For about two weeks since Ruby's birthday, Weiss had started coming over every night. She practically lived in Ruby's apartment now, spending much more time in her girlfriend's loft than her own abode. It was much more homey and lively in the loft with a dog when compared to her plain white hotel room.

Not that Weiss actually lived in a hotel, but considering how tidy and spotless the place was, it might as well be.

With a sigh, Weiss closed the laptop in her lap, setting it down on the coffee table in front of her. "Ruby..."

The woman beside her turned and hummed, allowing Weiss to get comfortable in her arms. "Something on your mind?"

"If it's alright with you, I think I'm going to take Thursday off."

"Um, yeah! Yeah, that's fine with me," Ruby chuckled. "Why...why're you asking?"

Weiss kissed Ruby quickly on the lips, settling in the nook of her neck. "I think I'm ready to officially move in with you."

If Weiss expected anything from the other woman, she expected some sort of explosion of excitement or maybe a mouth opened wide. She didn't expect her to be quiet for once.

It had been long enough before Weiss thought to attempt at breaking Ruby from her silence - until Ruby blinked and opened her mouth to speak.

"You're really sure about this?"

The businesswoman crossed her arms, only wondering why Ruby would question her decision. "Do you not want me to?"

"N-No! It's not that at all, it's just..." Ruby went quiet again, twiddling her fingers below.

"What's the matter?"

"...embarrassed...my closet..."

A white eyebrow arched. "I've seen your closet, what's wrong with it?"

Ruby sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I have another closet - a much bigger closet - that I use for storage, and it's completely packed with a bunch of useless junk. I need to clean it out, I don't want to clean it out, and there's a bunch of stuff in there that I'd rather not revisit."

"Would you like me to clean it out for you?"

"I'd honestly rather you not? I can clean it tomorrow while you're at work."

Weiss frowned. "Have I given you any reason not to trust me?"

"What?" Ruby shifted into a more upright position. "Of course not, I completely trust you."

"Then why..." She didn't quite understand what Ruby could possibly be hiding. "Why don't you seem to?"

"It's just...I dunno," Ruby scratched the back of her head, her eyes looking anywhere but Weiss. "There are things in there about myself that I don't really want you seeing."

Was she self-conscious about something? Did something happen to her? Did she do something?

"Ruby," Weiss cooed, "you know that no matter what it is, I will never think differently of you."

"Look, Weiss," the younger woman sighed and placed her hands on Weiss's shoulders. "I love you very much, and I trust you with my life, but in that closet lies the memories of things I don't want to see again. I don't want to bring you into that, so I'd prefer it if you don't see what's in there."

"I..." She stopped to think. Ruby really didn't want Weiss to see any of it, and as curious as she was, she had to respect her girlfriend's privacy. If Ruby would be ready to tell her, that would be in it's own time. But for now, she would be as supportive as she could for her partner just as Ruby had been for her. "I understand."

The smile returned to Ruby's face. "Thank you, Weiss."

"Of course," Weiss said, gently pecking her girlfriend's forehead.

The next day, Weiss went off to work while Ruby got down to the nitty-gritty. She let out a long groan as she stretched her back and popped her neck. With Zwei at her side, Ruby steeled her mind for what was about to come.

"You ready for this, Zwei?" Ruby looked down at her dog, who stared back at her.

Zwei whined and sneezed.

"Yeah, me neither. But," the brunette let out a long breath, "this is for Weiss. So let's get started."

She placed her hand on the knob and turned, slowly opening the door to reveal all that was inside. Upon opening the door, she also allowed everything that was inside to fall out and make her realize that she needed help.

Ruby pulled out her scroll and resorted to Yang. "Please pick up, please pick up, you'd better pick up..."

"Rubes, what's up?"

"Yang, I need your help right now."

"What? What for? Is something wrong?"

"Yes, something is wrong. Weiss wants to move in and I need to clean out the closet pronto."

"Closet? Which closet? Wait...do you mean..?"

The paintballer groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, that one! I need your help now, get your ass over here."

"Alright, okay, I'm on my way. I'll be there in a few." Before she hung up, Yang spoke one more time. "Hey, Rubes? I know you hate seeing those pictures and stuff, but Weiss is probably going to know eventually. I mean, you both are going to live together. There's no more privacy between you two, ya know? And she won't judge you, I'm positive of it. Just relax, Sis."

