Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions
Edited by ToxicExotic
Chapter 51 - Talking With Music
Weiss took a deep breath as she stood in front of the white door. She was a little unsure about what she was about to do, as while her relationship with Whitley was better than it had been in years, they were still not especially close. The boy was still very guarded around pretty much everyone, and it seemed very much like his snarky attitude was something that would not be changing any time soon. But it was enough for Weiss to know that the boy was not completely lost, that their father had not completely corrupted him in the time she'd left him alone.
In her hand was her laptop and a couple of files for work, though those things had been with her every waking moment for the past three days. There was less than twenty-four hours until the gala and her meeting with Ironwood, and while she thought, or more accurately hoped, that she was ready, more preparation never hurt. Unfortunately for her, she was unable to study in her room at that current time, and while she could have chosen any room in the house, she did want to see how her brother was doing since they hadn't really talked for over a week. So after another deep breath, she raised her hand and tapped on the door to her brother's room.
She heard nothing. After twenty seconds, she tapped on the door again, and once again received no reply. She knew he was in there, so for a third time, she reached out to knock a little harder and heard a groan come from behind it. A couple of seconds later, it was thrown open and Whitley stood before her wearing a white shirt and dark blue pants. His white hair was a little unkempt, but she knew it was likely because he was relaxing.
"What do you want, Sister?" He asked impatiently as his hand brushed a strand of hair from his eyes.
"The cleaners are doing the room next to mine," she said politely and held up her work. "It's making it rather difficult to focus. I was hoping I could sit in here with you for a while. Just until they're done."
"This house has fifty-six other rooms you could use." His tone was full of suspicion as he scowled at her. "Why do you want to come into mine?"
Her eyes locked onto the blue eyes of her brother and she let a kind smile pull at her face. "I also thought we could catch up while I work. I've been so busy lately that we haven't had time."
"I do not need you to try and reassure me that you are around."
"I know," She said with a nod. The boy had been the same the last time she had approached him after the meeting with their father, but she knew he would let her in eventually. "I just want to spend some time with my brother for a whil..."
PING!
The loud sound of a scroll receiving a message cut her off and Whitley looked over his shoulder to the glowing device that sat on his bed next to some textbooks. He seemed contemplative for a second, like he was unsure as to what to do, but after a minute he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. With a small step to the side, he held out his arm to motion towards the desk.
"Fine," he breathed as she walked past. "But I am working too."
"Understood." She said with a smile and placed her laptop and files on the desk.
As Weiss organised her stuff, she watched her brother out of the corner of her eye. Despite his claim of working, the first thing he went for when he returned to his bed was his Scroll. His fingers nimbly typed out a message, but she noticed that his thumb hovered for a split second over the send button before pressing it. She recognised the action, as she herself had done it months prior when she first began to text Yang, and deduced that whoever he was talking to was still a rather new acquaintance.
She looked away from him, as he had chosen to glance over at her, and pulled her laptop open. She typed in the password as she sat down and spread out a few of the paper she was working on. They were full of numbers and ideas she likely wouldn't need, but it was better to know Dr Polendina's thoughts than not know them; they also served as a good excuse to take sneak peeks at her brother as she referenced them.
The fact that his papers were even on his bed was something she took note of. Though she hadn't really taken much notice of him in the past, she'd always just assumed that he was like her, and the rest of the family, and preferred to study at his desk; however, from the way he slumped into a seemingly familiar position, that clearly wasn't the case. She racked her brain for any other times she'd seen her brother be so informal in his presentation, and couldn't remember any; other than when his hand was hurting. He was always proper, always neat; but then again, she had never bothered to see him behind closed doors. She knew that her surprise at his more relaxed nature was entirely her own fault.
It still pained her that she had let him feel that way, even unknowingly. Their relationship may have been mistrustful, but she had never actually hated him. Though she had avoided him for fear of believing he was turning into her father, she had thought those things with a heavy heart. Again, that was her fault, and she couldn't change any of what she had done, she could never take back that fact that she had made him feel alone; but what she could do was make sure that he knew that was no longer the case.
So as she opened a new document on her laptop, she let out a small cough and tried for a little casual conversation. "So…" She said hesitantly while keeping her eyes on her laptop so that he didn't feel like she was expecting anything. "Your retake was yesterday?"
Just as she suspected, she received no reply. Weiss knew Whitley only talked on his own terms, and she didn't want to pressure him, so she let the silence hang there. The tapping of keys filled the air and Weiss fell back into her work, however, just as she thought he wouldn't answer, she heard him speak.
