Chapter 28: Scattered Dust
February 1, 2683; 1121 Hours
Remnant, Atlas (Schnee Estate, Ballroom)
Ivan stepped through the open door to the Schnee Estate's ballroom, seeing an ornately-decorated room painted in a bright, almost luminescent white. Paintings and statues dotted the room, with quite a hefty price tag attached to them. All of them were for sale, with all proceeds going to the ongoing reconstruction efforts in Vale. A few Atlesian Knights stood guard by the door, but they allowed him and the rest of his small group through with no issue. Winter walked alongside him while the rest of Team RBY followed closely behind the two. Admiral Bishop walked in front of them, as they were officially his guests.
Ivan and Winter were both clad in their gray and black Dress Blues, medals pinned to their chests and rank pinned to their shoulders and collars. Both were armed with an M6I2 Magnum, tucked securely into their retention holsters at their hips. The three Huntresses with them were all dressed formally, with Yang wearing the same white dress and pair of white heels she had worn to the dance over a year ago. Blake wore a simple black dress and heels, complimenting her bow quite nicely. Ruby wore a similarly simple red gown with a pair of black heels, doing rather well in the no-stumbling department.
"Her song was so beautiful!" Ruby gushed as she walked alongside Blake and Yang, who had their hands locked together.
"We know, Rubes." Yang smirked. "You've said that like, a hundred times now."
"That's because it's true!" Ruby retorted.
"What, did you expect anything less than perfect from my sister?" Winter craned her neck back to look to Ruby, a small smile on her face. She had certainly picked up on Ruby's… appreciation for Weiss' singing. She had even noted how quickly the young Huntress perked up at the mention of seeing Weiss. It could be nothing… but what happened today would either make or break what she thought might be going on.
"No!" Ruby immediately defended herself. "It's just… I've never heard her sing before, and it was so good!" Winter offered a hum, satisfied by that response.
Ivan allowed himself a chuckle at the conversation. He almost instantly spotted the woman of the hour. She was stood beside Jacques as he talked with a small group of presumably wealthy people from here in Atlas. She kept her gaze almost permanently fixated on the floor. Ivan could faintly hear the conversation over the dull hum of the others in the room. "That's precisely my point!" Jacques smirked beneath his mustache. "We offer Faunus the exact same wages as the rest of our mining staff. Their argument's completely invalid right out of the gate." He chanced a glance over his shoulder, and it seemed Blake had picked up on that, too. She was tense, her free hand clenching down in barely-contained anger.
Everyone around Jacques, with the express exception of Weiss, laughed at almost everything he said. In an instant, Jacques' hand shot out from behind his back and wrapped around Weiss' arm as she attempted to turn and walk towards another area of the room. He couldn't hear the whispered words between the two, but the way Weiss flinched when he did it made his blood boil. "Just makes you want to punch him…" Ivan muttered to himself.
"Get in line." Winter whispered in return.
"Careful, Lieutenant." Ivan grinned, lightly nudging he with his elbow. "We're not here for that… as cathartic as it might be."
It was only after they were a mere few seconds from being upon the small group that Weiss and her Father noted their approach. Bishop had gone off to converse with Ironwood, leaving the two SPARTANs and three Huntresses to tend to their own matters. Weiss' eyes immediately brightened as she saw the five familiar faces before her. Jacques looked… displeased, but hid it rather well.
"Ruby…" Weiss began, smiling. Before she could even finish her sentence, she found herself wrapped in a hug by her effervescent partner.
"Weiss!" Ruby declared, very nearly picking the Heiress up off the ground as she hugged her. Ruby now stood almost four inches taller than Weiss, even with her heels on. Weiss happily returned the hug.
"Ivan… Winter…" Jacques began, turning to the two SPARTANs. Winter had stood slightly taller than her father before, but now it was almost unfair. He had to crane his neck up slightly to look into her eyes, and she relished that feeling.
"Sorry about the rude entrance." Ivan apologized, putting on that façade that ONI's training had helped build up. "She's fast." He gestured over to Ruby with a free hand.
"Winter?" Weiss asked as Ruby finally released her grip on the Heiress., seeing her sister for the first time in almost eight months now. "You're… in a UNSC uniform? And you're taller?"