Ruby sighed. "I'll try, Yang. I'll try."

With that said, Ruby hung up and immediately got to work. She started by taking the things that fell on the floor, going through each scrap and doohickey to evaluate which was needed and which belonged in the garbage. The majority of the things she picked up went to the trash. She was somewhat surprised when she found many canisters of old paintballs - none of which were usable - and at least four messy palettes with dried up paints. To say that the closet stank would be a complete understatement. Ruby wouldn't be surprised if something died in there.

At long last, Yang arrived with two pairs of rubber gloves and a crap ton of folded boxes. "Alright, asshole, I had to leave Nora at the karaoke booth thanks to you. Let's get this over with, shall we?"

"Hey, hey, hey, watch your mouth, Big Tits." Ruby helped Yang unfold the boxes and restore them to their original state. "What're the gloves for?"

"This is your closet, Ruby. I wouldn't be surprised if even the roaches died because of all the rat shit and toxic fumes from your paints. I bet there are birds in there that feast on a corpse." Yang crossed her arms. "I ain't touching none of that with my bare hands."

"No," Ruby shook her head, "you're talking about Sun's apartment. That dump is dirtier than your ass. My closet is immaculate compared to his dump."

"Hey now, don't get cocky. Are we gonna get this done or make fun of each other's tits? I've got some stuff to do today, and I am not spending the rest of my day cleaning out your roach graveyard."

"We can do both. Let's go. And be sure to hold your breath in there." Ruby tied up her hair and prepared herself for battle. "We may or may not come out alive."

"Weiss? Hey, c'mon! Weiss?"

Within a few snaps, Weiss was brought back to reality. She's been distracted all day, only thinking about Ruby's words. She was pained, Weiss could tell. Something in that closet is hurting her somehow, and Weiss wanted to be there for her. She needed to be there.

"Hey, Weiss, c'mon now. If you really want Thursday off, these charts and reports need to be reviewed. I'll sort them out for you once you finish." Coco set down a considerably sizable stack of papers on Weiss's desk. "We're hauling ass this week and really need to step it up."

"Coco," Weiss murmured, "something's not right."

"Yeah, I know. You're not reviewing the papers, that's definitely not right!"

Weiss grimaced and raised her voice. "Coco, I'm serious!"

The brunette was left in shock at her boss's sudden outburst. Something definitely wasn't right with her, and now it was time to be her therapist. She sat down in the chair in front of Weiss's desk and cleared her work mindset. "Weiss, are you okay? You've been off since this morning, and I honestly thought you'd get over it by now, but you clearly haven't. Did something happen?"

The CEO sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ruby's hurting. She's cleaning out her closet so I can move in some of my belongings, but it pains her to even mention the closet. Something's in there that's causing her pain or some sort of trigger, I'm not sure, but one thing I can confirm about Ruby is that she hates sharing her pain with anyone. She won't tell me anything about it, and I'm really worried that she's not thinking right. She can do really stupid things if she's not in the right mindset. Coco, I'm really worried about her."

"I get what you're saying. Velvet can be that way too. It's technically lunch break right now, maybe it wouldn't hurt to pop by and check on her?"

With coat in hand, Weiss rushed to the door of her office. "I'll be back."

"You'd better hurry! These papers need to be approved by four!"

She ran. She sprinted. She breathlessly dashed to her car and drove back to the apartment to check on Ruby. Keys were pulled out faster than Ruby could say "Weiss." The door was unlocked. Weiss quickly opened the door and found Yang sitting on the hardwood floor with a few picture frames scattered around her.

"Woah there, do you need some water?"

Weiss panted heavily and shook her head, walking towards Yang as she did. "Where's...Ruby...why are you here?"

"Ruby went out to grab some lunch. She asked me to help her clean."

She asked Yang and not Weiss? It made sense because they were family, but Ruby made it seem like nobody under any circumstance could see what was in that room.

"Sh-she wouldn't let me help her..."

"Yeah, she told me about that. It's nothing against you, Weiss, really." Yang patted the ground beside her and gestured Weiss to sit. "Ruby loves you more than anything. Hell, I reckon she would freaking die for you."

"So then why?"

Yang held up one of the frames sitting in front of her. It was a picture of a smaller Yang, a tall blonde man, and woman that looked exactly like Ruby, and a very small girl with the same hair as the woman. Yang pointed to the smallest girl that looked like Ruby. "You see this girl? This skinny, cheery duplicate of her mother?"

