Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Production

Edited by ToxicExotic


Chapter 76 - Invitation

Just as she had done all week, Weiss awoke from her sleep with a smile on her face. Though she could feel that Yang was definitely not in the bed, the scent of the woman's lavender shampoo still filled her nose and kept her wonderful dream lingering a little longer. Thankfully, it had been a dream she'd had many times before, so it was rather easy to hang on to the feeling of joy that pulsed through her as she sat up and wiped her eyes free of sleep, wondering where her girlfriend had gone too.

Though it used to be rather uncommon for her to wake up with the blonde at her side, since their secrecy had usually caused them both to want to enjoy as much time together as they could, it had become a lot more frequent as of late. Of course, she wasn't so needy that she required Yang to stay in bed every morning until she woke up, but she did miss that little bit of extra cuddle time. Thankfully, she knew she wouldn't have to look very far to find her girlfriend, since she was usually either in the kitchen or the workout room; both of which she had been spending a little more time in lately. So, yawning slightly and stretching her arms above her head, she pushed herself out of bed and walked to the bathroom to clean up a little before tracking down her girlfriend.

Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. With only one trip planned for the day, to deliver some coursework to her professor in an hour, she let out a breath of relief and settled for a simple white camisole and thigh length skirt before leaving the bathroom. Just like usual, it really didn't take long to find the beautiful blonde, but it was definitely not in a place she had expected. Instead of the gym or kitchen like usual, the woman was doing laps in the pool, her wet hair shining in the bright sun that had been shining down on the city for the past few days.

Lowering her legs into the warm water, she quietly sat on its edge to watch her girlfriend finish her morning workout. Just like watching the woman cook, there was something relaxing about watching the boxer workout. Something in the way she made it look so effortless, like it was the most natural thing in the world, helped Weiss tune out and simply enjoy the moment. Sadly though, it appeared she had taken a little too long in the shower and arrived towards the end, as Yang's breaststrokes came to a stop after only a few minutes.

"Morning." She smiled at the blonde pulling her scroll out to check her emails.

"Wow." Yang chuckled, treading water as she drifted over. "The second I stop swimming, you look away. Starting to feel like a trophy girlfriend here."

"Good." Weiss smirked, looking over the top of her Scroll at the beaming woman. "Great girlfriend's deserve a trophy."

"Well… my birthday is in a few months."

"Certainly a lot cheaper than the five star resort on a secluded beach of Vacuo that I had planned."

"Woah woah woah. Let's not be crazy now." Yang laughed mischievously as she reached the edge, her hands landing on Weiss' shins and gently moving a finger up and down. "You can give me my trophy there too."

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Weiss leaned down and pressed her lips against her girlfriend's.

"So has Fletch replied yet?" The woman asked as they parted.

"Nope." She sighed and put her Scroll aside. "I wish he would hurry up already."

"Mmm." Yang hummed, pressing her lips against Weiss' thigh. "You know he's gunna accept. He'd be stupid not to, so you just gotta wait for his email."

"I know." Weiss smiled and reached down to play with Yang's hair. "I'm just getting impatient, I guess."

"Mmm, then maybe I should help you relax?"

As Yang pressed her lips against her thighs again, Weiss let out a happy groan and moved her hand to cup her girlfriend's cheek. Though the offer was definitely tempting, she was unfortunately going to have to refuse.

"While you know I would love that, I just started." She said sadly.

"Ugh. Stupid periods." Yang grumbled and sank below the water a little. "Mind checking my emails for me then? My hands are kinda wet here, and not for the reason I wanted."

"You are so gross." Weiss laughed and picked up her scroll as Yang gave her an impish grin.

Typing in Yang's email and password as the woman pushed off from the edge and began to swim away, Weiss slowly scrolled through the inbox and found the one she knew Yang had likely wanted her to check for. Though most of them were failed job applications, some from college and others being random newsletters, one of them stood out as an email address she recognised. Opening it, she scanned over the information.

"You got one from Dr Darq. It says your appointment is in three days; at twelve."