"It was."
Her head almost turned to face him, but she stopped it and continued her work.
"And how did it go?"
"Full…" PING! "... marks. It's far easier to write when your main hand can actually hold a pen."
"I would assume so," Weiss hummed.
She was happy that her brother's hand had fully healed. Just as Yang said, it only took just over a week before the boy's hand had finally healed, and all that remained was a scar across one of his knuckles. Unfortunately, with their fair skin, it stuck out rather prominently.
"Were my notes helpful, at least?" She asked.
"Very," He sighed, clearly bored of the conversation already. "Far more than the book Klein suggested to me. Though I suspect that was his intention."
"Suspect?" Weiss smiled since she knew that it was absolutely Klein's intention to give him a useless book. "I thought you knew everyone's moti…" PING! "... vations in this house?"
"Klein is difficult to read." Whitley sighed, the fact that he couldn't accurately guess someone's intentions clearly something that caused him annoyance. "You, on the other hand, are not, Sister." Weiss turned to look at her brother and gave him a confused look. She wasn't quite sure what he was getting at, but his suspicious blue eyes were on her. "What have you been doing around Father's office?"
Weiss was silent for a moment. Of course the boy was still using the staff to inform himself, and, though she had tried, she couldn't figure out which ones reported to him. But he was right, she had been snooping around her father's office for a few days ever since she figured out a plan for the information Ciel had found. However, the plan was exceptionally risky, and she needed to have solid evidence before she went ahead. Unfortunately she had been unable to find anything since the man's computer was locked.
"You know what I was doing there," she replied cautiously. "Trying to find something that could help me and Yang."
"I highly doubt Father has an answer to your specific dilemma in his drawer, Sister," he said with an arrogant raise of an eyebrow. "You know, I could help. All that is needed is for you to ask."
"You said you won't help me."
"With your girlfriend," He shrugged as his Scroll went off again and his hand quickly flew to reply. "But I suspect what you are attempting in there is more about the company than anything to do with your surreptitious relationship."
While he appeared to be more engrossed in replying to whoever messaged him, Weiss could tell that she had the majority of his attention. The issue was that she didn't quite trust the boy just yet. She was working on it, and it wasn't affecting her promise of trying to be there for him, but the fact that he was still a loose cannon that was serving his own goals gave her pause to actually go into detail with him. Nevertheless, he did know a lot, and that knowledge could certainly be useful.
So she took a breath that caught his attention and looked him square in the eyes as she spoke. Yang was very much right when she said it felt like he could see inside of her. "I need access to Father's computer, but it's locked."
"Why?"
"I have my reasons."
"That you can't trust me with?"
"Correct." A small grin pulled at her brother's features as his eyes bore into hers. "I don't suppose you know the password, do you?"
"Unfortunately…" Whitley breathed and returned to his work. Clearly he had been seeking the answer to something himself and seemed to have found it. "I have yet to figure out what the password is either."
Despite having known it was a long shot, Weiss couldn't help but be a little disappointed at her brother's answer. If there was anyone who knew it then it would be him, but since he didn't, she was back to square one. So with a sigh, she turned back to her work and pulled open her email to see one from Aweburn Fletch. She quickly opened it to see yet another dismissive message from him, just as she expected; though they had become less so lately since she had dropped the businesswoman approach as much as she could.
As she was replying to the email, she heard Whitley's Scroll ring again. "You sure get a lot of messages. Anyone interesting?" she asked before she could stop herself, though she was sure she knew who it was already.
"Just an acquaintance," he said, his tone just as dismissive as the email she was replying to.
"I don't suppose this acquaintance happens to live on a farm?"
"That is none of your business, Sister."
His voice had hardened immediately and Weiss knew not to push further. Even though they were in a better place, she still wasn't close enough to play the teasing sister like Yang could with Ruby. So giving a nod, that she was certain he saw, she returned to her email and let the boy keep his friendship with Oscar to himself.
The gentle sound of music flowed around the room and filled Weiss's ears as her fingers danced across the piano. It was her final practise before her performance the next day, and she finally felt comfortable with playing the piece she had chosen. It was a nice and gentle piece that spoke of love and peace, a piece she knew would go over well at a gala held at a museum full of art that was beloved for its beauty. The only issue was that she was struggling a little with the final stretch. It wasn't that she was tired, because she wasn't, nor that the piece was too difficult, though it was rather complex; but that something just felt off.
