "And if it isn't then we can find somewhere where it is."
She reached up and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. She was still blushing, and Blake was sure to have noticed by now. But as things stood, the two of them didn't have the most privacy. Later on they would though.
Blake nodded, letting herself get more comfortable. She looked like she felt like she was out of place. Weiss wished that she had some way to make Blake more comfortable, but that didn't seem to be so easy. Not when the two of them were so far apart from each other in their backgrounds and standing.
"I'm surprised that you would be willing to do that much." Blake mumbled. "It doesn't have that much for you to gain."
Weiss hesitated. It wasn't as though there was that much good that would come out of it for Weiss on a business standpoint.
Other points of view, however, Blake offered quite a bit.
"That's quite alright." Weiss said, hoping that she would be able to distract Blake away from how things were. That would make it better. Easier. "I just wanted to talk to you is all."
Blake nodded and leaned back in her seat, busying herself with her emails as she always did. Weiss had reason to suspect that it had to do with the fact that Blake was in a situation where she didn't necessarily have all of her supplies for her job.
That was fine, Weiss thought. If Blake needed help, then they would be able to get by.
The ride didn't take long before the car reached The Platinum Swan. Klein said his goodbyes and then Weiss and Blake were on their way in. It occured to Weiss as she requested to be brought to their table that it would end up looking somewhat strange.
But, if it did, the server that led them back didn't comment on any of it.
As Weiss had been hoping, Klein had requested a table in the back, and it was already set and ready for the two of them. Well out of the line of sight of any patrons, and in a quiet area.
That was more than she could have hoped for. Before when she and Blake had dinner at a place like this, Weiss had used it for a dressing down of sorts.
Now, it was different.
The two of them slid into their seats on opposite sides of the table.
Weiss made quick work to slip out of her jacket and hang it over the back of her seat. Understanding, Blake did the same and revealed that she was just wearing a black t shirt under her jacket.
If it hadn't been for Weiss' presence, she was sure that Blake would have been turned away long before.
"You can get whatever you want off of the menu." Weiss offered, gingerly picking up her menu up and opening it. "I know that it may seem like it would be too pricey, but that's fine."
Blake nodded and picked up her own menu, opening it and going pale almost immediately when she saw it. "It's... very expensive."
"I can afford it." Weiss said with a slight shrug and a smile. "Don't restrain yourself, really."
Blake nodded and sat up straight before staring Weiss in the eye.
"I'm not sure that I'm comfortable here." Blake said, leaning back in her seat a little bit but not by much. Like she was afraid that going any further would end up putting her in a worse place than she already was in. "But if you insist."
Weiss hesitated.
"Would you... rather go somewhere else?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow just slightly. "Because if you'd prefer that I could call Klein and get him to come and get us."
Blake's face began to change colors again, redding slightly as she looked across at Weiss. "You... would be willing to do that?"
"I would." Weiss said, sighing. "Of course there's always the chance that we run into too much attention, but I would still like a chance to speak to you privately later on."
"Of course." Blake said. She hesitated for a long time, and Weiss was left with the creeping feeling that this was going to only get worse and worse. " If you wouldn't mind."
"Very well." Weiss said, closing her menu and setting it down on the table. "Do you have somewhere that you would prefer?"
"I think so." Blake replied, smiling back at her. "But I would like the chance to stop at my apartment first, if that would be alright."
"Of course." Weiss said, smiling as she got up to her feet and began to pull on her jacket. She tried not to focus too much on the way that it felt like Blake was staring at her. That was something that she was going to be able to work past, Weiss was sure of it. "We can go whenever you're ready."
Blake nodded and got up, doing the same as Weiss did and then the two of them started on their way out of the private room. Their waiter stared at them in disbelief, and Weiss flushed before reaching into her bag for her wallet.
"I'm sorry for the trouble." Weiss said as the two of them made their way out.
When they got outside, Weiss reached for her phone and called Klein. The conversation between the two of them didn't last long at all before the Schnee car was pulling up in front of the restaurant.
Weiss and Blake climbed in together, and Klein was glad to just drive off towards Blake's apartment.
The two of them departed there, and Blake decided to stop just as they got out of Klein's car.
"Klein." Blake said, catching Weiss by surprise. "If you want, you can call the day done."
"But Miss Schnee-"
"I can get her home." Blake offered. "If that won't be too much of a problem."
Weiss stood behind Blake and lowered her head. She was blushing a little harder than she would have liked. "It's alright." She said, stepping in just slightly. "Thank you, Klein."
Klein hesitated and looked between the two of them. Weiss couldn't help feeling like she was under a microscope. Whatever was going on in his head, Weiss wasn't sure that she really wanted to know. But the squat man sighed and nodded.
"Of course, Miss Schnee." He said quietly. "Be sure to let me know when you've gotten back to the mansion."
"I will." Weiss sighed as she watched Klein climbed into the car and make his way off. She and Blake stood there for a little bit longer than they strictly needed to, before Blake finally decided that it was time for her to take the lead.
"So." Blake said, shouldering her bag. "Now that he's gone, you can come in."