"'Kay. Mind forwarding it to my dad for me?"

"Mhm." Weiss hummed and forwarded it. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for college already?"

"Nah." The woman shrugged. "Professor's sick so the first class was cancelled. Wish I had the day off, like you."

"You just had a week off." Weiss grinned down at her. "Why do you want more?"

"To spend more time with you." She smiled and stuck out her tongue.

Shaking her head, Weiss reached out and poked it, causing the woman to pull a funny face and shake her own head. Water sprayed everywhere and she pulled her arm back to cover her face as a loud laugh escaped her.

"Gah! Yang! Stop!" She laughed, brushing herself off and scowled playfully at her girlfriend. "Why are you such an animal?"

"You tasted like soap." The blonde pouted and wiped her tongue with her hand.

"Ugh, well now I need to get changed." Weiss groaned, peeling the wet camisole away from her chest.

"Oh?" The smile on Yang's face sent a wave of worry through Weiss.

"Don't you d-"

Too late. The woman had already cupped her hands together and pushed some water out of the pool. Feeling it crash into her chest, she raised her hands as the rest of her clothes were soaked through. If her top hadn't been see-through before, it definitely was now, and Yang had already pushed herself back into the middle of the pool with a maniacal chuckle.

"You are so dead, Yang Xiao Long."

"Mhm mhm. Sure." The girl chuckled. "You'll have to come and get me first."

Weiss definitely considered it. Her clothes were already wet, and she was going to have to wash the chlorine off her legs anyway. However she decided against it. A full shower would be much more time consuming than quick wipe down of her legs and a change of attire. Besides, there was something else she could use as a punishment.

"Hmmm, I don't think I will." Weiss said smugly and stood up. "Instead, I will go and change my clothes. I'm thinking maybe some jeans, or a really long skirt."

Yang let out an offended gasp. "That's even more cruel."

Sticking her tongue out, Weiss turned away from the blonde and bent over to grab a nearby towel to pat down her legs. Glancing between her legs, she saw Yang watching her intently, so stood back up and threw the cloth at her.

"Pervert."

"You know it."

Weiss chuckled. "Well, I am going to get cleaned up… again." She said, feeling her clothes stick to her and deciding it was a good idea not to jump in. "I will pick Ruby up when she finishes classes. Maybe take her shopping for a bit."

"Aight. My final class ends at two."

"Okay. I won't say a word until you're there."

"I know." Yang smiled back. "Now go get dressed. Don't want you to be late."

Nodding at the blonde and blowing her a kiss, Weiss turned away from her and walked back inside to get ready.


Leaning back against the trunk of the car and sipping her coffee, Weiss kept a keen eye on the gate in front of her and thought through the discussion she was going to be having in just over an hour. From what Yang had said about the girl hiding things, Ruby was just as reluctant to ask for help so Weiss knew it wasn't exactly going to be easy to get the girl to accept hundreds of thousands of Lien. What made it even more difficult was that, while she and Yang had decided to be as open and honest with Ruby as possible, Yang had firmly decided that Ruby wasn't to know that it was them that leaked the documents to the press.

Weiss couldn't help but agree that it was a good choice. Though she would never believe that Ruby would ever tell anyone on purpose, the girl had slipped up more than a few times and revealed their relationship to people. And while thankfully nothing had ever come of it, the fact that she was going to be hounded by reporters and more out of her element than usual made them a little concerned that something could accidentally slip out one day. Unfortunately though, that made Weiss' goal even harder to achieve.

She wasn't able to tell Ruby why she was so interested in making sure she could go to her dream college. She wasn't able to tell her that it was her fault and that she wanted to make amends. Instead, she was going to have to try and convince the girl to let her try to fix someone else's mistake. It wasn't impossible, but given that she was raised by Yang, there was bound to be some amount of stubbornness there. She just hoped the girl would ultimately accept.