Winter gave her younger sister a warm smile. "SPARTAN Augmentations have the nasty habit of doing that." Weiss' eyes widened at that. "It's so good to see you again, Weiss."
"I… you're all here?" Weiss asked, looking to the rest of her old team. Blake and Yang both had smiles on their faces. One thing that stood out among everything else however, was Yang's arm. There were tiny little creases at the joints, showing the black material underneath. Scar tissue ran up from beneath a metal dock in her arm where the artificial limb was connected. "And you're all okay…"
"Not lookin' so bad yourself, Weiss." Yang smiled.
"It's good to see you again, Weiss." Blake gave a small smile. She seemed to have calmed down a bit, but Ivan could see it. The anger was still there.
"Mind if we pull you away for a minute, Weiss?" Ivan asked, looking to the Heiress. He hoped his eyes could convey the sense of urgency. Much to his dismay, she tentatively glanced up to her father, who seemed to relent with a slight nod.
"Of course." Weiss nodded.
Before Ivan could turn to walk towards another end of the large ballroom, Jacques' voice called out to him. "If I might speak with you for a moment, Ivan?" He asked, awfully diplomatic.
"No problem." Ivan nodded. He glanced back over to the others. "I'll catch up with you in a second." With happy nods from the four Huntresses and a knowing look from Winter, they all headed off towards the artwork in the other end of the room.
Ivan followed Jacques to a secluded corner of the ballroom, away from the other guests. As he arrived, Jacques wheeled around to face Ivan, irritation evident on his face. "Just what are you doing here?"
Ivan's face remained stoic as he responded. "Seeing a friend." He answered.
"I don't seem to recall inviting you or Winter here." Jacques glared at him, obviously annoyed by his answer.
"You didn't." Ivan shrugged. "Admiral Bishop did, however. We're here as his guests."
Jacques frowned, letting out a sigh. He huffed before speaking again. "Enjoy the party, then." As he turned to leave, Ivan allowed himself a small smirk.
As Ivan made his way over to join the others, he heard a soft voice crackle to life in his ear. "Colonel, Omega Team is ready to begin the operation. Awaiting your ready ping." Lauren's voice was hushed. Silently, he sent the proper ping from his neural implant. Her voice returned again. "Acknowledged, we're moving in. Has Soleia confirmed the presence of Forerunner systems in the area?"
"That is an affirmative, SPARTAN." Soleia responded from Ivan's implant. "Sending the relevant data to you now."
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February 1, 2683; 1137 Hours
Remnant, Atlas (Schnee Estate, Ballroom)
"This is a great thing you're doing, Weiss." Yang offered as she stood beside Blake and the Heiress, admiring a painting of Beacon's visage atop the plateau it resided on. "Even if the paintings are a bit pricey."
Weiss shrugged. "The people around here can afford it… even if not many of them are even bothering to look."
"This all just seems like a joke to them." Blake noted. "Most of them are just here to mingle. They couldn't care less about what happened to Vale if you paid them."
"I agree…" Winter nodded. "They won't part with their money unless it can make them more."
"Yeah…" Ivan agreed, walking over. "When you spend your entire life sitting above everyone else with your head crammed up your own ass, you forget who let you get there in the first place."
"Well said." Weiss nodded, smirking towards the SPARTAN. "If a bit blunt…"
"If there's one thing I'm not, it's subtle." Ivan chuckled. "Based on that song… it looks like you're the same way, Weiss."
Weiss gave a small smile in return. "It felt good… I've been on-edge for months. Seeing all of you again feels great! Even if it's only for today…"
"Things around us have a habit of changing, Weiss." Winter offered, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. "What you did on that stage was the strongest message you could have sent… I'm proud of you."
"Thank you…" Weiss smiled, all too happy to be pulled into a hug by her sister.
The entire group had fallen into a pleasant silence for a few moments. This silence was unfortunately broken by a very… verbose woman who had obviously had a bit too much to drink so far. Her words carried out over the dull hum of conversation in the ballroom. "Really, does it come as any surprise what happened to Vale?" She asked, looking to the small group that she was standing with. Everyone in Ivan's small group turned to look. "It was a long time coming if you ask me." Ivan could see Weiss tense up as the woman casually laughed off her husband's attempts to get her to quiet down a bit. He watched as Winter placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder to keep her grounded.
