Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions
Edited by ToxicExotic
Chapter 72 - A Change of Self
Stepping out of the airport into the sunlit streets of Vale, Weiss took a deep breath of fresh air. The loud honking of cars and the bustle of people clambering for their rides filled Weiss ears. Despite the noise however, it felt good to be home after a few hours spent on a stuffy airplane, and the warm air was definitely welcome after the few days spent in the eternally cold city of Argus.
Overall, the trip had definitely not been a bad one. Despite the fact she had fought with both her sister and her girlfriend, Weiss was happy with how they had made up; and was definitely determined to keep her words about being truthful. She had also made some headway with business, but had some other things to think about.
Fletch had yet to get back to her about her offer, though she was certain he would accept, her decision to make her own start up and keep it separate was certainly one that would come with consequences. The biggest being that she no longer had anything to cement her position as heiress. While the fact Ironwood's promise only applied if she was kept in charge of the tremor chip project was likely enough to stop Jacques from taking it away, it was definitely not enough to keep her status in the company. Nor was her newer connections with the Mistral council. And that had been something she had known when making the decision to keep the business with Fletch separate.
In truth, Weiss had become increasingly unsure about her future, especially in the last few days. Despite still wanting to take over the STC, it was becoming hard for her to deny that the task of fixing it was starting to feel insurmountable. Though she was sure she had taken some positive steps in Mistral, it wasn't anywhere near enough to fix what needed to be fixed. Improper hiring procedure, neglect of employee safety, blatant violation of rights by restricting health benefits from faunus. And it was all being practised so openly. And worse still, that was only Mistral. She dreaded to think what Atlas was like.
There was simply so much to do. Even if she managed to get Jacques out of the company, she knew there was no way they would let an eighteen year old be the CEO. There wasn't a single chance she would be in a position to make any real changes until she was much older. It was yet another reason why a separate business has appealed to her. There was nothing to fix with that, no colossal mess left behind, just a blank slate where she could do what she believed to be the right thing. Where she could forge her own legacy, not be stuck with her fath…
"Weiss?"
"Huh?"
She turned to see Yang handing her duffel bag off to Hazel, who had wandered over without her realising. It had been a while since she had last seen the giant of a man, and she suddenly realised that she had indeed missed him. While not the most talkative, he was someone who she trusted to keep both her, and her secrets, safe. Which was especially helpful since there was currently a swatch of reporters taking pictures from afar, too afraid to approach the man.
"Oh… Sorry, Hazel." She said with a smile as she handed him her suitcase too. "How have you been?"
"Good." He replied simply, his deep voice making her bones shake. "Good trip?"
"It was certainly eventful." She said kindly and watched him put the bag in the car. "Did you do anything nice during your time off?"
"Movies with my niece." He said and closed the trunk. "I have a whole new world stuck in my head."
"I know that feeling." Yang hummed as I let out a giggle at the image of Hazel singing along to the song. "I still remember every word of the fairy tales I read Ruby."
While the two exchanged a little small talk about raising a child, Weiss pulled open the car door and slipped inside. For some reason, the whole car smelled like mint, and though it was actually quite nice, she did lower the window a little due to the heat. After a couple of seconds, the other doors opened and Yang slipped in beside her, Hazel dropping into the driver's seat.
"Vultures are out in force today, huh?" Yang asked, looking out of her window as a few of the reporters moved in closer due to Hazel being gone from sight.
"They will be much worse in a few days." Weiss breathed and buckled herself in. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"
"Yep." Yang replied easily, flashing her a grin and taking her hand.
Giving her a nod in return, she settled back into her seat.
"So where to, Miss Schnee?"
The smell of coffee and cooked meat filled Weiss' sense as she walked through the door that Yang held open. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she last stepped foot in the Black Cat Cafe, but she knew it had been a while. The place still looked nice though, and just as busy as ever. The tables were filled with customers happily talking amongst themselves, and a few seemed to have even congregated near the bookshelves for what looked to be a book club due to them all holding the same one. Behind the counter, Ilia and Ghira were cleaning the equipment, the latter smiling at them while the former scowled and walked off into the back.
"Hey you two." Ghira said happily as they approached. "How was the holiday?"
"Not bad." Yang replied as Weiss gave the man a wave.
"Good to hear. Do you want something to drink?"
"No thanks." The blonde shook her head. "We're just stopping by actually. Blake around?"
A worried look came across his face, and he leaned in closer. "Upstairs. Though I would go around the alleyway and avoid Kali if I were you. She's not exactly very happ-"
"Yang?" Before Ghira could finish, Kali walked out of the back room. "Oh thank goodness you are back." She said hurriedly. "Finally someone who will help me talk some sense into my foolish daughter, because others are not exactly being helpful."
