"Are you ready to leave Weiss?" Ms. Amaranth asks her ward, a nod being the immediate response given.
"I… Suppose, as ready as I'll ever be." With a quiet sigh, Weiss pushes herself up to her feet and settles into the wheelchair once more, Muffin in tow. She had been informed by Nurse Amaranth that today is her last day in the medical ward, and while she is being discharged back to her dorm she is still continuing her therapy, which she found to be agreeable. In contrast to what she originally thought, therapy with Dr. Youngwood proved to be beneficial, with her finding herself able to open up about what she typically would keep hidden.
After the trip from her room to Brindle's office is completed, she settles onto not the couch as usual but a nearby beanbag chair, immediately sinking into the soft, squishy seat. Brindle chuckles a little as Weiss attempts and fails to settle into a comfortable position, the teen falling still once she's able to see Brindle clearly.
"Having fun there, Weiss?" Brindle says with a smile, Weiss shrugging slightly before resting her chin atop Muffin's head.
"Ghh… This is hard to get used to, it's practically eating me." She murmurs, gaze focused on Brindle's face. With a soft chuckle, Brindle nods and grabs her notebook before patiently looking to Weiss.
"What would you like to talk about today Weiss? I know it's your last day in the medical ward, maybe you'd like to talk about something more positive than your family?" Brindle's suggestion is met with a curious expression, Weiss mulling her words over before nodding.
"I… Like that idea. Talking about family stuff is painful…" Pausing for a few moments to sigh, Weiss squeezes Muffin gently while closing her eyes, fiercely debating what to speak about. "I guess I can talk about my friends, that's a much better topic." For the next hour, she talks about her teammates and friends, how she met them all, what each of them mean to her. She makes special mention of Penny, regaling how she met her, her death, and meeting her for the second time, and Blake, the faunus she regards dearly, the only person she knows who's had braces before.
"I'm so happy to hear how close you are to your friends, friends are one of the most important things you can have." Brindle pauses, then chuckles again before continuing, "And I do mean living friends, not just friends like Muffin there." Weiss sticks her tongue out playfully for a few moments before nodding, eyes slowly opening.
"I know, I don't know where I'd be without my friends and teammates. I'd… Likely still be with my father, and that's really not a good thing." With a forlorn sigh unable to be contained, she squeezes Muffin to her chest, then looks up at the ceiling. "I don't know where I'd be without Penny, honestly…" Brindle nods patiently, showing she's continuing to listen, then looks to the clock before clearing her throat.
"It looks to be that time again, Weiss. Since you're no longer going to be staying down in the medical ward, I'll have the date and time of your next session sent to your scroll." Once Weiss nods Brindle gets up and departs from the room, a wave being given to the teen before she vanishes from view. Amaranth enters with the wheelchair not long after, and as per usual Weiss is wheeled along back to her room, where she diligently gathers up all of her belongings, including her outfits and Nickel.
"Alright you two, let's get going, I'm sure Ruby and Yang are worried." Weiss hums out to the plush companions in her grasp, gaze idly wandering as she leaves the room and weaves her way through the halls up to the main area of the school. It takes a fair bit of time for her to find her way out of the labyrinth of halls, a few students lingering about idly chatting, their gaze falling onto her as she passes by on her way to the dorms.
"Weiss? WEISS!" Ruby exclaims in surprise as her teammate enters their shared dorm, Weiss emitting a startled noise as she's pounced on and very nearly knocked over by the over excited redhead. "How are you?! Are you okay? It's good to see you!" Weiss can't help but chuckle in response to Ruby's rapid fire questioning, a firm embrace being given before she speaks.
"I'm okay, Ruby, I promise. I was cleared to be discharged from the medical ward, I'm still seeing my therapist, but I can be here now." Ruby sighs in relief as Weiss explains her return and gladly hugs her back, the two sharing a long embrace before parting. "Where are Yang and Blake?" As she parts from the hug she asks the whereabouts of the remaining members of Team RWBY, taking a few moments to nestle Muffin and Nickel onto her bed before stowing her clothes away.