Sadly, she didn't really have much time to think as the main doors to the school opened and students began to file out. Having attended a private academy with a strict uniform code, it was still weird seeing everyone wearing their casual attire. As they all filed out of the building, Weiss saw more than a few cast their eyes in her direction and whisper amongst themselves. Finally though, after almost five minutes, Ruby and Oscar walked out of the doors surrounded by people.

To say Ruby looked uncomfortable would be an understatement; and Weiss definitely knew why as she recognised two of the girl's from the school's tour of the STC. They had been the ones insulting the girl behind her back by throwing snide remarks, and clearly not for the first time. Yet here they were, displaying the same behaviour Weiss had experienced her whole life, attempting to use Ruby to get what they wanted; something Weiss would never give them.

"Hi, Weiss." She said meekly as they all reached the car. "Wh-What're you doing here?"

"I figured we could hang out for a bit while Yang is in class." She replied warmly. "Good day at school?"

"Could be better." Oscar grumbled.

"Mmm, understandable." Weiss smiled. "At least you only had to put up with these snakes for half a day."

The smile immediately faded from the group's faces, and was replaced with a scowl.

"What did you just call us?" One girl said in a bitter tone. "We're Ruby's friends, and she isn't going to le-"

"Hazel," Weiss called, ignoring her and taking a sip of her drink. "Would you take Ruby and Oscar's bags, please."

As the care door opened and Hazel stepped out, the girl immediately fell silent and took a step back. Weiss could hardly blame her, as the sudden appearance of an eight-foot tall man was generally a little intimidating. Making his way around the car, he took the bags and placed them in the trunk before returning to the car.

"We should be going, shouldn't we?" Weiss asked the pair and pulled the side door open. "I can drop you off at home first, Oscar."

With little more than a nod, the two stepped into the car and began to buckle themselves in. Closing it slightly, she finally addressed the small group with cold eyes and an impatient tone. She hated channeling Jacques, but she was definitely not going to stand by and let this treatment of Ruby continue.

"I have known Ruby for seven months now." She said in a low tone. "I know all of her friends, and am fully aware that people have been giving her a hard time at school. But I highly recommend that it ends now, before I get involved. After all, I'm sure you wouldn't want your college of choice to find out what kind of a person they are considering, would you?"

There was no reply, but there were definitely a few worried looks amongst the group. Though she was sure her threat might not have scared everyone, the ones that did would almost definitely do their best to keep the others in line for fear of being seen as aiding them. It wasn't something Weiss was proud of knowing how to exploit, but Ruby was important to her and the girl didn't deserve to be bullied and harassed for being different. So without bothering to look back at them, she stepped into the car and took her seat beside the pair.


"Did you enjoy that?" Weiss asked curiously as they stepped out of the robotics store.

"It was fun."

Though the words sounded sincere, Weiss couldn't help notice the lack of enthusiasm in the girl's tone. In fact, she had noticed that a lot over the past two hours. No matter what store they went into, or how many new devices they inspected, Ruby's mind always seemed elsewhere. Even when Weiss had tried to engage her in conversation about then, the girl had only given a brief overview before falling quiet again. And while she knew it wasn't uncommon for Ruby to be quiet around some people, she had never been quiet around her.

"I'm glad." She smiled, though Ruby kept looking down at her feet. "Is there anywhere else you would like to go?"

"I dunno." She mumbled. "Anywhere's fine."

"Hmm, there's a bakery around the corner. We could pick up some cookies while we wait for Yang to get here?"

"Sure."

If Ruby wasn't excited about cookies, then there was definitely something wrong. Usually, the mere mention of the baked good would be enough to have her bouncing all over the place, but there was nothing. So as they turned the corner and pushed their way into the store, she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and offered her a warm smile.

"Are you okay?" She asked carefully. She had no experience with Ruby being like this, and didn't want to misstep. "You've seemed a little quiet today."

"Huh?" She looked up from a pack of cookies. "Oh, sorry. Just… thinking about stuff."

"Those kids?"

Ruby turned back to the cookies. "Umm… Y-Yeah."

"Hmm." As much as it sucked that the girl was going through it, Weiss was glad it was at least something she had experience with. "You know, I had to deal with the same thing when I was at school."