"What?" The woman continued. "You said it yourself last night! If they're so arrogant to think they can get by without proper defense, I say good riddance! Even those oh-so-powerful aliens couldn't stop what happened."
"It's not worth it, Weiss…" Winter offered,
XXXXX
February 1, 2683; 1741 Hours
Remnant, Atlas (ONI Regional Headquarters)
"Sir, you are not going to believe this…" Lauren declared as she walked through the door, her black MJOLNIR whirring softly as she walked. She produced a small chip from the back of her helmet, handing it over to Thorne.
Thorne glanced over to Ivan and Winter, who stood beside him. The two of them were left in Atlas as the three Huntresses had gone back to Mistral. All they knew was that Ivan and Winter were needed for a briefing in Atlas, and they'd be back soon. He gave them a knowing look as he took the chip and slotted it into the console before him. He was greeted by the video feed taken directly from the SPARTAN's helmet, depicting their entry to the Forerunner Ruins beneath Atlas' surface.
They entered through a small duct beneath the Schnee Estate's grounds, evading the patrolling Atlesian Knights with their active camouflage. After passing through a few hundred meters of tunnel lined with Forerunner Alloy, they came upon an open duct where a pylon would usually reside.
The feed shifted as Lauren produced the snake-like camera she had brought, feeding the micro-wire stem of the device through the duct and linking it with her HUD. As the camera scanned around, it showed at least three-dozen people milling about a large storage area containing the partially-assembled forms of Promethean Armigers. All of the people in the large room were wearing sterile white uniforms adorned with the SDC logo on the shoulders. Thorne had thought he had seen all of it… up until the Camera finished its rotation and focused in on what was quite possibly the most dangerous item in that facility.
"Is that a goddamn War Sphinx?!" Thorne asked, floored at the sight of a partially-operational Forerunner War Sphinx. Parts of its body were illuminated in the same manner as a Promethean, with thin lines of blue light emanating from beneath the armored carapace. Confirming his suspicions, the camera once again focused in on the "face" of the vehicle.
"Son of a bitch was trying to get the War Sphinx working?" Ivan asked, stunned. "Jesus Christ…"
"Colonel, I want you and Schnee in the armory ten minutes ago!" Thorne wheeled around to face him. "Full combat gear. You're with the recovery team. Meet me on the landing pad in five."
"Aye, sir!" Ivan saluted, turning with Winter and heading towards the facility's armory. He couldn't get his and Winter's MJOLNIR out here in time, so she'd have to make do with a more-traditional BDU for this. He always had a suit of armor at his beck and call, however. Even if it was draining on him to use it.
Rounding the corner, Ivan ran a hand across the biometric scanner and gained access to the extensive armory that the ONI Agents had at their disposal. Every weapon in the UNSC's ever-expanding arsenal was present in this room; from the small and powerful M6 Magnum to the hulking mass of green metal that was the M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle. He watched as Winter effortlessly removed her Dress Blues, revealing the MJOLNIR Tech Suit that lay beneath them. She let them fall where she stood as she made her way over to a collection of ODST BDUs, grabbed one that would fit her, and started laying the armor on over the Tech Suit.
Ivan removed his own Dress Blues, allowing his Semblance to call forth the Combat Skin. Each of the Forerunner Alloy plates assembled themselves over Ivan's body, encasing him fully. A Light Rifle fell into his hands, power cell already slotted into the proper place. "Show-off…" Winter called out, grabbing an MA5 and an M6 SOCOM from the rack on the wall, pulling the ODST helmet on over her head
XXXXX
February 1, 2683; 1821 Hours
Remnant, Atlas (Schnee Estate)
Weiss sat on the edge of her bed as her father paced in front of her. Her eyes remained glued to the backs of her hands as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. "Unbelievable…" Jacques muttered. "Absolutely unbelievable…" Weiss looked up as she heard her father stop, and saw him to be bearing down on her, finger jabbed in her direction. "Do you have any idea what your little stunt could cost us?"
"I-" Weiss tried to defend herself, but she was quickly cut off by her father.
"And don't think I'm just talking about Lien or Credits here!" He shouted. "Our reputation! Our… our…" He growled, running a hand through his white hair. Right now, he couldn't even bear to look at Weiss.
Weiss looked back down to her hands, steeling herself as she started speaking. "I want to leave." She deadpanned.
"I beg your pardon?" Jacques asked, incredulously.