She wasn't sure what it was, but as she neared the end, the passion seemed to fade from the notes. They felt empty and hollow. Like they were played for the sake of being played. But she needed to play, she needed to make sure that the piece was perfect, so she had been pushing past the frustration to make it so. However, as her ears picked up a particularly dull note, she couldn't put it aside any longer, and let out a loud groan as her hands dropped from the keys.
"Your heart is fading, Daughter."
The voice caught Weiss off guard as she hadn't even heard the door open, but she looked to her side and saw her mother standing in the open doorway. She'd been looking very good lately. Her clothes were neater, the white shirt and light purple jacket stain free, and her hair was brushed into a neat ponytail that hung over one shoulder. Her posture seemed better too, and her blue eyes shone brighter. Despite that though, Weiss couldn't help but tense at the sight of the glass in her mother's hand, a glass that was filled halfway with clear liquid.
Her tenseness didn't stop however as the woman showed just how perceptive she was by following her gaze down to the glass. She tilted it from side to side, the liquid sloshing audibly. "It's just water." She said carefully, still not having taken a step into the room.
Weiss gave the woman a small nod. "What do you mean my heart is fading?"
The woman still didn't move, so Weiss turned her head back to the piano, making sure that the gesture for her to enter was clear enough. It took a couple of seconds, but heels finally clicked against the floor tiles as her mother made her way towards the piano stool.
"It has been so lovely to hear you play these past weeks." The woman said slowly as she sat down and cradled the water in her hands. "Your music has held so much love." Her head dropped slightly to look at her drink. "A love I feared you had lost. But I do not hear that in your playing as of late. It feels hollow, and obligatory. That is not how this piece is supposed to be played."
She looked at her mother and registered everything she had just said. She'd been listening? For how long? And even drunk, she had been able to tell just how happy she was while playing. But she was right, that feeling was missing in her playing, and even she had noted it herself.
"That's because it is being played out of obligation," She sighed and folded her hands in her lap. "I would rather not be playing tomorrow."
"I can tell," Willow remarked and reached up to place the drink on top of the instrument. "But you should always play with your heart, Weiss. Is music anything more than noise if there is no feeling?"
"I… suppose that is true," Weiss replied and gazed at the keys. "But how do I add feeling to something I don't want to play?"
"Hmm," The soft hum was contemplative; and to Weiss' surprise, her mother raised a hand to the keys and effortlessly played a delicate tune. It was the first she'd heard her mother play in almost a decade, and the notes and memories caused Weiss to close her eyes in an attempt to cherish them just a little longer. "I would say," the sound of her playing stopped and a heavy breath left the older woman. "Stop trying to play for the crowd. Play for the person who has shone such sunlight on your life."
Weiss' eyes snapped open as she turned to her mother, and worry pulsed through her at the very specific words the woman had chosen. She had been listening to her music, but had she still been able to understand it while drunk? It certainly seemed so. And Yang had mentioned that she believed the woman had not had a drink in almost a month. Weiss knew she had definitely played while thinking of her girlfriend in that time, and had the woman been listening while sober, there was no doubt in her mind that she would have heard that.
"I don't…"
"I'm not asking you to tell me." WIllow interrupted her attempt to lie and reached for her drink again. "I don't think I even have the right to ask. But whoever it is clearly makes you extremely happy. Your music speaks of joy and delight. Of mindless days spent enjoying the embrace of someone who loves you back. Do not exclude them from your music, especially not from this piece."
Weiss looked at her mother with wondrous eyes as she described the music she'd heard, but quickly let them fall back to her hands. "But how can I play in such a way in front of Father? Would he not hear it?"
"Your father…" Her voice cut out and Weiss glanced to see a darkness in the older Schnee's icy blue eyes. "... Does not hear music. He does not have such a capacity. He hears noise that pleases him, sounds that are either played in the proper order, or are not. He cares not for what those notes are saying."
Weiss mulled over those words and found they actually made a lot of sense. Her father barely cared about his art, using it only to show off his wealth. "That certainly does sound like father." Weiss agreed.
"So forget about him. And play for yourself."
Weiss let out a loud sigh and gave her mother a nod. She closed her eyes and raised a hand to the keys, gently pressing down and hearing the notes around her. She let the memory of the recent date spring to the front of her mind, and found her fingers effortlessly playing out the song. A small smile pulled at her face as she opened her eyes and let it trail off. She turned to see her mother smiling too.
"Thank you, Mom."