"Really?" She asked quietly. "But you're… well, Weiss Schnee."

"That's exactly why they would try to latch onto me." She explained. "And why they are trying to latch onto you. They think that being in any way associated with someone as powerful as a Schnee that they will somehow be just as powerful. It's disgusting and greedy behaviour."

"It sucks." She agreed with a small nod. "I don't want to be their friend."

"And you don't have to be." Weiss said reassuringly. "Just ignore them, and if they get too much, tell your principal. And focus on your real friends, like Oscar and Penny, and Ilia."

"Right..." Ruby put the cookies back. "Ilia."

The uncertain inflection on Ruby's words confused Weiss a little, since as far as she knew the two were getting along great. Before she could ask, however, the tinkling of the doorbell chimed, and she turned to see Yang walking through it with a bright smile on her face. A smile so bright that it matched the unzipped, yellow motorcycle jacket, and the short crop top underneath.

"Sup, nerds." She grinned walking over and putting her arm around Ruby's shoulder and pulling her into a hug. For as low as the girl's mood was, it still seemed to pull a slight smile from her. "Guess who aced her make-up test."

"And called us the nerds?" Weiss said amusedly, moving in to press a kiss against her lips.

"Coz you are." She beamed happily. "But I love nerds, so I'm cool with it."

"Mhm." Weiss hummed and gave her another kiss. "Good job on the test."

"Thank you. Thank you. Aren't you proud of your big sis, Rubles?"

"Very proud." She grumbled, trying to push Yang's arm off her. "About time you got an A."

"Wow. Rude."

Pressing a kiss against the top of the girl's head, Yang let Ruby go and picked up a few bags of strawberry and cream cookies. Passing them at the redhead, she handed over some lien cards and motioned towards the counter. With a groan, the girl accepted the money and moved towards the cashier, though not before grabbing a large bag of triple chocolate cookies from a nearby shelf.

"She okay?" Yang asked and turned her back to the counter, her smile falling immediately. "She's acting odd."

Though she knew she shouldn't be, Weiss still found herself surprised at how well Yang knew her sister, and wished she could be the same with Whitley.

"Some kids at school are trying to be friends with her." Weiss explained. "Bothering her quite a bit."

"Bitches?" Weiss gave her a nod. "Assholes. Blake said she was distracted yesterday too. I'll have a word with them next time I pick her up."

"No need." She reassured her girlfriend and put a hand on her chest. "I already had words with them."

"Poor kids." Yang grinned.

Shaking her head, Weiss pressed in and let her hands slip under the sides of her girlfriend's open. Tracing the healed tattoo beneath with her finger, she let out a hungry hum and reached up to kiss her properly, ignoring the sudden flash in the corner of her eye. As they pulled apart though, Yang's eyes darted to the window, where a man was holding up a large camera.

"Damn, thought I lost them." She sighed. "Three vans were waiting for me outside of my college."

"Probably because they lost me when I left the apartment." Weiss theorised. "Sorry."

"Not your fault." The woman smiled. "I'll just take a few more corners next time."

"It's not a big deal if they do follow us." Weiss hummed, smiling up at the blonde. "It's not like we are hiding anymore."

"Fair point." Yang smiled and turned to Ruby, dismissing the Lien that was handed to her. "So, you two ready to get some lunch?"

Seemingly cheering up slightly as she nibbled on a strawberry and cream cookie, Ruby gave a small nod. However, the second they stepped outside, the black-haired reporter stepped up to them, pulling a recorder from his pocket and letting his camera dangle around his neck. Doing their best to ignore him, they continued down the street towards a nearby Greenville location. Unfortunately, the man didn't seem to take the hint.

"Yang, Yang." He said, matching their pace. "Kerry Blanche with Vytal News. Can I ask you some questions?"

"Sorry, dude." Yang brushed him off. "We're going to get lunch. Maybe later."