"I said: 'I want to leave!'" Weiss answered, much more sure of herself now. "I don't want to stay here anymore! I don't want to stay in Atlas anymore!"
"Young lady, I don't give a damn about what you want!" Jacques jabbed his finger outwards again, his tone punctuated by a low growl. "This isn't about you, this is about the Schnee family name and your apparent insistence on dragging it through the mud!"
That really pissed Weiss off. She stood up, only standing up to her father's shoulders, but she spoke with authority that made her seem to tower over him. "I have done nothing but uphold the honor of my family name!" Weiss shouted in response. "A name that you married into!"
Weiss gasped as she felt her father's open palm strike her across the face, causing her to stumble back and fall onto her bed. She looked up to him in shock, a trembling hand coming up to hold the point he had struck. She had a sinking feeling that the unpleasant silence punctuated by her father's glare would have gone on even longer had it not been for her door flying open with a heavy crack, sending it off its hinges.
XXXXX
February 1, 2683; 1815 Hours
Remnant, Atlas (Schnee Estate)
Ivan disembarked the Pelican along with Winter, Thorne, Fireteam Omega, and eight ONISEC Marines clad in black armor. All of them wielded suppressed SMGs and Magnums with the exception of Ivan, who carried a Boltshot at his hip along with a Light Rifle in his hands. Their Pelican had set down in the manor's courtyard, much to the dismay of the few guards that stood in front of the door. They held out their hands as Thorne approached, free hands hovering over the grips of their weapons, but to no avail. "Stand down." Thorne ordered, tensing his grip on the M7 in his hands. "Under the authority of the UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence, all three of you are to stand aside or face charges of impeding an ongoing investigation."
"Where's your warrant?" The lead guard asked, hand now wrapped around the grip of his sidearm.
"Right here." Thorne signaled to Winter and an ONISEC Marine with his implant as he brought his SMG up, putting a trio of rounds in the guard's forehead. The other two fell to the ground, three neat holes punched into their skulls. Thorne motioned to the three SPARTANs of Omega Team and four ONISEC Marines to break off and secure the Forerunner installation. He walked through the front door with Ivan, Winter, and two Marines in tow. The other two Marines remained behind to secure the entrance and move the bodies out of sight.
Outside the walls of the estate, sixteen Pelican dropships set down. Each of them offloaded twenty four ONISEC Marines. The Marines quickly moved to secure the perimeter of the Schnee estate, putting down the light guard force that patrolled the perimeter of the estate. A few platoons of Marines funneled in through the front gate as they secured the walls, moving to surround the estate itself.
As he made his way into the foyer of the massive estate, he was unsurprised to see the Schnee family butler walking through the room, a platter in his hands. Klein turned to the seven UNSC operatives in surprise. "Mister Thorne… is there anything I can help you with?" If he was at all surprised by the hulking mass of Forerunner Alloy before him, he didn't show it.
"Where is Jacques?" Thorne asked, keeping a firm grip on his SMG. "It's an urgent matter."
Seeming to sense the thinly-veiled threat that Thorne had just posed, Klein knew better than to argue with a man who would kill him with absolutely no remorse. "Ah, yes, of course." He nodded, keeping his composure. "I do believe he's in young Weiss' room."
"Thank you." Thorne nodded. He motioned for one of the Marines to restrain Klein. "A precautionary measure. I'm sure you understand."
"Of course, sir…" Klein nodded, taking the whole thing in relative stride. He put up no resistance against the Marine, allowing his hands to be secured behind his back. "Dreadfully sorry about whatever made you come here."
Thorne ignored the words as he led the group up the stairs and through the halls of the estate. Thankfully, this late at night, nobody else seemed to be around. They covered the distance to Weiss' room quickly and quietly with the three Marines guarding their rear.
As they rounded a corner, they were all happy to find the hallway completely empty. The only sound in the area was the quiet footfalls of the Marines, SPARTANs, and ONI Agent as they approached. Thorne quietly waved Ivan and Winter to the left of the door, while he and the three Marines took up positions on the right. Hearing a rather… heated discussion from the other side, Thorne held up a hand, signaling everyone to wait. Ivan, Winter, and Thorne listened intently as Jacques' voice boomed from the other side.
"-and your apparent insistence on dragging it through the mud!" He declared.