"Is that..?"

"The very same girl you know and love." Yang nodded with a smile. "That's Ruby."

The blonde woman picked up another picture. This time, the woman that looked like Ruby was no longer there. The little version of Ruby was rounder compared to the previous photo, almost to the point of no recognition. The only familiar feature was the signature red-tipped hair.

"Is that still Ruby?"

With a nod, Yang sighed. "Ruby's mom died when she was still young. Back then, Dad had a tough time pulling himself together for us. I would always take care of Ruby while he was busy teaching with our uncle. It was then that Ruby started to eat. And when I say she started to eat, she became a fucking black hole. Dad couldn't control things as best as he used to, and Mom always said to finish whatever was on our plates. I knew how much I should've been eating and how to control myself, but Ruby was still young. She still listened to Mom. And I guess it helped her cope. Ruby started to get obese, and paintball wasn't really doing much to help her then. It wasn't until her sophomore year of high school that she started to change."

"What happened?"

Yang shrugged. "I have no idea. All of a sudden, she started to eat less, joined track and cross country, and continued paintball. I really wish I knew what happened that started to change her, but I really have no clue. She started to get much better, her roundness went way down, and before I knew it, she was fitter than I was. Doc said her metabolism went back to normal, which was fast as hell as you might've know."

Weiss felt her heart lighten up a bit. "I think I understand why she would rather me not know about this."

"Yeah. And again, Weiss," Yang patted the silverette's shoulder and smiled, "Ruby really loves you. I really wanted to believe that she could tell you this story on her own, but it still messes her up a bit, ya know? Losing Mom wasn't easy for any of us, especially her. And having to see these reminders of how unstable she became probably hurts her. You know how she doesn't want anyone to hurt because she's hurting. But I always tell her that if there isn't something hard in the way, then it isn't a growing moment."

"Goddammit, Yang, I was going to tell her eventually..."

Both girls whipped their heads around to find Ruby sitting at the island in the kitchenette.

Icy blue eyes met silver, and Weiss stood up immediately. "Ruby..."

"I'm really sorry, Weiss."

Weiss shook her head and quickly ran for her partner, engulfing her in a warm embrace. "Don't be sorry. Don't ever be sorry about any of that."

Ruby sighed and rubbed Weiss's back, gently pulling away so she could see both Yang and Weiss. "The reason I suddenly turned around was because I found out I was attracted to girls. I realized that if I lived healthier, then maybe people would start to like me and value me. Maybe I would start to like myself."

"I thought you enjoyed eating all that crap. You really didn't?" Yang crossed her arms as an eyebrow arched.

"You thought I did? I ate because Mom always said to. I continued to listen to her even though she was gone. She was really all I had to look up to." Ruby ran her fingers through her hair and let out a breath through her nose. "No offense to you and Dad, but you are my half-sister. Dad may be my father, but I'm nothing like him. Dad didn't even want me to have his name. I was too much like Mom. But I wasn't Mom, was I?"

"Ruby—"

"I'm not done, Yang. I'm over it all, I'm over the drama, and I'm honestly glad I shaped up. There was no way I would've survived Cardin with the way I was."

Weiss held Ruby's hands and gave a gentle squeeze. "If you're over it, then why eould you hesitate to tell me?"

"I didn't like myself back then. I didn't want you to see how awful I was before." The brunette sighed and locked eyes with her partner with a smile. "But a wise woman once said that if there isn't something hard in the way, then it isn't a growing moment."

A strong pair of arms wrapped around the couple in a tight embrace. "Proud of you, Rubes. I'm sure your mom would be too."

"Thanks, Yang."

The three pulled apart from the hug and exchanged glances. Weiss grabbed her coat and prepared herself to leave. "I suppose I'll be leaving now."

"Wait, Weiss, why did you come in the first place? I thought you were working," Ruby said.

"I..." The CEO looked away with a blush, hoping neither of the siblings could see it. "...I got worried about you..."

She looked up for one second to see Ruby and immediately regretted it. Her girlfriend had the biggest smirk on her face, her eyes saying she was ready to pounce. And God did she pounce. She leaped and closed the two foot gap between herself and her partner in the matter of milliseconds, nearly toppling over Weiss. "Gahhhhh! Weiss, you are just too cute!"