"Of course, of course." Then man nodded, though Weiss knew he absolutely was not done. "I simply thought you might like to comment as to why your name appears on the White Fang Registry before publication tomorrow morning."

That one made them stop.

It wasn't like they hadn't been expecting that at some point, on the contrary Weiss was surprised it hadn't been revealed yet, but she was still caught off-guard by the question. Especially since, If there was anything that would cause Jacques to speed up his game, it would be that seemed she wasn't the only one caught off-guard either, as Yang looked at her with a little uncertainty in her eyes.

However, Weiss knew it would be no good to deny it. The truth would come out and it was always better to get ahead of it. So giving Yang a nod as the man held up the recorder, she watched the blonde take a deep breath and nod.

"I was in the White Fang." Yang said slowly. "But it was a long time ago and something I consider a huge mistake."

"So what made you join?"

"I was young and angry," Yang replied simply, though she nervously gave a scratch of her head. "I'd seen my best friend discriminated against for years, and I thought that by joining I would be helping stop that."

"When you say your best friend, I assume you mean Blake Belladonna?" He asked curiously, clearly happy that they were giving him some info. "Who recently re registered herself as an active White Fang member?"

"Yeah."

"And as her friend, do you support her choice?"

Yang paused for a minute, clearly trying to think of what to say without screwing up. After a couple of seconds though, her eyes glanced to the side in clear plea for help.

"We are both uneasy with Blake's decision and wish she had chosen something else." Weiss admitted. "However, we are also aware that the registry is narrow in its definition and is in need of reform as it does not make a distinction between those who intend to cause harm, and those who intend to help their community through peaceful means. We can say with full confidence that Blake is the latter."

"Interesting. So you're saying you've known about your girlfriend's past before now?"

"I have known since the beginning of our relationship." Weiss confirmed. "Yang has never hidden anything from me, and I have accepted her past for what it was. A mistake. Now, if you would not mind, we very much would like to eat now."

"Right, right." The man replied, pocketing his device and moving out of the way. "Enjoy your meal, Miss Schnee."

Giving the man a nod, out of courtesy, not respect, they continued on their way. As precise as her answers had been, she knew they would not appear so in the magazine. They never did. They always found some way to twist them, to exploit them and make it sound much worse than intended, but Weiss was used to that by now. Thankfully, unlike most reporters the man actually allowed them to continue undisturbed, though that was likely only because he had gotten what he needed.

Knowing there was nothing she could do to stop it now, and that it would have been warped regardless, she put it out of her mind and pushed her way into Greenville. It was one of the smaller locations, but the atmosphere was still a rather comfortable one with its dark wood and green accents. Sat at the tables were a few faces she recognised, each one giving her an intrigued look as she walked through the door, but none of them breaking the unspoken understanding of Greenville. That everyone there wanted to be left in peace.

Taking their seat at one of the open tables, Weiss pulled the menu from its stand and passed it to Ruby.

"Order whatever you want." She smiled. "Their desserts are amazing."

"Thanks." The girl nodded, scanning over the menu.

"Same as last time?" Weiss asked her girlfriend.

"You know me so well."

Grinning as an arm was wrapped around her, she let herself melt slightly into the muscular woman.

"So, Ruby." she started in a friendly voice. "Yang tells me you have finally finished your volunteering? I'm sure it feels good to have some free time again."

"Mhm." The girl hummed as she scoured the menu. "I finally managed to organise my laptops and fix a few of them."

"That's great news. Are you thinking about selling them?"

"Pfft." Yang chuckled and pressed the button on the side of the table to call the waiter. "She doesn't sell them, she just takes them apart again."

"Well how else do you learn?" Ruby asked in confusion. "But I think I might sell these ones. And I accidentally turned a few of them into a working PC."

"How do you accidentally turn laptops into a PC?" Yang scoffed.

The smaller girl gave a shrug. "I was trying to see if I could, and I got carried away. But it's taking up a lot of space, and I need the money for when I go to Beacon, so maybe."