Weiss' voice answered in kind, equally loud and very irritated at her father's words. "I have done nothing but uphold my family name… a name that you married into!"
Only the hearing of the three SPARTANs was acute enough to pick up on the noise that followed. It was the distinct sound of someone striking another; and it was Weiss who gasped in response. Ivan couldn't see Winter from where he stood, but he could tell that she was absolutely and completely enraged by what she heard. Thorne's face hardened as he heard it, and Ivan's mind immediately flipped a switch.
Thorne motioned to the door, and Winter stepped forward. She brought her armored boot into its surface with enough force to send it flying inwards, breaking the bottom hinge completely as it swung open. She was the first in, and the rest of the strike team followed in behind her. "On your knees, hands behind your head!" Winter shouted, keeping her SMG trained firmly on her father's torso. It was taking every ounce of her willpower to keep from hammering down on that trigger and not letting up until her magazine ran dry.
Both Jacques and Weiss stood stunned as the familiar voice shouted out. Both immediately recognized it as belonging to Winter. They didn't have much time to consider that before seven more figures filed into the room behind her. Jacques immediately recognized Thorne, wearing a suit of HELLCAT-pattern MJOLNIR from the neck-down. His head was encased in the slight shimmering of an energy shield. He was absolutely stunned at the sight of a suit of Forerunner Armor storming into the room, training a Light Rifle on his head. Weiss recognized that armor in an instant… it was Ivan.
"On the ground!" Thorne ordered, training his own SMG on Jacques' chest. He was simply too stunned to even register the command. Weiss simply watched as it all unfolded before her. ONI was currently raiding her home, and was arresting her father. She couldn't quite believe it.
Quite finished with the lull in action, Winter stepped forward and brought the butt of her weapon into her father's stomach, sending him doubling over in pain. She pressed her armored foot into his back, now pointing her weapon into the back of his head. "Jacques Schnee, under the authority of the UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence, you are under arrest as per Naval Code 93661-1 for a confirmed breach of UEG law regarding the unregistered gathering and study of Forerunner Artifacts."
"And while in ONI custody, you have no rights." Thorne deadpanned, motioning for one of the Marines to restrain him. "That will change once you're handed over to the civilian authorities, but while you're in my care, you play by my rules." Thorne had been given the run-around by Jacques for the better part of eight months now. This was cathartic for him.
Ivan allowed his grip on the Light Rifle to slack as Schnee's arms were restrained behind his back. He glanced over to Weiss, who was still shocked to see seven armored figures in her room arresting her father.
"Father!" Another voice called out. Two of the Marines wheeled around to the door, surprised to see that they were leveling their weapons on a teenage boy. He stood there, shocked as two SMGs were pointed in his direction. "What are you doing in here?!"
"Stay back!" One of the Marines shouted. "Do not move!"
"Listen to them, Whitley!" Weiss called out.
"Ivan, Winter, get the civvies out of here and into the courtyard." Thorne ordered. "I'll wrap up here."
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February 1, 2683; 1848 Hours
Remnant, Atlas (Schnee Estate)
"He did what?!" Weiss asked, stunned.
"Father's knowingly broken one of the highest laws in the UEG." Winter answered for a second time. "We can tell you more once we're alone."
"All that we can share with the both of you…" Ivan began, looking to Weiss and Whitley in turn. "is that your father will be facing a minimum sentence of one hundred and sixty years, with the very real possibility of spending the rest of his days in a UEG prison."
"You're just allowed to do this?" Whitley asked, gesturing around to the Marines that were holding their ground around the estate. "What law is so important that you kick down our door and assault our father in the dead of night over it being broken?"
"A law that went into place after we faced one of the greatest threats to mankind's existence." Ivan answered, simply. "Your father unknowingly put the entire population of this planet at risk, and came dangerously close to causing Vale-levels of destruction here in Atlas."
"That's just it!" Whitley declared. "Unknowingly!"
"Ignorance of the law doesn't make you immune to it, Whitley." Winter responded, a bit of bite behind her words. "Despite everything Father's taught you."
"Colonel!" Thorne called out to the SPARTAN, who had since shed his combat skin and was standing in his Tech Suit now that the estate was under firm ONI control. The ONI Agent had eight SDC researchers in tow, all of them escorted by the three SPARTANs of Omega Team. "Underground complex has been secured, the Marines can handle it from here."