"I was legitimately worried about you, you dolt!" Weiss huffed and crossed her arms, refusing to look Ruby in the eyes.

"Alright you two, that's enough. You got work to do, Weiss, and so do we." Yang rolled her eyes with an exasperated smile. "Let's get you moved in, shall we?"

It was Thursday night. Weiss was almost completely moved in with Ruby. All that remained were a couple of boxes filled with miscellaneous galore. Ruby helped Weiss move them into the closet, which was nearly empty by the time Yang and Ruby finished cleaning.

"Aaaaaaaaaand done! I think that's the last one!" Ruby collapsed onto the couch with a relieved sigh.

Weiss sat down beside her and giggled at the sight of her exhausted girlfriend. "Thank you for everything, Ruby. I really appreciate you and I love you."

Ruby used the last of her energy to pull Weiss down for a kiss. "Aww, it's no big deal. I love you too, Princess."

In the moment of silence they had, Ruby and Weiss snuggled together on their couch as they watched the sky transition from pink and orange to dark navy blues.

"Hey Weiss, are you busy next week?"

A white eyebrow arched as Weiss turned to face Ruby. "My answer won't matter, will it?"

"Not really, no."

Weiss tittered and sighed. "Alright, what do you have planned?"

"Well, I just want to return the favor for what you did on my birthday. I teamed up with Sun and Yang, and we've got an amazing surprise planned for all of next week. So I'm just wondering," Ruby's lips pursed as she ran her fingers through silver strands, "are you going to be busy?"

"I won't be too busy. The seasonal change is starting to pass and we usually have a lot of downtime this time of year."

"Awesome! We're gonna have so much fun!" Ruby's contagious smile spread to Weiss.

"What's your plan?"

The paintballer shook her head. "I ain't gonna tell you where, but I'm just gonna say that Sun, Yang, and I have been saving for this trip since February. I had to save a little extra for you," Ruby said as she 'booped' Weiss's nose.

"What about Zwei?"

"Zwei's gonna stay with Uncle Qrow for the week."

"Is anyone else coming?"

"Yup! Sun's bringing Neptune and covering expenses for Jaune and Pyrrha, Yang's bringing Blake and covering for Nora, and I get to pay for both you and Ren as well as myself."

"That's a lot to cover. Are you sure you don't need help?" Weiss cupped Ruby's face with her cold hands. "I can pay for anything if you want me to."

"Nah, it's fine. I said I've been saving since February, and I gotta spoil my princess somehow. Plus," Ruby gently grabbed one of Weiss's hands that held her face, "I'm only paying for plane tickets and entrance fees. We all agreed that we would all pay for our own hotel rooms and train tickets."

"Plane and train tickets? Entrance fees?" The businesswoman smirked with a white eyebrow arching. "Oh Ruby Rose, I can only wonder where we might be going to."

"Just keep wondering, Weiss-y. You'll find out soon enough." With a loud yawn, Ruby picked up her girlfriend in a bridal hold. "I'm super tired from unpacking all your boxes. Wanna sleep now?"

"That sounds nice, yes."

"As you wish, your Highness."

Sunday morning at fan-freaking-tastic five. Everybody was gathered up in Ruby and Weiss's apartment with suitcases and luggage filled with everything they need for the next week.

Ruby clapped her hands together, alerting those in the room. "Good morning everyone! I'm sure the majority of you have no idea why you're here or where we're going!"

Jaune raised his hand tiredly. "Ruby, where are we going?"

"Glad you asked! Pack your asses up, y'all, because we're going to Atlas!"

Faces of surprise and excitement flashed about the room, including Weiss.

Yang sighed. "Not exactly Atlas. We're going to Argus for the paintball convention and to play paintball in the snow."

Sun yawned and nodded in agreement. "Yup, and the plane boarding is at eight on the dot, so we should get going now."

"Hope you all brought your paintball gear!" Ruby chirped.

"How could we forget?" Nora grumbled. "You mentioned it a bazillion times in the email."

Ren quietly scolded Nora for her behavior, which was quickly excused by Ruby since it was very early in the morning.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road! Ruby, help me and Sun load the bags on the rack." Yang was already making her way to the door with heaps of luggage in her arms, mainly to flex hard on Sun and impress Blake.