Seeing it as a perfect opportunity to launch into what she wanted to talk about, Weiss gave Yang a small look. Clearly understanding what was about to happen, she gave a small nod and removed her arm, allowing Weiss to sit up straight and prepare herself.

"Actually, Beacon is what I wanted to talk to you about." She said slowly.

However, before she could go any further, the waiter arrived and pulled out his pad while looking at them expectantly. Quickly relaying their order to him, he gave them a small bow and disappeared back behind the bar. Turning back to the girl, she saw curiosity behind her eyes.

"What about it?"

"Well…"

Weiss let out a small breath, unsure as to how she was going to say it. Usually she would be blunt and honest, just as she had been taught, but clearly that was not the best approach when it came to more personal matters. After all, it had practically blown up in her face with Ilia.

"Do you remember everything that happened with the STC recently?"

"The bribery stuff?"

"Yes." Weiss said with a slow nod. "So, because of that and the response by the Atlas branch of the White Fang, a number of establishments have decided to distance themselves from us for a little while. Beacon being one of them."

"Oh." Ruby frowned. "That sucks. But what does that have to do with me?"

"Well…" Weiss paused again and looked to Yang, who looked down at the table. Knowing she couldn't put it off any longer, she shook her head and let out a short sigh. "You see, the STC contributes a lot of money to Beacon every year, a vast majority of which goes to Beacon's scholarship program. And since Beacon are distancing themselves from us in order to keep their student's safe-"

"There are no scholarships?" Ruby finished, despite the look in her eyes showing that she already knew the answer.

Seeing the disappointment flood the girl's eyes hurt. She was the one who had convinced the girl to try, she was the one who had told her to go after it and given her the hope of getting into her dream college; all because she knew Ruby deserved to be there. And that was why she had to make it right. Not only because it was her fault the girl couldn't go, but also because Beacon was where Ruby belonged.

"I'm sorry." Weiss replied and reached out to rest her hand over Ruby's. "But you can still go to Beacon."

"How?" Ruby mumbled at the table. "Dad can't afford it without a scholarship."

"I know." She nodded. "And that is why I would like to pay for you to go."

Almost instantly, Ruby's head shot up and a familiar reluctance entered her eyes. Weiss had seen that very same look numerous times from Yang, and knew what was about to come. She also knew that if Ruby even uttered the word no, then Yang would shut the conversation down immediately; so before the girl could say anything, Weiss continued.

"I know you want to do this alone, but you belong in Beacon." She said honestly. "You deserve to be able to go to Beacon where your brilliance can shine and get you where you want to be in the future. You don't deserve to have that taken away from you because of my family's mistakes. All I'm offering is to send you there, you will have still earned everything on your own."

As she finished, Weiss was happy to see that the reluctance in Ruby's eyes had turned to uncertainty. With her piece said, she let Ruby's hand go and sat back, leaning into her girlfriend a little as the redhead fell silent in thought. While the girl thought over her reply, Weiss looked up and Yang to make sure she hadn't overstepped any boundaries, and was happy to receive a soft smile in return as the large arm wrapped back around her.

Finally though, after a few minutes, Ruby also looked up from the table and directly into her sister's eyes. Seemingly knowing what she was asking without a word being uttered, Yang gave a small shrug of her shoulders.

"This is your decision, Rubes." She said apologetically. "It's your future, so I can't decide that for you."

Ruby let out a disappointed sigh, and Weiss felt Yang shuffle uncomfortably beside her. She knew not being Ruby's guiding hand for the first time was a difficult thing for Yang to do.

"Can..." Ruby paused and shook her head. "Can I think about it?"

"Of course." Weiss smiled at her. "You don't have to make a decision today. My offer will remain open for as long as you need."

Yet again, just as she had all day, the girl fell back into her thoughtful silence. It was still a little unnerving to see the usually happy and excitable girl so muted, but she certainly understood that the girl would have a lot on her mind. So leaving Ruby to her thoughts, Weiss pulled out her Scroll to check if Fletch had replied while they waited for their food, melting back into Yang as she did.


