Blake had gotten better at managing to resist stealing glances towards Weiss over the past few weeks. However, she found herself slipping back into the habit thanks to the subject of Doctor Oobleck's lecture. "Prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, better known today as simply the 'Faunus War', the human kingdoms were quite adamant about the idea of centralising the faunus population in Menagerie." The students were forced to follow Oobleck with their eyes as he flitted around the room.
"Many were transparent about their motivations, wanting to be rid of what they perceived as 'undesirables', but a significant number tried to disguise flagrant racism behind the guise of 'preserving distinct cultural identities' and claiming that racially-motivated violence would cease if humans and faunus simply did not live together." Oobleck paused to take a deep sip of his apparently-bottomless thermos flask.
"Regardless of their excuses, it rapidly became apparent that the human kingdoms would resort to violence to achieve their goal. And so, fearing reprisal, the faunus began to organise, a number of organisations and groups emerging just prior to the start of the revolution." He paused in his lecture to turn back to the class, adjusting his glasses.
"To many of you, this may seem like ancient history, despite them being relatively recent events. However! I cannot stress enough just how significant the Faunus Rights Revolution remains today. How many of you here have faced discrimination for your faunus heritage?" Oobleck's mouth formed into a small scowl as a few students raised their hands.
"Dreadful, simply dreadful. Even after the revolution faunus are still beset by discriminatory hiring practices, widespread disenfranchisement, and general ignorance, and very few of the powers-that-be seem particularly interested in changing that for the better. Is it really any wonder that the White Fang turned to violence?"
Blake's attention was jerked back to Weiss as the heiress' pen quietly snapped between her fingers. Even Weiss seemed surprised, scowling to herself and replacing the broken pen with a new one.
"Now then, it is generally agreed that the revolution's turning point took place during the third year of the war. Who can tell me what most experts believe to be that turning point?" Oobleck asked, standing in one place for a merciful few moments.
"Fort Castle," Weiss said loudly.
"Precisely, excellent!" Oobleck said, confirming Weiss' answer. "And who can tell me the advantage the faunus army had over General Lagune's forces?" He cast his gaze over the rows of students, eyes settling on a disinterested Cardin in the back. "Mr. Winchester! You've yet to contribute to the class. Do you have the answer?" Cardin gave a contemptuous bark of laughter.
"Sure I do. Easier to train animals than soldiers," he said with a self-satisfied grin. Oobleck's scowl quickly returned.
"Lunchtime detention tomorrow, Mr. Winchester. And before you think to protest," Oobleck continued, barrelling through Cardin's half-formed, incensed reply, "I can very easily make it a full saturday detention instead. I have a lot of grading to do so it won't be any burden on my time," he said sternly.
Cardin, the career bully that he was, had long learnt not to push one of the nicer teachers on staff, and relented, scowling and folding his arms. "Would anyone else like to try?" Oobleck asked. His eyes locked onto a raised hand. "Ah, Miss Nikos! Yes, please, go ahead!"
"Night vision! Many faunus have near-perfect vision in the dark. Something I'm sure Cardin would know if he spent less time picking on them," she said, turning to shoot a look back at the named student.
"General Legune was inexperienced and failed to learn important information about his enemy, leading to his mistaken attempt to attack the faunus forces in the night," Blake added. "His entire force was defeated, and he was captured." She then turned to look at Cardin directly.
"If General Legune had paid attention in his classes, perhaps he wouldn't be remembered for one of the greatest military failures in history." Cardin growled, standing up and clenching a fist.
"Mr. Winchester," Oobleck said sharply. "Sit. Down. And Miss Nikos and Miss Belladonna are both correct. Now, in the aftermath of the Battle at Fort Castle…"
"Excuse me, Weiss?" Weiss blinked, having lost herself in thought over breakfast the next day, and turned her head to look at the voice that had addressed her. Pyrrha gave her a smile, which certainly didn't give Weiss a little flutter. "I was wondering, are you busy after classes tonight?"
The gears in Weiss' head, still half-seized from her sleep, briefly ground to a halt again before she composed herself enough to deliver a calm, composed response.
"U-um, no, no, I don't think so?" Weiss winced internally at the tumble of words and sounds that came out of her mouth. "Ahem, sorry, lost in thought. No, my schedule is clear. Why do you ask?" Smooth, Weiss, she thought.
"I was wondering if we could have another study session? I'm having difficulty getting my head around some of the work Doctor Oobleck set for us."
"Oh, of course!" Weiss said, nodding and smiling.
"Excellent!" Pyrrha said with another bright smile, ignorant to the effect it had on Weiss. "How does eight in the library sound?" she asked.
"That works perfectly," Weiss replied with another nod.
"Umm, do you mind if I join you?" Ruby asked, prompting Weiss to look to her right at her teammate. "I'm having a hard time with that as well…" she said nervously, looking between Weiss and Pyrrha. Weiss thought for a moment, not eager to lose out on time with Pyrrha whilst also unwilling to dismiss Ruby.
"Well, if Pyrrha is alright with it?" Weiss asked, trying to gauge Pyrrha's intentions.