"Right." Weiss whispered as she turned and followed after Blake. The two of them didn't say all that much, but the entire time Weiss was still left with an uncomfortable churning feeling down in her stomach that she wasn't going to be able to ignore or forget.
The ride across the city had been easy and comfortable, and Blake was loathe to admit that having Weiss pressed up against her back was nice, in its own way. She hadn't been thinking in terms of how that would make her feel.
But it was fine, Blake thought.
She couldn't really pretend as though she hadn't stared a little too long at Weiss earlier. She couldn't act like Weiss wasn't attractive at all, or that she hadn't thought about the heiress a few times when they'd been separate.
Weiss was kind, and she had only managed to go further than she'd needed to that day. She hadn't needed to give Blake a free ride home, she hadn't needed to offer Blake dinner.
And yet Weiss was still there.
Blake didn't even really know where she and Weiss were going to end up going. There was something that told her that going out for fast food (which would have been Blake's plan as soon as she got home anyways) wouldn't be the best choice with Weiss. Weiss probably had never even touched the stuff, Blake guessed. Or maybe that was incorrect and Weiss wouldn't care.
It occurred to Blake deep in the back of her mind that it was entirely likely that Weiss had chosen somewhere fancy for a reason. Like she was doing her best to treat Blake, or perhaps even trying to butter her up for something later down the line. Blake sincerely hoped that it was a case of the latter.
A thought occurred to her, and Blake turned off of the road that she was on. If she went the right direction, she could bring Weiss downtown and the two of them could just get something there. The two of them could talk around and talk, and once they had everything together...
Blake thought of the waterfront where she and Weiss had sat a few weeks earlier. They'd gone there after going to a fancy restaurant that night too. Maybe it was just a place where the two of them could go and talk, since last time they had certainly been able to get their privacy like Weiss had wanted.
And that didn't sound like such a good idea.
At her back Blake felt the slightest shift of Weiss, and tried hard not to go making too much of it. If Weiss was trying to say something to her, then it would have surely been drowned out by the sound of the motorcycle engine. That didn't matter though.
The two of them were going to have plenty of time to talk, Blake thought to herself as she pulled into a no-meter parking spot and parked them. She hesitated for a moment, just looking back over her shoulder to see that Weiss was there and fine.
"We're here." Blake announced. She waited a moment, letting Weiss get off first before following. Blake pulled her helmet off and then her hair out of her ponytail and watched as Weiss did the same, though with a bit more fuss.
"Downtown?" Weiss asked, looking at up as she did her best to get her hair back into the intricate high ponytail that it normally would have been. Something was wrong, and without a good way to check, Weiss just gave up after a minute, opting to pull her hair down out of its style and letting it hang free. "Really?"
"Really." Blake responded, looking down the street. There were a few passersby, a couple talking to each other, a couple of teenagers walking in a crowd and laughing. A small family on an evening stroll. "I figured that it would be a nice change of pace."
"I don't-" Weiss started but clamped her mouth shut just as quick. Her blue eyes flickered away from Blake, and Blake couldn't help the thought that Weiss felt nervous. Weiss quite possibly felt even more nervous than Blake had felt at The Platinum Swan. "I can't say that this is what I would normally do."
"I know." Blake smiled, gesturing to the sidewalk. "I'm ready to go whenever you are."
"Right." Weiss said. She took a few nervous steps forward and stepped up onto the sidewalk. A moment later, Blake was at her side and the two of them were walking together. "So was there somewhere in particular that you wanted to go?"
"There is." Blake admitted, since she could practically smell their destination already. "I hope you don't mind roadside stands."
"I... can't say that I've been to many of them." Weiss sighed. "I'm sorry."
Blake hesitated, and she felt a slight twinge of guilt. Weiss had never had something like this, so that meant that it was going to be up to her to make sure that Weiss got the best possible experience that day. She just smiled down at the heiress and kept on walking. "I promise that it'll be fine." Blake said calmly. "People probably won't notice us too much..."
She paused, because something occurred to Blake that she probably was going to need to keep in mind. Weiss was still wearing her nice clothes as she always did, and when they'd stopped at the apartment Blake had decided to change into something a bit nicer anyways. She'd been dressed for comfort on a plane, not for fashion. Now she was dressed and ready for actual time spent together.
It probably would end up looking like she and Weiss were on some sort of date, and that wasn't such a bad thing, was it? Blake was sure that it wasn't. It had to be fine. Although...
She looked over at Weiss. There were still so many things that the two of them didn't know about each other. "It might look like we're on a date." Blake said matter-of-factly, but she decided that if that was a conversation they were going to have she needed to be as relaxed about it as possible. It occurred to her that she didn't know whether or not Weiss was seeing anyone, or if it could be a problem if the two of them were seen together. Blake was sure that it probably wouldn't be great for Weiss on at least some level, but she needed to be sure. "Is that okay with you?"
Weiss hesitated, her blue eyes flickering to the street almost nervously. "I'm... not really sure." Weiss admitted and she sounded almost sad. "If it got to my brother it wouldn't be great, but..." She paused. "I don't know that I want to talk about it that much."
"I'm listening."