Stretching her arms above her head and stifling a yawn, Weiss dropped her jacket onto her bed. Despite lunch having ended hours ago, Ruby had still not given her an answer; in fact the girl had remained almost completely silent for the entirety of the afternoon they had spent together. She hadn't expected her to though. Hoped? Sure, but just like everyone presented with a big decision, Ruby was taking her time deciding.

After lunch had been finished though, She had dropped both of them off at Blake's store and spent the next few hours at the office going over details with Dr Polendina. She was actually rather happy with how it was progressing. Since Dr Polendina was already an expert in the field of biology and technology, a solid plan of what they should be aiming to test first was already in place. Thankfully, since she had no idea what most of the technical aspects meant, she trusted Abigail and Polendina knew what they were doing.

During those four hours at the office though, she had been constantly checking her Scroll for an email. In truth, despite Yang encouraging her to be patient, she was getting a little worried. In her experience while talking to him, Aweburn had never been an indecisive man. In fact, he had been a rather resolute one. Though, she supposed that was probably the issue. Changing minds wasn't easy, especially when they belonged to people like Aweburn, so all she could do was hope that her attempts to show him she wasn't like Jacques had succeeded.

"Busy day, Daughter?"

Weiss was forced to suppress the groan that rose to her throat. After a full week, she supposed it was finally time for him to make his move.

"I would have thought that no longer sneaking around would have helped you conserve some energy."

She let out a silent breath and stood up to face him. Framed in the doorway in his usual white suit, the man stood with his arms behind his back and a bored look on his face.

"Though, I do suppose that prancing around in front of the cameras without shame for a week must be rather tiring."

"I have not been prancing around." Weiss countered. "I have been living my life."

"Mmm." He said dully, pulling a magazine from behind his back and thumbing through it. On the cover, she saw a picture of her and Yang kissing against the woman's bike. "And what must the people think of you?"

"I couldn't care less what the people think of me." She scowled. She didn't expect him to go easy on her, so there was no need to try and placate the man. "Besides, you have already done far more than I to tarnish our name."

The bored look was instantly replaced with a bitter one. "Watch your tone, girl." He snapped.

Despite openly defying him, the sharp tone of his voice still caused a shiver to rush through her. After all, she knew all too well how quickly those verbal lashings could turn into physical ones. Nevertheless, she pushed it down. No longer would she let him control her.

"Did you come to my room just to be snide?" She asked impatiently. "Or did you want something?"

"Actually, I did." He said, walking inside and dropping the magazine onto the table as if it was something that had personally insulted him. "Your behavior as of late has become rather concerning, and I can't help but notice that the quality of your work in both college and the company has been extremely disappointing."

Weiss knew for a fact that was a lie since her grades were higher than ever.

"Clearly, I have not been giving you as much attention as I should have," He said sternly. "So I have decided to take you out of accounting. Starting tomorrow, you will be working as my personal assistant."

Weiss' eyes widened at that news. Though she had definitely not been enjoying her time in the accounting department, the idea of being her father's assistant was much, much, worse. The idea of having to spend the entire work day under her the man's command was certainly that sent another shiver through her.

"What?"

"Mmm, yes. I also think that allowing you to continue to lead such a daunting project while so clearly distracted would be a very poor decision on my part, so I shall be giving your nerve chip to Watts instead."

While the other punishment had caught her off guard, that she had been prepared for. "If you do that, you lose General Ironwood's backing."

The man froze and looked at her, his cold eyes falling into a confused scowl. "What do you mean?"

"Oh? Didn't I tell you?" Weiss smiled, straightening up. "Ironwood's deal is only valid should I remain in charge. That was one of his conditions."

At that news, the man's brow furrowed even more and his eyes turned cold as ice. It was clear he had not expected that revelation, and wanted to press that advantage, she picked up the magazine and held it up for him to see.

"Do you really think I didn't expect you to attempt to turn me against Yang once you found out?" She asked, unable to keep the annoying from her voice. "And that I wouldn't prepare for it?"

