"Mom, please stop, the answer is no." Weiss huffs out with a frown, arms crossing over her chest.
"Weiss, darling, I just… I want to be there for you. Please." Willow asks despite Weiss's continued rejection, Weiss sighing before gently rubbing at her forehead.
"Where were you when I needed you as a child? When I got hurt practicing sparring, who helped take care of me? Klein. When I was sad, who helped comfort me? Muffin. When I was lonely, who was there to keep me company? Winter. Not you, not father. I don't… I don't want to be hurt any more, not if I can help it…" Hearing Weiss's words breaks Willow's heart, her gaze sinking towards the floor, hands balling up at her sides as she takes a few deep breaths.
"I know, and… I know nothing I can say or do will make up for the years of neglect, but please, Weiss, just… Let me do this one thing for you… I want to be in your life again…" Weiss sighs before turning to face Willow, frown fading into an uneasy smile. The tone to her mother's voice and how sincere she sounds is tough to continue saying no to, even with how much she's been through because of her mother's neglect. Since her mother had reappeared in her life almost two weeks prior, she had been hesitant to interact with her whenever she'd visit, unwilling to put herself through more misery, yet… Something in her yearned for more, a better relationship with the only person she would ever consider a parent in any way.
"… Fine, mom. Just this once, I'll let you come to my appointment with me. Which is soon, so, err… We should get going." Finally conceding, Weiss turns and steps out of her dorm, Willow following along close behind with a quick wave given to Penny, who they pass in the hallway. The two make their way to the orthodontist's office and check Weiss in, Weiss acting aloof and dismissive of Willow's attempts at making conversation.
"Oh! Good morning Mrs. Schnee, I certainly wasn't expecting to see you here today with your daughter." Dr. Savoy says in greeting, Willow smiling up at her before nodding.
"I've been… Trying to make amends with Weiss, she agreed to let me come with her today." Savoy nods, then motions for the two to follow, Weiss and Willow entering a sizable room with a row of dental chairs against a wall facing some windows. Weiss settles into the chair gestured to and is promptly lowered back and raised up, Willow settling in at her side while Savoy and her assistant begin to examine Weiss's teeth and swap out wires and elastics.
"This reminds me of old times, Mrs. Schnee." Savoy comments while fetching a wire from the nearby tray, Weiss unable to do anything but glance between the three adults while her mouth is worked on. Willow chuckles a little, then glances down towards her daughter before meeting her gaze for a few moments.
"I certainly wasn't expecting to hear that Weiss needed braces again, but… Well, that makes no difference to me, she's the same little girl I know and love." Weiss begins to whine and protest audibly in response to Willow's embarrassing comment, Savoy and her assistant giggling a bit before starting to secure the wire onto the top brackets.
"Despite her prior lack of care towards her teeth, Weiss has proven to be a star patient, I'm glad I get to give her a smile I know she'll care for." Once the bottom wire is secured, Weiss, now grimacing softly in pain and clutching a hand to her cheek, is raised into a seated position and helped to her feet by Willow.
"Ghh…" Weiss grumbles softly to herself for a few moments, then turns her gaze towards Dr. Savoy before waving goodbye to her and departing with Willow. "Ow…"
"I know it hurts darling, there there. I know what will make you feel better, the same thing that always helped you cheer up when you first had braces." Willow says before leading Weiss along down the street, Weiss following without complaint. Before long the two arrive at Weiss's favorite ice cream parlor and head inside, Willow helping Weiss settle onto a seat at a table before going to order for the two. She gets Weiss her preferred order, two scoops of cookie dough with hot fudge on top, minus the crumbled cookie bits, and herself two scoops of vanilla raspberry with sour gummy bears as a topping.
"Mhh… Thanks, mom…" Weiss mumbles as she takes her ice cream, Willow giving her a quick hug and a kiss to the forehead before seating herself at her side and beginning to eat her ice cream. Weiss takes a slow, careful bite of her ice cream, and soon sighs in relief as the coolness begins to melt away the growing soreness, allowing her to enjoy the sweet treat with less discomfort.
"How has your huntress work been going darling?" Willow asks after a few minutes of silence, Weiss savoring a few more bites of ice cream before responding.
"Oh, um… Well enough, they aren't too hard, and with Penny there whenever I go to Mantle, it's… Nice, really nice." Weiss admits with a soft blush flooding onto her cheeks at the mention of Penny, Willow smiling a little wider as she notices this.
"I'm glad to hear that, it seems you like this Penny girl quite a bit, no?" She muses, Weiss blushing redder before sputtering out her response.
"I… Yes, well, s… She is my girlfriend, after all…" Willow looks a fair bit surprised to hear that Penny is Weiss's girlfriend, this surprise fading after a little into a bright, almost excited expression.
"Oh darling, I'm so happy for you! Ms. Penny seems like such a lovely young lady from what I've seen on the news, you're both very lucky to have each other." Weiss elects to stare down at the table and distract herself with her ice cream, any lingering soreness far from her focus presently. After they finish their ice cream the two begin the trek back to Atlas Academy, Weiss now more receptive to talking with her mother with how she's been treated and how her mother has acted.
"I… Thank you, mom, for… Today, it was…" Weiss takes a deep breath before continuing, Willow being pulled into a sudden hug which she reciprocates without a second thought. "It was like before… Before everything happened… I forgot what having a mother was like…"
"You don't need to thank me, Weiss, I know this doesn't even begin to make up for how I let you be treated, but… Thank you for not turning me away and giving me a chance." Smiling up at Willow, Weiss embraces her more closely, faded blush returning as her forehead is kissed. "Oh! Darling, smile for the camera!" Willow glances over to her hand as she brings out her scroll, Weiss doing the same with a slightly shy, awkward smile before Willow snaps a picture of them both together. Ruby and Blake, who had been sitting there silently watching, can't help but audibly react to this sight in a gushing manner, Weiss glaring at them for a few moments which makes Willow giggle a little.
"I suppose I should get going, Weiss, it was really nice getting to spend time with you again, let's plan for lunch when you're feeling better." Weiss nods, then slowly releases Willow before taking a step back, Willow smiling to her before waving to Ruby and Blake and departing the room. Once Willow is gone, Weiss settles onto her bed with a quiet, happy sigh, Muffin being pulled into her arms before she looks up at the ceiling and closes her eyes.