"Off the record?"
"Off the record." Blake affirmed, because what else could she really do?
Weiss sighed and she hugged herself, falling into step beside Blake and looking up at the sky instead. She was paying enough attention that she could just keep walking, that was something that Blake was sure of. It was just that Weiss was clearly very nervous about something.
"So my brother thinks that I'm seeing someone." Weiss began to explain, and she sounded so annoyed and exasperated that she felt a pang of sympathy. "He noticed that i was spending a lot of nights away from the mansion and when he asked I needed..." Weiss paused. "I needed to cover up that Winter was in the city and that I was spending time with you. So now he thinks that I'm dating one of my friends."
Blake felt a weird sinking feeling in her chest, but she couldn't put a finger on why. Something about it just felt wrong and disappointing, and Blake didn't like any of it. "Which friend?"
"Neptune Vasilias." Weiss said matter of factly. "And it's not like he and I have never dated before, it's just that..." She shook her head. "I don't see him that way anymore. He's one of my best friends, but..." Weiss flushed red, and Blake felt herself get a little bit more nervous. There was a catch. Of course there was a catch. "But I'm not interested. And he doesn't know that my family think we're dating and it's just a mess." Weiss sighed. "Especially when I want to see someone else."
"Am I allowed to ask?" Blake asked, and it occurred to her that that specific question was all but surely overstepping. It was too personal. Something that a close friend would ask another close friend and Blake didn't think that she and Weiss had that at all.
The question certainly managed to leave an impression, if the way that Weiss stopped dead in her tracks was any indicator. The heiress stood there under a streetlight, which shined down onto her and made her white hair light up in a way that was too striking for the area.
Weiss was blushing, and Blake was sure that she had only managed to make a serious mistake.
She swallowed and looked away from Weiss for a moment to try and collect her thoughts before she spoke up again. "I'm sorry." Blake sighed, finally looking back at Weiss more directly. "I know that I was probably asking for a bit too much, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine." Weiss said quietly, reaching up and wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to comfort herself a little bit better. Blake felt bad, because she should have been doing more to apologize, but Weiss was just taking it. "I don't know that I want to talk about it... well, specifically."
"Well," Blake said, stepping in close and offering the heiress her hand. She didn't miss the way that Weiss' visage reddened even further at the gesture. "I'm not going to make you tell me."
"But-" Weiss began to protest, taking Blake's hand and stepping in a little bit closer, almost like Blake was managing to act as her escort. Blake couldn't help but feel like she was trying to do things that were meant for people from a social class far above her own. Far above anything that she could ever accomplish, even if things turned out well for her family. "It's so complicated."
"That's fine." Blake said, turning and gently leading Weiss by the hand. Weiss followed and fell into step beside Blake, and Blake was surprised when the heiress actually wrapped her arm around Blake's. It was an attempt to keep the two of them close, but it meant something else. "I won't force it."
Weiss' grip tightened just slightly, but she kept her head up and didn't look back over at Blake. "Thank you." She said quietly. "I trust you, Blake. More than I thought I would."
"Thanks." Blake replied, smiling back at the heiress and staring at her out of the corner of her eye. "I just want to tell you that whoever it is, I'm not going to judge you for it."
Weiss paused, her eyes widening and that pink on her cheeks still refusing to go down at all. "Even if it's a woman?"
"Even if it's a woman." Blake said, feeling some odd feeling rising in her chest that was going to be hard to ignore. "I used to date my editor, so I wouldn't be in a good place to judge."
"Even if it's..." Weiss' voice trailed off. "Even if it's you?"
And that was enough to make Blake stop dead in her tracks. When Blake took the moment to stop, so did Weiss, and that told her more than Blake had ever been expecting out of the experience with Weiss.
The two of them stared at each other, both looking the other in the eyes, and neither of them knowing quite what they were supposed to say.
"I wouldn't judge you for that." Blake finally said, swallowing hard and doing her best to work through the quiet and the awkwardness. "I'm-"
"I'm sorry." Weiss cut Blake off, pulling herself away and wrapping her arms around herself defensively. Weiss was afraid. That wasn't good, and Blake had a feeling that it was going to be a problem later. "I shouldn't have-"
"It's fine." Blake stopped Weiss. "Really. I don't mind."
That made Weiss pause. It created a recognition of something that Blake hadn't considered before, and hadn't really considered. The two of them were going to have a lot to talk about later on, that was something that Blake could be considerate towards.
"You… mean that?" Weiss asked, staring at Blake with her blue eyes wide. "That you don't mind."
"I mean it." Blake confirmed, slowing down as they got closer and closer to their location. "I don't mind."
Weiss and her both stopped, just outside of the tiny restaurant that the two of them were going to be using that day. Blake reached for the door and pulled it open, holding it there for Weiss. "You first." Blake said calmly and Weiss smiled back at her before stepping inside and made herself comfortable at a small table.
Blake followed her in and sat down there across from Weiss.
Maybe, just maybe, this could be considered a date.
And if it was going to be called a date, then Blake didn't know what to make of it. Either way, spending it with Weiss wasn't such a bad thing.