When all was packed, Sun drove the group to the airport within no time at all. Traffic was completely clear, which made for one smooth trip. The group sitting in the truck bed watched the sun come up as the warm summer breeze hit their skin. Ruby felt relaxed with Weiss cuddled up close to her. Just as Ruby and Weiss were together, the other three couples were as well. Blake was letting the breeze flow through her hair while Yang snoozed on her lap, Jaune and Pyrrha were watching something on the blonde's scroll, and Ren was ensuring Nora's safety as she stuck her head out in the wind like a dog.

"Hey, you guys brought stuff to keep warm, right?" Ruby suddenly asked, looking up from her scroll filled with schedules. "I don't remember if I mentioned it in the email."

Blake nodded and tittered. "Yang told me about Atlas long before you sent the emails."

Jaune and Pyrrha both nodded as well. "Sun told us to bring winter clothing."

"What about you, Ren?" Ruby turned towards the raven-haired chef.

Ren nodded in response just as the others had. "Yang told me as well."

"Damn her," the brunette hissed as she glared at her sleeping sister. "Always spoiling everything. I'll get her back with the next Spruce Willis movie."

As they neared the airport, Neptune opened the back window and announced it to the group of eight. They all shaped up and got ready, including Yang, who woke up with hair in her mouth.

Once inside the building, the group of paintballers checked their bags in, received their tickets, and went straight to security. The line was rather short, considering how early it was in the morning. After they passed security, they went to search for their gate.

"Does anyone see B6?" Ruby called out as she looked around frantically.

Pyrrha stopped and pointed in the direction of the gate. "Over there!"

With carry-on luggage in hand or slung across the back, the group made their way to gate and set their belongings down.

Ruby clapped her hands together with a plan formulated. "Alrighty, now then! Since I'm pretty sure we all need some coffee, Weiss and I will be in charge of that. Yang and Sun, could you two get us all some food?"

"Aye aye, Rubster," Sun saluted. He and Yang went off in search of nutrition while Ruby and Weiss went to find a coffee shop.

"Hmm, where can we find a...coffee..." Ruby's vowels were prolonged as she was deep in thought.

Beside her, Weiss tapped on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby, I found a Vale's Finest."

"Ooh, really? Problem solved!" The two proceeded towards the coffee shop with hand in hand. When they arrived, they were greeted with a long line of at least 12 people. Ruby sighed as she hung her head low. "This might take a while."

"We have over an hour before we start boarding, and because it's just the two of us, I don't mind waiting." Weiss looked up to meet silver eyes, smiling as she gently gave Ruby's hand a squeeze.

"Yeah, you're right." Ruby wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and ran her fingers through alabaster locks, breathing in her Weiss-y scent. "You're absolutely right, Weiss. I'm so glad I have you."

"As am I, Ruby."

By the time they were able to order, Ruby had nearly forgotten the reason they were there in the first place. Weiss jabbed her elbow - not too hard - and started with her own order. Ruby took the rest from there and ordered everybody else's usual desired orders. The amount of time it took for their orders to finish nearly equated the amount of time they spent waiting in line, which was nearly 20 minutes. Yang and Sun had probably brought back food by now. But all was said and done, and now, with three beverage trays in arms, Ruby and Weiss made their way back.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Weiss wasn't sure if Ruby could handle holding all ten drinks in the current way she was. If one of them fell, all of them would come down with it. "At least give me a few."

Ruby grunted before answering, trying to readjust her positioning. "No way, I totally got this. We're almost there!"

When they returned, the group cheered as Ruby handed warm and cold beverages out to each of them. All the beverages were handed out, and as soon as Ruby was given a sandwich from Yang, she plopped down in the seat next to Weiss.

Weiss couldn't help but smile at the happiness her partner was radiating. Despite how tired and exhausted she must be from saving and planning, Weiss could tell that she was truly happy and excited.

She suddenly felt a hand rest on top of hers, their fingers intertwining gently. She looked to Ruby, who had a big smile as always.

"Are you excited?"

The CEO tittered. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't."

"You said you grew up in Atlas, right?"

"That's correct, yes."

Ruby sat up in her seat to a more natural position. "Do you have any family you'd like to visit? I could totally make the time for it this week if you want."

"I..." There was her stepfather. He used to be such a good man. But Ruby would be better of not knowing him at all. It'd be far safer that way.

Her stepfather had become far too unstable. Weiss wouldn't be surprised if he drank himself half blind.