"You needn't thank me, Weiss," Willow replied sadly, her smile faltering as she stared down at her feet. "This lesson was long past due." Her thumb stroked the side of the glass that was cradled in her hands and a look of remorse flickered over her blue eyes. "I… I'm sorry. For not being around."
Weiss had dreamed about the day her mother sorted herself out, about the days she would finally get the mother she had lost when she was ten years old back; and every time she imagined it, that apology had been present. It always felt like what people should do, admitting their faults and asking for forgiveness. But after hearing it, after seeing the regret in her mother's eyes, Weiss realised just how childish that notion was.
Her mother had nothing to apologise for. She was a victim of the same man that made the lives of every relative she loved miserable. Her actions, though still her own, were only to relieve herself of the horrors that came with living with such a man. So with a caring smile, Weiss rested her hand on her mother's shoulder and gently shook her head.
"There is nothing you need to apologise to me for," she said softly, hoping that the older woman could hear the assurance. "I don't blame you."
"You sh-should," Her mother's voice caught on her words and a tear dropped into her lap as her voice turned into a whisper. "I left you. All of you. I p-promised to keep you safe from him, and I f-failed. The th-things you have suf-fered, they are all my f-fault."
"They are no more your fault than they are mine," Weiss said firmly as one of her mother's hands came up to hide her face; the action not making the sight any less painful. "Which is none. The blame there lies with Father, and him alone."
"But I…"
"Did nothing that you cannot change," Weiss breathed and slipped the hand that was resting on her mother's shoulder around to hug her. "I was hurt when you shut us out, but I now understand what happened. And I forgive you."
Willow's hand dropped from her face to reveal trails of tears down her pale cheeks. "R-Really?"
"Yes," Weiss replied with a warm smile.
"Ok-ay." The woman sniffled and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket as she took a moment to find her voice. "But I promise. Those days are over."
"I'm glad to hear that." Weiss thought about what she was about to say and finally let out a low breath. "However, It isn't me who needs to hear that. It's Whitley."
Willow's face dropped again at the mention of her son's name. Shame filled her already sad eyes and her eyes dropped to the keys while a finger raised to nervously stroke one. While she wasn't crying anymore, the sight made Weiss' heart hurt even more as it was clearly a look of self-loathing. And when she spoke, Weiss had never heard a more ashamed voice in her life.
"I…" Her whisper of a voice cracked as her finger pushed down on the key to produce a sound that was so full of pain, a sound that Weiss wished to never hear again. "I don't know how. My d-darling boy, and I don't even know him."
"It's not too late, Mom," Weiss tried to reassure the older woman, only to receive a shake of her head in return.
"He doesn't even know me as his mother. I'm just the drunk he sees around the house. What could I even say to make up for that?" Her voice fell to an almost inaudible whisper and her head hung low. "He wouldn't even care."
"I think…" Weiss said slowly and placed a hand on her mother's. "That Whitley might just surprise you. He's rough, and certainly has some issues that I don't think will change, but he is far more receptive than he lets on." She let her hand slide off Willow's to glide along the keys, her fingers playing a gentle melody as they went. "I cannot say it will be easy, nor that it won't take some time, but if you reach out to him, and try to mend those fences, I do believe he will listen."
"But where do I begin?" She mumbled. "And do I even deserve to be a part of his life?"
Weiss let out a deep sigh as she continued playing keys at random to produce a careful melody as she thought. She couldn't imagine how her mother could be feeling at that moment. The knowledge that she'd let her son grow up without her, or even worse, that she had been someone that he grew to hate, must have been hurting her immeasurably. But the only thing Weiss could do was keep playing. Minutes passed and she heard a few sniffles from the older woman, and once it was clear she had calmed down, Weiss gave her a kind smile.
"Start by showing him that you care," she said slowly. "I think that is what he cares about the most, that we are actually there for him; because he feels alone. Take it slow though, he doesn't like being pushed. Just let him know that he can come to you. That's how I started with him."
"You didn't hurt him like I did."
"No, I hurt him worse." Weiss countered. "It is true that all he knows of you is a drunk, but now you can break that image and replace it with a better one. I broke his original image of me and turned it into something ugly, now I have to rebuild it. You may even have an easier time than I will."
Another minute passed with nothing said, and Weiss saw her mother watching her fingers flit across keys. Her eyes were deep in thought, but she finally let out a sad sigh. "Do you really think I can reach him?"
"I do."