From the small groan that left the man as he stood back up to full height, Weiss could tell that was exactly the reaction he had been trying to avoid.
"I've already told you my stance on this, Dear." He breathed. "She must be allowed to find her own path."
"And where did that leave her before?" Kali snapped at her husband.
"She isn't a child anymore Kali. She's learned from her mistakes."
"Yang," The annoyed mother said with a scowl as she turned to the blonde. "You agree with me, right?"
Weiss looked at her girlfriend to see the girl was scratching her head. An awkward, uncomfortable look was on her face as she avoided meeting Kali's glaring amber eyes. The awkward silence continued on for almost a minute, the older woman's normally kind face growing darker by the second, until Yang gave a small cough.
"I'm sorry, Kali." She mumbled quietly. "You know I wanted to keep her from this stuff too, but Ghira's right."
"Well then," Kali breathed venomously, clearly trying not to make a scene. "Clearly I will have to do this on my own then, won't I?"
With a look of anger towards both Ghira and Yang, the woman stormed off to the other end of the counter and made herself busy.
Weiss definitely understood the woman's anger. Even though she ultimately agreed with Yang and Ghira, it was undeniable that Blake's previous stint with the White Fang had left the girl with some scars. Any good parent would naturally be cautious of letting their child get involved again; but Yang and Ghira were right. Though she may not have known her at the time, she was confident Blake had learned from that situation and was going about things in the right way this time. However, knowing it wasn't her place to say anything due to not exactly being close to the family, Weiss remained quiet and followed Yang through to the back room.
As they passed through towards the stairway, she saw Ilia pointedly digging through the fridge. Her hair, which had been light brown when she was in the front of the store, was taken on a slight blue tinge; and the only response Yang got from her greeting was a small hum and a nod of the girl's head. From their previous interaction, Weiss was certain that colour indicated sadness and was reminded that Ilia was yet another person her short-sighted action to unthrone her father had hurt. And while she wanted to apologise to the faunus, the girl rushed back out to the front of the shop before Weiss could even greet her.
"Something else I need to fix." Weiss sighed as they climbed the stairs.
"She'll understand eventually." Yang said with a reassuring smile, slipping her key into the lock and pushing the door open.
They were greeted by an empty, quiet room. The curtains were pulled shut, blocking out any sunshine that could seep in from the outside and leaving only a small lamp to partially illuminate the room. Despite that however, it still looked inviting. After hours of travel and dodging the press, a nice and quiet room to relax in was just what Weiss wanted. However, she was very aware that they were there for a different reason.
"Blake?" She called out, dropping her duffel bag to the floor beside the television and glancing into the kitchen. After waiting a few seconds and receiving no reply, she raised her voice a little and tried again. "Blake?"
Finally, Weiss heard a small shuffling in an adjacent room, followed by the familiar sound of books falling to the floor. After barely a second though, a door on the far side of the room was pulled open.
"I get that you're upset, Mom, but can I just enjoy my days off without you shouting at me?" She groaned from out of sight as the sound of books being restacked came into the room.
"You've called me a lot of names, but mom is a new one." Yang chuckled.
The gentle thudding stopped suddenly, and Weiss felt Yang stiffen up a little beside her as the chuckles subsided. The air turned nervous around them, and she stepped aside to give her girlfriend a little room as Blake finally emerged from behind the door. However, as she slipped off her headphones, Blake's appearance immediately took Weiss aback.
The previously raven black hair that had cascaded down the girl's back had been cut short, the tips of it only just grazing the faunus' shoulders. Though the change was definitely a little jarring, Weiss had to admit that the shorter, fluffier hair that framed her pretty face suited her well, as well as drew a little more attention to the ears that sat atop her head.
Eventually pulling her eyes away from the girl though, Weiss looked back and forth between the two best friends. The two didn't interact, didn't say a word, just simply looked at each other, Blake's ears flat against the top of her head; until finally, after what felt like a full minute, Yang made the first move. A small collapsible table was knocked aside by Yang's knee, the book and remote clattering to the floor, as she strode across the room and pulled Blake into a hug that Weiss was almost certain would be causing the faunus a little pain. If she was in pain though, she didn't show it. Instead she lifted her arms and wrapped them around the woman's back, her hands gripping tightly at Yang's jacket as her face buried into her shoulder.