"Of course!" Pyrrha said, as enthusiastic as she had been when Weiss accepted her request. Weiss couldn't help but feel a little upset at that, quickly stomping out the feeling before it could take root.
Grow up, Weiss, it's just a crush. She just asked you for a study session. Of course it wasn't going to be a date, she chided herself. "Good, can't have you bringing the team's average down," she said in a scathing tone her friends had already learnt meant she was joking. Ruby brightened up and resumed digging into her breakfast. Weiss frowned as she looked between the two teams, realising someone was absent.
"As much as I hate to imply I mind his absence, but where's Jaune?" she asked.
"Over there," Pyrrha said, an unusually bitter tone entering her voice. Weiss followed Pyrrha's gaze, spotting a hunched-over Jaune sitting between Cardin and Russel, team CRDL laughing about something. Weiss let out a disgusted scoff, wrinkling her nose as if smelling something foul.
"He's friends with CRDL?" she asked in disbelief. "I know I hardly had the highest opinion of him before, but seriously?"
"I don't understand it either," Pyrrha muttered, averting her eyes again and returning her attention to her breakfast.
Weiss watched her for a moment, trying to remember if she'd ever seen Pyrrha upset before. Disapproving? Weiss had been on the receiving end of that once before. Embarrassed by over-eager fans? Certainly. But never upset. Ruby had apparently picked up on it as well, as she leant across the table to speak quietly to Pyrrha.
"Did you and Jaune have an argument or something?" she asked. Pyrrha met Ruby's eyes with a bit of surprise, startled by the younger girl's perceptiveness. Weiss had to admit she was impressed as well.
"Well… Sort of. I tried offering him some help the other night, the day of his fight against Cardin?" Weiss and Ruby nodded, remembering Jaune's loss. "He turned down the offer, and I… May have been a bit too insistent." Pyrrha winced at the lie, but between omitting information and betraying Jaune's trust, there wasn't much choice. "Since then, he's been spending more time with Cardin and his team." Weiss scoffed quietly, rolling her eyes.
"So you offered him help, help anyone can see he desperately needs, he got angry, and is now friends with the biggest bully in our year? Typical macho male behaviour," she said. Yang and Blake shared a look at that, both with slightly-widened eyes.
"Hey!" Nora protested, levelling her fork at Weiss, pancakes momentarily forgotten. "What about Ren?!" she challenged Weiss. Ren lifted his head at the mention of his name, expression somewhere between tired and confused. Weiss blinked, distracted by the syrup dripping onto the table from the fork before answering.
"Oh Ren is an absolute delight," she replied. "Genuinely. We'd all be better off if more men were like you," she continued, addressing Ren directly this time. He blinked twice, before nodding his head thankfully, unable to think of how to even begin responding to that. Nora appeared placated by Weiss' words, returning happily to her pancakes.
"I really don't think it's like that with Jaune," Pyrrha tried to defend her teammate.
"Pyrrha, your loyalty and commitment to defending your teammate is admirable," Weiss replied, "but so far Jaune has been a lack-lustre student and fighter, has flirted relentlessly with me despite my clear dislike, has refused the offer of help from one of the best students and fighters in our year, and, apparently in response to said offer, is now fraternising with the most deplorable students in our year. Forgive me if I'm misinterpreting the situation, but am I wrong?"
"Did you really just manage to compliment Pyrrha twice whilst insulting Jaune in the same sentence? That's impressive efficiency, even for you," Yang joked. Weiss flushed a little at her comment.
"Again, am I wrong?" she repeated.
"No, you're not," Pyrrha admitted sadly. "It's just… It's complicated," she said lamely.
"If Jaune's involved, I somewhat doubt it," Weiss said. At a sharp nudge to her side, she looked down at a scowling Ruby. "Yes Ruby, how can I help?"
"That was rude and mean," she said.
"I'm a reasonable woman. If Jaune stops flirting with me, I'll stop insulting him," Weiss said. "I think I've made my stance on his overtures quite apparent at this point."
"Ok, I get that it pisses you off," Yang said, holding her hands up to forestall a retort by Weiss. "And yeah, the guy is way too forward and can't seem to take a hint. I don't think I ever got why you hated it to start, though?" she asked. Weiss rolled her eyes.
"I'm not required to respond positively to every flirtatious remark I get, Xiao Long," Weiss replied sharply. Yang winced a little as Weiss addressed her by her surname, a sure sign she'd pissed her off. "But since you asked. For as long as I've had a concept for what boys are, every single one who has tried flirting or asking me on a date has been after the perks of my last name or the social credit of 'dating a Schnee'. Most of them were put up to it by their parents, especially when I was younger, but none of them were actually interested in me."
Pyrrha listened sadly as Weiss spoke, already familiar with this rant. "Especially not since the attack on the manor. The only thing Jaune has going for him is that he's actually in my age group, unlike some would-be suitors," Weiss said, making a face. "Forty-plus year old creeps," she muttered, prompting the rest of the table to grimace in sympathy.
"Is that even legal?" Ruby asked quietly.
"Unfortunately, yes," Blake replied unhappily. "Age of consent laws in Atlas are… Dated, to put it lightly."