"I don't have any family in Atlas except for Winter, but her branch of the company is in the middle of their seasonal shift while our's had just ended."

"So she'll be super busy, huh?"

Weiss nodded and placed a kiss on Ruby's forehead. "Don't worry, you'll get to meet her soon enough."

Ruby smiled, leaning her head on Weiss's shoulder. "I sure hope so."

At long last, boarding finally began, and the paintballer group's boarding class was called up to enter the plane. Before they got in line, Ruby gathered them all together and got their attention with the clap of her hands.

"Ladies and gents, we have a whooping seven-hour flight ahead of us, so anything and everything you need should be taken out now before it goes in the overhead bins."

Just as she had spoken, many of them took out the necessities such as earbuds, chargers, neck pillows, and sleeping masks.

"Alright! Now let's get ourselves to Atlas!"

Ruby was truly one of a kind. Weiss couldn't believe her leadership skills. Not only was she a leader on the battlefield, but a leader in life. Ruby was a leader in every situation, whether it was big or small, significant or insignificant. She was a born leader, and Weiss couldn't be any more proud of her girlfriend.

They all took their seats, which was three per row. The seating arrangement went as follows: window seats were Neptune and Yang; middle seats were Sun, Blake, Pyrrha, and Weiss; aisle seats were Ren, Nora, Jaune, and Ruby. Two rows were filled while the other two had one open seat. Jaune, Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ruby were assigned the rows with a gamble for the third seat.

As luck would have it, Weiss and Ruby found out their window seat was not taken by anybody by the time they began to depart. For the duration of the flight, Ruby had remained awake while Weiss slept soundly on her shoulder. Ruby didn't understand how anyone could sleep on a plane. The seats were so uncomfortable, they barely reclined, and Ruby was on the taller side, which meant she had no way of fully extending her legs.

Passing the time was another thing. Ruby could only watch one movie before getting a headache and moving onto something else. She did have her computer and tablet with her, so she could draw and finish some commissions.

She tried but stopped as soon as turbulence hit.

Seven hours had gone by slowly and painfully before they landed in Atlas. From there, the group would have to take a train to Argus, which was another two hours before officially making it to their final destination.

And despite how exhausted and ravenous they all were, Argus had finally been reached. They all checked into the hotel, received their assigned keys, and stayed in their rooms until Ruby notified everyone the next event on their schedule - dinner.

But until then, Ruby spent her time watching the snow fall outside. Even if it was still summer, the snow truly never ceased in this continent.

"I can't believe it snows all year 'round here!" Ruby sighed as she flopped rather ungracefully onto the bed. "It's like it's Christmas already~"

Weiss smiled as she ran her fingers through her dolt's long, red-tipped onyx hair. "I'm glad I moved to Vale when I did. You get sick of the snow after living in it for the majority of your life. Christmas doesn't feel as special."

"Christmas is always special! Snow or not, there's always spirit!"

"You dolt," the silverette placed a kiss on Ruby's nose. "Always such an optimist."

"Of course! People nowadays always complain about being depressed or dead inside, so I try to be happy to help them be happy!" She giggled sheepishly, twiddling with a strand of her hair. "Not sure if it makes too much sense..."

"It makes perfect sense. Now then," Weiss stood and stretched, "I am quite famished and would enjoy to be nourished properly before running in the snow tomorrow."

"Good call. I'm so excited to play tomorrow!"

Weiss was appointed leader by Ruby. She knew she shouldn't be nervous, she knew everybody here and knew their strengths. She was CEO of Schnee Industries for crying out loud! She shouldn't have any reason to fear!

So why did she freeze up when Ruby appointed her as leader?

"Weiss, I know you can do this." Ruby placed a kiss on Weiss's cheek and smiled. "You know this place. This is your home turf. Show us how amazing you are."

Taking a deep breath, Weiss steadied herself. She could do this. Besides, elimination games were her forte.

"Paintball in Argus is a little different compared to Vale. The most obvious difference is the snow. So, to stay hidden and well-camouflaged, everyone here must make a sacrifice of warmth."

All of them exchanged confused glances. Sun scratched the back of his head. "Hey, you don't mean..."

Weiss got down on the snow-covered ground and started piling snow onto herself. She rolled around until her clothes were caked with snow.

Sun stared with wide eyes, as did the others. "Aw hell no, I ain't doing that! It's freaking cold already!"