Weiss really wasn't sure how long they stood there in each other's embrace, but it was long enough that she felt her legs get a little tired and decided to sit down on a nearby chair. Leaning over, she picked up the table and replaced the items, sitting back in the chair just in time to hear Yang speak.
"I'm sorry." Yang muttered softly, her hand coming up to gently cradle Blake's head. "I shouldn't've said those things."
Blake shook her head in Yang's shoulder. "I should have told you sooner. I just wasn't sure and I kne-"
"That doesn't matter." Yang cut her off. "You were doing what you needed to be happy. I should've been supportive, not selfish. I should've trusted you."
Watching the two girls exchanged their mumbled apologies, Weiss smile to herself. Though hadn't really said too much about Blake in the past week, she had known the argument had weighed on the blonde. So to see them hugging as if nothing had ever happened was a relief for her too. After a couple of minutes of quiet muttering between them though, Yang pulled back and brought her hand down to touch Blake's hair.
"What's this?" She asked, a little bit of humor seeping back into her voice.
"O-Oh." Blake smiled, anxiously folding an arm across her front and pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I just thought, you know; a new me, a new look. Do you like it?"
"Like it?" Yang scoffed. "Fourteen year old me would be losing her mind right now."
Weiss let out a small cough to get her girlfriend's attention, and raised an eyebrow.
"Fourteen year old me." Yang reiterated quickly. "Not eighteen year old me. You're the only girl eighteen year old me has eyes for."
"Mhm." Weiss hummed, giving the woman a skeptical look, though barely containing her smirk. "It's nice to see you, Blake."
"Good to see you too." Though her words were polite, she avoided my eye and turned back to Yang. "Did you two have fun on your trip? I can make a drink if you wanna catch up?"
"You know I would love to, but I need to go talk to my dad." Yang groaned and pulled the faunus into another hug. "But you were my first stop. I needed to make sure you knew we were good."
"I'm glad." Blake breathed. "I have tomorrow off. Are we ok enough for me to stay over?"
"Always." Blake's arms folded around Yang, and the two stood there again for a few moments. However, much sooner than before, the two parted and Yang gave her best friend a soft look. "Come over early. I'll cook dinner and we can talk properly. Okay?"
"Okay." The faunus smiled with a nod.
"Good." Yang replied, once against touching Blake's hair. "But I really should be going."
"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Definitely."
After a fond smile at each other, Yang finally moved back over to the door and picked up her duffle. However, though the door was already being opened, Weiss remained where she was, earning a curious look from her girlfriend.
"I'll be down in a second." Weiss said slowly. "I would like a private word with Blake before we go."
Weiss watched Yang as her brow furrowed in worry. With a look at Blake though, who gave an accepting nod, she stepped outside and shut the door behind her. Left alone in silence, Weiss stood from her seat and straightened out her skirt while waiting for Blake to meet her eye. It took a minute, but the amber eyes finally locked onto her own.
"Are you mad at me too?" Blake asked cautiously, one hand folding over her stomach to hold the other.
The answer was an easy one for Weiss.
"No." She smiled kindly. "While I can't say I am exactly thrilled by your decision, you are my friend and I trust that you know what you are doing."
"Oh…" Blake breathed with obvious relief. "Okay th-"
"However," Weiss interrupted firmly. "Your decision has put you and Yang in a very difficult place. There were already going to be doubts due to your pasts, but the second the media and my father find out about you and Ilia, they will make assumptions. They will be vile and cruel, and they will try to paint all of you as something you are not. Your privacy will be taken by the media alone, and I dread to think what actions my father will take."
Weiss stepped forward and put a hand on Blake's shoulder.
"You once told me that the people in the white fang told you stories about us, but I promise you now that whatever they told you, whatever monsters you have seen in your life, none of them compare to what Jacques Schnee is capable of. You, Yang, your family; they are all fair game to him. So please take this warning from a friend, and be careful."
Weiss really hoped that Blake understood how important those words were. Jacques had quite literally torn down Roman's entire council estate because he had simply deemed the boy to be unworthy, so she had no idea what he would do to someone who was part of a group so ardently against the STC. Thankfully Blake's unflinching eyes remained on hers, and after a moment of contemplation, she gave a small nod.
"Thank you for the warning." She said with a smile. "I will definitely keep that in mind."
Removing her hand from Blake's shoulder, she gave her an appreciative look and turned to leave the room. As she put her hand on the door though, she looked back.
"I really do hope this decision makes you happy, Blake."
"Thanks for understanding." The faunus replied.
Exchanging a final smile, Weiss pulled the door open and left the room.