"Copy that, Thorne." Ivan nodded. "And the civvies?"
"They'll be relocated for the duration of the investigation." Thorne answered, breaking off from the escort of the SDC personnel. "And the man of the hour will be transported to the ONI HQ shortly."
"What's going to happen to the company?" Weiss looked to Thorne.
"The SDC and its assets will be transferred to temporary state control until the verdict is passed on your father." Thorne answered, drawing a look of concern from the Heiress and Whitley. "We'll decide whether or not to implicate the Board in the trial in a few days. I'll keep you posted as best I can."
"And our home?" Whitley asked, glaring at Thorne.
"Has been declared as 'condemned' by the Office." Thorne answered. "Hence why you're being relocated. Your father has estates all over the planet. Your mother will decide where you will be living after we question her." He glanced over to Weiss. "As for you, Miss Schnee… I believe your friends will be very happy to have you back."
Weiss allowed herself a smile. "It'll be good to be back."
XXXXX
February 2, 2683; 2307 Hours
Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)
After the painstaking six hour flight from Atlas to Mistral, the Pelican dropship carrying Fireteam Omega, Weiss, and a few of Weiss's personal belongings that she grabbed set down at the UNSC's airbase in Mistral. It was around eleven at night, and the base's patrol consisted of ODSTs with their VISRs activated as they walked the perimeter. Pelicans were constantly coming and going, and on-base life simply carried on.
Ivan sighed as he stood up, his back cracking in protest. During the flight, he had his biometrics checked by Winter, who had informed him that the adrenal boosters the Combat Skin had dumped into his body were now clearing out, and he'd very likely crash in the coming hours. He spent the rest of the flight bringing Weiss up to speed on the situation. Ivan notified her when Jacques was brought to the ONI HQ in Atlas as well. She didn't seem to care in the slightest when she learned that he would be tried in a UEG court. If anything, she seemed relieved. One thing Ivan certainly noticed was, after she returned from grabbing Myrtenaster from her room, she had a small smile on her face.
Ivan and Winter helped Weiss carry her four bags out of the Pelican. The remainder of Omega followed behind, and Ivan quickly relieved them of duty and ordered them to rest. "Gah… why is it so humid here?" Weiss asked, irritated.
Ivan smiled. It seemed that Weiss was returning to her normal self rather quickly after having a veritable mountain of information dropped on her over the past five hours. As strange as it might have been, Team RWBY was just not complete without its heiress, and it was good for her to be back. A few of the ODSTs on patrol around the airfield send a quick one-movement wave towards Ivan, which he returned with a nod.
After a short trek across the airbase, they arrived in the on-base housing sector, which was absolutely dead at this hour. There were a few lights visible through windows, and the house he had taken up residence in had the living room lights on, but he just assumed that Yang and Nora were up to something, since neither of them could apparently fall asleep before midnight. "Wait… this is what your on-base houses look like?" Weiss asked, impressed by the two-story home, complete with an actual front and backyard.
"Yep, and we've got an Officer's Housing unit, so it's bigger than most." Ivan said, fumbling around in his pocket for his keycard. After searching around, he fished it from his pocket, placed it against the holographic interface off to the side of the doorframe, and was rewarded with a soft click. He nudged the door open, peering inside.
He saw, as he expected, Yang sitting on the couch, playing a game with Jaune, Coco, Pyrrha, Blake, and Nora on the couch. All of them had controllers in their hand, and were almost too distracted by the screen to notice Ivan step inside, carrying bags. "Well, look who's back after their 'briefing' in Atlas." Yang said, glancing over.
"Bit more than a briefing." Ivan commented, placing the white bags down by the door. "We found someone, too." Just then, Weiss walked in, hiding the smile that threatened to break through.
"Holy shit!" Yang said, stunned. She bolted to her feet, along with everyone else, and ran over to Weiss. "You're back!" She said, smiling.
"Indeed, I am." Weiss said, the smile having broken free. "Glad to see everyone's still together."
"Oh yeah…" Yang said, smirking. "Thorne pulled some major strings to get all of us together for this. I just can't believe he got you, too!"
"It's great to have you back, Weiss." Blake said, offering a small smile.
Weiss immediately noticed that Blake was lacking her bow, and hummed. "Blake… your bow?"