Ruby followed Weiss's example and covered herself with enough snow to keep hidden. One by one, the others followed suit until only one remained.

"Sun, just do it. It's not that bad," Ruby coaxed. "We gotta do all we can if we want to win."

"Nuh-uh, I'm gonna freaking die of hypothermia if I do that!"

"You're layered enough as it is," Nora groaned.

"I ain't gonna-"

Face first, Sun was pushed down to the ground by Yang, who started rolling him around until he was covered like the rest of them. When he stood, his scowl was brought upon all of them. "I hate you all."

"Now then," Weiss clapped and gathered her team's attention. "This field is very hilly. There are a lot of places to hide, but also a lot of places to fall and potentially hurt yourselves. Always proceed to any bunker with caution. First shots will be very useful on this field, so I'll have Ruby and Blake come with me."

Weiss looked up and at the other team on the other side of the open field. "I've played against these people before. I don't know if they're any better or worse than what I remember, but from what I know, they're a scrappy team. Their defense is weak, their offense is nonstrategic, and they don't have the best shooters either. On my command, Yang and Nora will go in and plow them straight to hell."

Ruby smiled as she watched Weiss take charge. She had never seen Weiss's leadership in action, and to see her plot strategies and implement some of Ruby's previous ones - Ruby couldn't be any more proud and impressed.

When both teams were ready, the referees brought them out onto the battlefield. The trees were far taller than the ones in the Emerald Forest, and Weiss was certainly right about the field's hilliness. One step could send them into a pit, and if you stepped into one of these while running, the chances of spraining or breaking something were pretty high.

Ten seconds. One look at Ruby's face told her so.

The life that she had left behind was about to resume.

As soon as the horn blared, the team of ten went blazing down the field, spreading out to cover the field in its entirety. According to Weiss's plan, Ren and Pyrrha were to flank on the left while Neptune and Jaune flanked to the right. Sun was a support for Yang and Nora. Weiss, Ruby, and Blake were spread out in the central flank to break through the opposing team's defense.

"How are you two holding up?" Weiss called out, gaining the attentions of Ruby and Blake.

"Cold, but pretty good!" Ruby replied, chipper as always.

Blake fired a few shots before answering. "I'm doing quite well."

"Neptune! Jaune!" Weiss looked in the direction of the two young men and signaled them to advance. They had a clear lane, and Weiss needed them to take it. "Take it right now!"

On command, the two rushed down to the next barrier and held their ground, taking every chance at eliminating opposing players. Weiss watched as her fellow teammates followed her command, her strategies and plans falling into place. Ren and Pyrrha would soon be able to advance, and Weiss would make sure of it. She aimed towards the left side to support the red and green duo. From where she was positioned on the field, however, the trees made it nearly impossible to take a precise shot.

"Hey, Weiss? Nothing's really happening right now," Ruby pointed out, holding her fire to face Weiss. "Any plans to counter?"

Weiss let a breath out through her nose, quickly coming up with a plan to get Ren and Pyrrha further up on the field.

"Gotta think fast here, Weiss."

"We need to push deeper into their territory. We're not close enough to the border to get the best windows, and we really need Ren and Pyrrha to move up with Jaune and Neptune."

"Who are you sending in?"

She needed to think strategically, evaluating every possible consequence that can come from each teammate. Her only options were her two fellow first shot users and her three forwards. Blake was good at evading, but she might not be able to take out enough to help the team advance. Yang was skilled - she could take out many players in one run, but in their most recent games, those runs always resulted in her getting hit. Nora was the same. Sun could go in, but he was currently serving as their main support.

Ruby was her only main choice. She had the blood of a true marksman in her - she could hit every mark without a missed shot and evade bullets like in The Matrix. If Ruby were to get hit, there were no devastating consequences. Ruby was not the leader of the game today, and Weiss was just as proficient as Ruby was in using first shots.

"I'm sending you in, Ruby."

The brunette nodded. "When do you want me to go in?"

"Now. I need you to go now." Weiss wasn't telling her. She demanded it.

In an instant, Ruby sprung up and charged down the center, quickly evading bullets behind every tree and bunker she could hide behind. Soon enough, however, Ruby started getting shot at, ending up stuck at a bunker towards the very center of the field. Ruby looked back to Weiss, seeming to call for support. When she stood back up, Weiss realized she was going back into the sprint.