The halls of Schnee Manor were quiet. Weiss hadn't seen a single soul in the ten minutes she had been walking through the rooms. It was quite unusual since usually there was always at least one butler or cleaner wandering around and cleaning, and Klein would generally pop out from around corners at random to aid wherever he could, but Weiss had yet to encounter any of them. She had even tried calling for the man, but nothing, so had eventually resigned to wandering toward her room to catch up on any emails she may have missed during her flight.
However, as she turned the corner and made her way down the hall to her door, she finally heard a hint of noise coming from the end of the hallways where Whitley's room was. That in itself was even more unusual, since Weiss couldn't remember ever hearing him before. While as a child he had liked to play with his toy, he had always done so quietly, and he had never been the type of person to listen to music or watch movies; but she definitely heard some kind of rhythmic sound accompanied by voices. Her curiosity peaked, she moved past her own room and towards her brothers.
Upon arriving, she found the door itself was cracked open a little and leaned against it to peek through. Sat on the bed was her brother. As usual, he was wearing his white shirt and blue pants, but both his tie and vest were missing and there was a relaxed smile on his face. Next to him, dressed and a similarly white shirt and a pair of torn, beige jeans sat someone Weiss was very happy to see. She was happy to see that their friendship was still a thing, and that they had bonded enough for Whitley to feel comfortable to let his guard down. In Whitley's hand was a controller, and he seemed to be having a good time.
"Man, I wish I could do it that quickly." Oscar said in awe. "It took me days to master that area."
"It's not that hard." Whitley shrugged, pressing a few buttons on the controller and causing a tinkling to come from the room. "You just have to memorize the times."
"Yeah, but there's like ten different things happening."
Again the boy shrugged nonchalantly. Not sure if Whitley was showing off or genuinely did just find it that easy, Weiss smiled to herself and leaned back, rapping her knuckles against the wood. "It's Weiss."
There was a slight scuffling and the door swung open to give her a full view of the bedroom. It was definitely a little messier than usual. Fast food wrappers laid discarded on the table beside the bed, and the bed itself was filled with numerous different video game cases. On the desk that Whitley would usually use to study stood a gaming console and a television, the large screen being the source of the sound and music as a small, black creature with a white head and horns stood in a right room filled with spikes and saws.
"I see you're back." Whitley said dryly.
"I missed you too, little brother." Weiss smiled at him before looking over his shoulder. "Hello, Oscar."
"Hey, Weiss. Nice trip?"
"It was, thank you." She smiled and turned back to her brother. "Am I interrupting?"
"Yes." He said simply. "What do you want?"
"Do you know where everyone is?" She asked with an understanding nod, not wanting to keep him from his friend for too long.
"I believe Klein has called the all cleaning staff to the guest house for something." He shrugged as if it didn't interest him, but Weiss didn't doubt for a moment that he knew exactly what it was for. "And Willow is out."
"Whitley." Weiss groaned at the fact the distance seemed to be growing and leaned against the doorframe as she shook her head. "It's mother, not Willow. Have you two even talked yet?"
"Not that it's any of your business, Sister." The boy scowled bitterly. "But yes, we have talked. She is the one who told me to call her Willow because she at least understands that she has never been a mother to me."
Feeling a little guilt rush through her at the realisation she had indeed been pushing Whitley to acknowledge something that had never been, at least not for him, Weiss gave a small nod. If referring to their mother as Willow was what took away that pressure and discomfort and allowed him to build a new relationship with her, then it was something she would have to support.
"You're right. I'm sorry." His cold eyes softened. "I shall leave you to enjoy your afternoon."
"Thank you." He replied as she stepped back from the door. "And a word of advice, Sister. Yours and Xiao Long's escapades around Anima have not gone unnoticed in Vale. Father returns in two days, and I suggest you act quickly should you wish for him not to find out from the magazines."
Weiss had figured that would be the case, but she appreciated Whitley's help nonetheless. So giving him a smile as he closed his door, she turned on her heel and let out a small sigh as she returned to her room. It was a much tighter timeframe than she had wanted, but there was only one course of action that could be taken.
She would have to tell him the morning he returned. If she didn't, then she would lose her chance.
A/N
So just a small little chapter of them getting back to Vale and catching up with the things they had left behind. I really didn't want this chapter to cover too much, since that will be tackled next chapter, but I really did want to have that Blake and Weiss conversation.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it. Sorry the notes are short, there just really isn't much to say this time.
Chapter 73 - Rumination will be available on the 26th of November.
Reviews
Thousand Masks, SoyBrain, Zoro50, and jm4reader. Thank you so much for the kind words.