She shrugged. "Everyone here knows… there's no point wearing it at home. I'm still not quite ready to completely forget about it, but maybe soon."
"Well, I think this look suits you, Blakey." Yang said, giving her girlfriend a peck on the cheek.
"Surprisingly, I agree with the brute." Weiss joked.
After Weiss went through the introductions, it fell into an amicable quiet that usually came after that long-time reunion. After a few moments, Weiss spoke up. "Where's Ruby?" She asked, looking around.
"She's upstairs, asleep." Yang answered. "Still can't stay up past ten, apparently."
Weiss nodded in understanding. She turned to Ivan and Winter. "Where should I put my things?"
"We divided it up by partners, so Ruby's had a room all to herself for the past few weeks. You can stay with her."
Ivan noticed the slight twinge of redness spreading across Weiss's cheeks. "Okay… where is she?"
"Upstairs, first door on the right." Ivan answered.
Weiss nodded. "I'll go put my things away, and then I'll be right back down, we still have some catching up to do."
"Damn straight we do, Weissy." Yang said, smirking as she flopped back onto the couch.
Weiss smiled, grabbing a pair of her suitcases, electing to come back down for the last two in another trip. Despite Ivan and Winter's insistence that they can help, she remained steadfast and would carry them in separate trips.
After climbing the stairs, she quickly turned right and found the door she was looking for. It was slightly ajar, making the whole 'opening' part much easier on her. As she quietly nudged the door open, she saw the familiar form of her spontaneous brunette team leader sprawled out under the sheets, the back of her head visible above the comforter.
Weiss realized a few moments later that she had been staring. She shook her head, carefully placing her belongings down by the door. After a moment of consideration, she took a deep breath, and made her way over to Ruby. She smiled as she heard the girl lightly snoring, the familiar noise bringing back memories of their dorm at Beacon. Her mood soured slightly when she remembered that Beacon was now Grimm-infested rubble, but she pushed those thoughts aside.
She reached over, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder and shaking her lightly. "Ruby… hey, Ruby?" She started, causing the sleeping brunette to stir slightly, rolling over.
Weiss noticed that her hair was much longer than she remembered, as it now ran past her shoulders. Ruby's face also looked softer, and slightly older. She had almost forgotten that Ruby was seventeen now. One silver eye cracked open, and she groggily spoke up. "H-hey Weiss…" Weiss cocked an eyebrow as her eye closed again, only to have both shoot open an instant later. In a flurry of rose petals, Weiss found herself pulled into Ruby's embrace. "Weiss!" She practically shouted. Weiss immediately returned the hug, having missed her team leader's endless energy. "I missed you so much!"
"It's been a day Ruby." Weiss grinned, finally being let free from the younger girl's hug. Now that Ruby was above the covers somewhat, Weiss finally realized just how different she looked. It was quite clear that puberty hit the Xiao Long genes like a truck, and Ruby was no different. She was much more womanly than Weiss remembered. She was still paled by Yang in comparison, but Ruby was nothing to scoff at. It was clear that Ruby had grown into a veritable young woman while Weiss was gone. She was amazed that she didn't notice it in Atlas. "How've you been?" Weiss asked, realizing that the silence was slowly become rather awkward.
"Okay, but way better now that you're back!" Weiss blushed a bit, and silently thanked the fact that it was dark in this room. "You are back, right?" Ruby asked.
"Yes, I'm back." Weiss answered, finding herself locked in another Ruby hug.
"Yay!" Ruby cheered, earning a smile from the heiress. "Well, there's no way I can sleep now… wanna go hang out with everyone else downstairs?"
"There's nothing I'd enjoy more… we've got quite a bit to catch up on." Weiss said, smiling.
"No kidding!" Ruby said, practically bouncing out of her bed. She grabbed Weiss by the wrist, and pulled her out of the room. "C'mon!" She said.
A broad smile crossed Weiss's face. After spending the past nine months in near-perpetual stress and frustration, having her carefree Ruby back was such a refreshing feeling that she doubted if anything could ruin her night now. Now that Ruby was on her feet, her happy mood had become infectious, Weiss quickly finding herself happy just from being around Ruby again. She felt a slight pang of sadness that she had missed out on all of this, but she hoped to make up for it soon. No, she knew that she'd make up for lost time.