"Hey, she's getting shot at! Help her! Someone help her!" The CEO looked around frantically for Sun. "SUN! HELP HER, HELP HELP HELP HELP HER!"

After hearing her booming voice, Sun ran straight after Ruby to help her. None of them had ever heard the CEO voice become so commanding. If you didn't know Weiss, you'd most likely be afraid to even be near her. When Weiss took charge, she sure as hell took charge.

"Ruby, watch your left!" Sun shouted behind her. "I'm coming up behind you, don't stop!"

Ruby rushed in through the opponent's side of the territory and took every shot she could take. As she ran back to the center to take cover, hits from the other team were called out as they walked off the field in shame.

"Everyone push forward!" Weiss rose to her feet, Blake following suit.

The team all advanced to the next bunker or tree, all of them now lined up in the center of the field. Ruby noticed the enemy team start pulling back into their territory.

"Weiss, their starting to retreat!" Ruby called out.

"There's no point, this is elimination! They know damn well it is!" The captain looked to Yang and Nora. "Both of you head in there, we're finishing this!"

"Awe hell yeah! Some bitches 'bout to die today!" Yang charged in at full speed, wailing as she and Nora fired away.

As soon as they went in, hits were called faster and more frequently than before. The group steadily made their way into enemy territory until they had their opponents cornered. To Weiss's surprise, none of her teammates were hit as they took out the remainder of the enemy team. When the final hit was called, the horn blared, and the game was over.

Coming out of the forest felt rewarding to Weiss somehow. Not only because she led her team to victory, but because a wave of nostalgia came over her. The air felt the same, the cool wind bit her nose, and the snow clung onto her clothes as they always had.

Her moment of peace ended rather quickly when a certain brunette tackled her to the ground, showering her with kisses like a puppy.

"Weiss! You did it!" Ruby grinned as she planted numerous kisses all over Weiss's face.

Weiss smiled as she sat up, Ruby straddling her legs. "I did nothing, it was a team effort."

The artist shook her head and giggled. "But you brought us here! We won because of you! I'm so proud of you!"

Ruffling Ruby's hair, Weiss pecked her girlfriend's forehead gently. "Thank you, Ruby. It means a lot to me hearing that from you."

"Aw, of course! You're seriously so amazing, I've never seen you be so assertive like that! Well, that's not entirely true..." Ruby grinned as she pulled Weiss closer. "The bedroom's always a different atmosphere."

"You're unbelievable," Weiss murmured, pressing her lips into Ruby's in a rather steamy and passionate kiss.

"Jeez, you two, get a room!" Yang smacked the back of Ruby's head and snickered. Her laughing was quickly silenced when Blake scolded her for interrupting her sister in such a rude manner. "What? I was just teasing—ow ow ow, okay! Easy on the hair!"

"I guess we should get up now, it's actually starting to get cold. The adrenaline rush is wearing off." Ruby stood up and helped her partner to her feet, joining the group quickly afterwards.

Ruby gathered up the group to be courteous and praise the other team for their efforts. She never did it out of sympathy, but because it was a fun game and the other team fought well.

"Alright peeps, it's getting cold, and I demand satisfaction! We're going back to the city to get some coffee and then we'll be on our merry way to the convention!"

The group cheered as they followed Ruby back to the bus stop from which they arrived, and Weiss couldn't help but smile at the sight of her ecstatic partner.

"Hey Weiss, after the convention, do you mind showing me around Atlas at some point?"

"What for?"

The energetic paintballer rested her on Weiss's shoulder. "I wanna see the places you grew up in, all of your favorite shops or restaurants, all that jazz."

Weiss felt that this would be a good idea and a great experience for Ruby. A little trip down memory lane. And Ruby would enjoy the famous bakery without a doubt. "You really want to?"

With her famous puppy eyes, Ruby nodded and smiled. In response to that, Weiss nodded and giggled. "Alright then. We can go in the afternoon after the convention."

And with that, Ruby found she had so much to look forward to. And she would do it all with the one she loved.

But first thing's first: she had a convention to attend.

Howdy! Been a long while, huh? My free time has become scarce, which really stinks since I wanna work on this fanfic more. Also happy new year! I'm honestly still wondering when the heck 2017 passed. Seriously can't believe it's 2020. Kinda scary.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I promise I'll continue working on this whenever I can!

Reviews and thoughts are always appreciated, no matter how long or short!