The man turned away from her and walked over to the balcony, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Surely your assumption that I would have issues with this woman shows your own doubts about your relationship?" He said with a slight, uninterested shrug. "Besides, for all your preparations, you will find that I still hold all the power, Daughter. What makes you think I will not simply move the project to Atlas? Or cancel it altogether?"

"You have already sunk money into it." Weiss said confidently. "And we all know how much you love money. As for moving it to Atlas, doing so will cost you Dr Polendina and any chance of it succeeding. Would you really take a loss to spite me?"

Weiss knew it was a risky bluff. If there was one thing Jacques loved as much as money, it was feeling in control; but she had to play risky if she was going to win a contest of wills.

The man turned around, his eyes cold and calculating. "I could move you to Atlas." He said plainly.

Had it been four months ago, that threat might have worried her. Back then, inheriting the company had been her primary goal, one which she would have done anything to make come true. However, having spent every day since doing nothing but fixing the company's messes and uncovering filthy secret after filthy secret, she was no longer sure the company was where her future lied. It was still a path for her, and one she was interested in, but if following that path meant letting her father rule her life, then would she ever really have a life of her own?

"I am not your pet." She spat, knowing the answer to that question. "Or another thing you own. I am an adult and you do not have the power to send me anywhere."

He stepped forwards, anger in his eyes, though also a little surprise.

"You would give up the company? Throw away everything I have given you, for this commoner?"

"You don't even know her." Weiss said without hesitation. "But no, I wouldn't. I would give it up for me. I refuse to let my life be only what you allow."

Weiss locked her eyes onto his, cold blue meeting cold blue. On most days, she hated that she had inherited those eyes, but there were times where she appreciated it. Time such as this. Though she knew this was only the first move, it was one she had to win; and if using his own gaze against him to show how serious she was about her words was what she had to do, then so be it.

"Hmm." He hummed quietly, his voice low and dangerous. "One day, Weiss, you will see that everything I do is for your benefit."

Shaking his head, he broke the eye contact and walked past her towards the door.

"But…" She turned and saw him resting a hand on the frame. "You are right, I suppose. I do not know her. Which is why I expect her to be here tomorrow for dinner." He paused briefly, clearly for effect. "Maybe then I will see what is so special about this one."

Without saying another word, the man left, and relief flooded through Weiss. Though it wasn't by much, she would definitely chalk that one up to a win; how long that would last however, she wasn't sure. Dinner was an uncomfortable experience at the best of times for the family, but with Jacques interrogating Yang, it would surely be far worse. But, there was no avoiding it. Though she was still unsure about following that path, the company was still one she wanted to hold on to for as long as she could, and not bringing Yang to dinner would definitely remove it as an option.

So, taking a deep breath and slumping down on her bed, she slowly exhaled and threw the magazine in the trash while pulling her Scroll from the jacket pocket to tell her girlfriend the unfortunate news.


A/N

Hello everyone :)

First off, I want to start by giving a shout out to a RWBY fan site called vytalnews . com. I hope they are okay with me name dropping their reporter and their site since I wanted to show a little love, but please go and check them out. They publish articles based as if they were a new agency in the show itself, and they are incredibly funny and well worth a read.

Now the chapter notes xD

So as you can tell, this chapter was mostly about Ruby. I wanted to finally tackle the whole Beacon situation, but I also wanted to take another look at how all this publicity around Yang is affecting her too, and how she's reacting to that. Speaking from experience, its never fun to suddenly be thrust into the spotlight and I really hope I managed to get that across here. As for the rest of the chapter, its more building tension for the the upcoming chapter, but it was fun to write that little altercation at the end xD And I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm really looking forward to writing Jacques since I believe I have told ya'll that I really enjoy writing assholes like him and Watts.

But anyway, that's it from me. Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter, and I will see you next time :)

Chapter 77 - The Most Uncomfortable Dinner will be up on the 4th of February.

Reviews

MarkingDownTheBooks, jm4reader, Zoro50, and SoyBrain; thank you so much for sticking with me xD There should be no more breaks now, but I make no promises.