Weiss kept her answer short, and once again, Willow fell silent to think. With the song she was playing coming to an end, Weiss slowed her pace until it was done and let her hands fall away. Her mother still hadn't spoken, but instead sat stroking the glass in her hand. She realised that the woman clearly needed some time to think, so gently rose from the stool to leave and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder for a moment as she passed.
However, as she neared the door and began to pull it open, she heard her mother's voice again, though the sadness had been replaced with fear. The sound caused a pulse of worry to run through her.
"You are preparing to fight him." The woman said. "Aren't you?"
Weiss halted with her hand on the doorknob. Though it was posed as a question, the knowing tone that crept into the scared voice let her know it wasn't. She turned around and saw the blue eyes boring into hers, and unable to lie, Weiss gave a small nod.
"I am." She said firmly in the hope that the certainty in her own voice would reassure her mother. "I won't let him continue as he has been any more."
"That is a dangerous war you are waging, Daughter." Willow replied, and a pleading look entered her eyes. "I won't ask you not to fight it, but I know more than most what that vile man is capable of. So please, be careful."
"I will." Weiss replied and went to make her way out of the room, only to stop when an idea came to mind. It was as much a long shot as it was with Whitley, but she turned back to face her. "Mom, do you know the password to Father's computer?"
Willow looked at her suspiciously for a couple of seconds. She kept eye contact and waited patiently, but could stop her hope from growing. If her mother didn't know the password, surely she would have said so straight away. The longer it took, Weiss wondered if the woman was contemplating the ramifications of aiding her in the war that was about to take place; but thankfully, after almost a minute, the woman let out a deep breath and nodded.
"Eleventh of May, 1993." She said sadly, the date clearly caused her pain. "The day he first met my father."
Weiss let a smile pull at her lips. Finally, she had almost everything she needed to enact her plan. "Thank you." She whispered. However, the fear in her mother's eyes was still very much there, so she let her smile drop and put on a serious look as she addressed her. "Mom, can I ask you to do something for me?"
"I believe, with everything I haven't done, it would be wrong for me to say no to whatever you ask, Weiss."
"Okay." Weiss took in a deep breath to prepare for what she was about to ask. "When you have fixed things with Whitley… I want you to take him away from this house."
Willow seemed taken aback at first, as if what Weiss had just suggested was the most terrifying thing imaginable. That feeling was confirmed when she spoke, the shakiness returning to her voice.
"B-but that would m-mean…" She stood up as the realisation hit her. "Weiss, I will not leave you alone with that monster again."
She gave her mother a confident look and straightened her back. "I'm not scared of him any more, Mom." She lied, but did everything she could to keep her from seeing the truth. "But you and Whitley, you've faced enough. I don't want you caught in the crossfire for what I am about to do." Before her mother could reply, Weiss turned around and opened the door. "I can't force you to; but please, save yourselves from this."
Without another word, she left the room behind. She hated the fact that she had just told her mother to leave, but she hoped the woman would. She would get the last piece of information that would confirm her suspicions tomorrow, and if they were confirmed then the fallout of what she was going to do would be huge. She doubted her mother could mend fences with her son in a couple of days, but she wanted her family around as little as possible for what was to come.
So with a heavy sigh to herself, she pulled out her Scroll and made a note of the password to her father's computer. If she got the confirmation she needed, she could start her plan while Jacques was busy at the party.
A/N
Hello everyone, so I know the last chapter said that the next update would be on the 13th, but somehow I screwed up the schedule so I've released this a day early to get it back on track. Don't say I never treat you :P The next chapter will be up on the 22nd.
You'll also see that I have decided against the name header this time. There were concerns about them ruining immersion, and they were only there because I was unsure the characters read differently enough when I started the series, so this will be the norm going forth.
Now, as for this chapter. There has been a lot of Yang family issues lately, so I wanted to touch upon Weiss' side a little more. That meant expanding on Whitley and Willow a little more. I have to be honest, I really love writing Whitley. There is something about sarcastic, disinterested characters that appeals to me... no idea why. Willow is cool to write too, in a different way though. Regretful vs Resistant is fun to balance in a chapter and provide unique challenges xD
But that's it for me today. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and how I'm progressing Willow and Whitley. They're slow, but I personally like their progress. Let me know what you think.
The next chapter is going to be a big one, not in words but in context, so I hope you're looking forward to that as things start coming to a head rather quickly after that. If my laptop lasts that long... Toxic is genuinely very worried its going to just die due to it blue-screening everyday xD
crazyringo. Zoro50. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your comments. Thank you so much for taking the time to do that :)