"They went out for lunch, they're gonna be really excited to see you!" Weiss perks up as Ruby mentions lunch, her stomach rumbling on cue moments later.
"Lunch… Sounds nice right about now. What say we go get some Ruby?" Weiss asks before pulling out her scroll, Ruby's nod being regarded before she turns her gaze to the screen. "What happened while I was gone? I wasn't allowed to be told anything, so I honestly have no clue what's been going on."
"Oh! Um… Weiss, a lot has happened, like, a lot a lot." Ruby begins to say before reaching over to Weiss's scroll and tapping on it, a news site being brought up before she taps on the top article.
SDC CEO Arrested!
Jacques Schnee, CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, has been arrested on charges of: defamation of a huntress via falsified footage; aiding and abetting a known criminal; inciting a panic in the cities of Mantle and Atlas, which caused an increase in Grimm attacks; and child and spousal abuse. A recent press conference by General James Ironwood revealed footage from the memories of Penny Polendina that showed the leaked footage prior reported on is doctored. Furthermore, footage released by Specialist Winter Schnee revealed his connections to disgraced scientist Arthur Watts, alongside showing the extent of his abuse towards his family.
Schnee is presently in military custody and will stand trial in weeks time, but maintains his innocence despite evidence to the contrary. The location of Arthur Watts is presently unknown, if you see him, do not approach and immediately contact your local authorities.
"Father was… Arrested?" Weiss asks incredulously, staring down at her scroll as she begins to reread the article over and over. Ruby nods and pulls her into a hug, the brace faced teen hesitantly leaning against her partner before the two are startled by a knock on the door. Answering it, they find Winter standing outside with Penny beside her, Winter immediately pulling Weiss into her arms.
"Weiss… I'm glad to see you're okay. Penny and I were planning on surprising you with a visit, but were informed you were discharged, which is good. Have you heard the news?" Winter says before asking Weiss an important question, Weiss immediately latching onto Winter's waist before nodding.
"I have… Was… Father really arrested?" She hesitantly asks, as if expecting an answer other than confirmation, a relieved sigh escaping when Winter confirms he was. "I'm… Relieved… He's finally getting justice for what he's done…" Winter gives her sister a squeeze, then releases her only for Penny to take her place and hug Weiss firmly, the two sharing a loving kiss once together.
"His trial is in three weeks time, but… Unfortunately, General Ironwood wishes for you to be a witness in the trial. He has asked me, mother, and Whitley, as well as Penny, we've all agreed to testify, but the most important witness we need is you." Explaining the trial, Winter frowns slightly, Weiss unable to hold back a nervous sound as she comes to understand she'll have to face Jacques once more.
"I… Okay. I'll testify, it'll be hard, but… With you all there, I can do it. I know I can." Weiss says, although her thoughts say otherwise. I… Can I do it? This one last thing…
"I'll inform General Ironwood of your decision. If you are feeling up to it, in two days, we'd like to send you and Penny back down to Mantle on a mission. Same task as before, aid the people, fight off any Grimm, and make yourselves seen. Since the press conference, public opinion of you has risen, not everyone is approving of you just yet, but many people have begun to see you in a positive light." Winter says, one last hug being shared with Weiss before she turns and departs the room, Penny following her after giving Weiss a final kiss.
"Okay… This… Is gonna be hard." Weiss murmurs, Ruby pressing a hand to her shoulder before smiling at her.
"We've been told we can be there to watch the trial, it'll be okay Weiss. If you get scared or upset, just look to us, we've got your back." Ruby says in a consoling manner, Weiss nodding slowly before glancing towards the door.
"You're right… I just have to deal with this, then I can put him out of my life for good." She sighs out before jolting slightly when her stomach rumbles again, Ruby unable to help but giggle. "We should get some lunch before my stomach decides to eat itself."
"Let's go, we can meet up with Blake and Yang where they're at."