"Blake is correct," Weiss said with a nod. "And spare me the 'maybe Jaune's not like those other boys' argument," she continued. "I don't particularly see things changing for me on that front. I'll see you all at class," she said with finality, taking her tray and walking away from the table. The remaining six watched her leave with varying levels of concern.
"I feel like every day Weiss says something that makes me more worried about her," Yang eventually commented. "Anyone else get that?"
After disposing of the remains of her breakfast, Weiss had retreated to a lesser-used bathroom in one of the further-flung corners of Beacon's campus, leaning over a sink and staring into the mirror. "Come on, get a hold of yourself," she muttered. "Why are you reacting this badly? She just asked you for a study session." She ground the heels of her palms into her temples, screwing her eyes closed and letting out a frustrated huff.
"Stop pretending that she's going to ask you out. You're not owed that, so stop being a child about it," she scolded herself, taking a deep breath that shook far more than she'd have liked. Is it too much to ask for someone to just want me, though? a small voice asked in the back of her head. She opened her eyes again, eyes dropping to the small scarf around her neck, something she wore even in uniform, thinking of what that tiny bit of fabric concealed.
"Yes, it is…" she muttered bitterly, splashing some water on her face and taking slow, deliberate breaths. She closed her eyes again, clenching her fists and setting her jaw, refusing to let so much as a single tear escape.
She remained that way until she felt she had her emotions under control again, safely locked away. She cleared her throat, dried off her face with some paper towels, and relaxed her jaw, letting out a breath. Her eyes opened, and she nodded as she came face to face with a mask. "Better."
That evening after dinner, Weiss and Ruby were making their way towards the library for the evening's study session with Pyrrha. Despite having asked to attend, Ruby looked anything but enthusiastic about it, walking with a dramatic forward slouch and dangling her arms straight down. "Uuuuugh, why is history so boooooring," she whined, dragging her hands down her face dramatically. Weiss rolled her eyes.
"Oh hush, it's not that bad," she said. "You're the one who asked to join the study session, remember?" she asked.
"Hey, just because I know I need it doesn't mean I have to like it," Ruby said petulantly, sulking a little. Weiss sighed, unable to muster a response to Ruby's combination of good sense and childishness.
"Just… Try and focus when we start, okay? You'll have a worse time if you focus on how much you don't like it," Weiss advised, bringing to mind some advice she got about her physical therapy.
"I guess," Ruby groaned as the pair entered the library. Weiss glanced around the room, quickly spotting Pyrrha sat at one of the tables towards the back.
"Ah, she's already here," Weiss said happily, leading the way over to Pyrrha. "Good evening!" she said as the pair approached the table.
"Oh, hello Weiss, Ruby!" Pyrrha greeted, looking up from her textbooks with a brilliant smile. "Sorry, I got here a little early," she admitted. Weiss, ever-punctual, had arrived exactly ten minutes before the agreed upon time.
"You should have texted me, how long have you been here?" Weiss asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
"Oh only a couple of minutes, don't worry," Pyrrha said, waving off her concerns.
"Ah, alright then," Weiss said, nodding as Ruby dropped heavily into the chair next to her. "So, what did the two of you need help with?" she asked, looking between the two of them. As they both explained the various parts they were struggling with, Weiss scribbled down those parts so she had a list to work from. A stab of pain in her hand made her pause writing for a second, adjusting her grip before resuming.
Gods, do not start now, she thought, hoping it was a one-off sensation. As the pain subsided into a dull sensation, that hope was dashed. Now all she could do was pray it would only be a mild episode. "Alright, so it looks like it might be best to start with the second year of the Faunus War?" she asked them both, looking between the pair, hiding her innate discomfort with discussing the topic. "It's the part you both have the most issues with."
"Sounds good to me," Pyrrha said, looking at Ruby expectantly.
"Huh? Oh, sure!" Ruby said, proving she'd half-listened as Pyrrha listed the areas she was struggling in.
"Alright then. So, by the end of the first year of the war, both sides had stabilised, moving from isolated but fierce bursts of violence. This brought proper organisation to both sides, both humans and faunus formalising command structures and military units…" Weiss continued to run through the broad strokes of the second year of the Faunus Rights Revolution, narrowing her focus when they got to particular parts Ruby or Pyrrha struggled with.
As she did so, the dull sensation had spread to all four limbs. Or rather, Weiss reflected bitterly, to the space that her former limbs once occupied. She nodded along as Ruby spoke, making sure her teammate was getting her facts right. As she did so, she set her pen down and started gently curling and uncurling her fingers in an effort to ward off the building pain.
"Weiss, are your hands alright?" Weiss looked over at Pyrrha's question, the woman giving her a concerned look.
"I'm fine, just a little pain. It happens sometimes," she said, brushing off the concern with a smile. That smile turned slightly strained as the pain hit a level that could be described as 'burning'.
"Oh. I'm sorry," Pyrrha said, looking sympathetic, an expression shared by Ruby. Weiss instinctively bristled a little at that.
"Don't be, it's hardly your fault, either of you," she said, picking up her pen again and starting to scribble notes down again. "So, Ruby, your explanation was mostly correct, but you missed this battle here…" Weiss resumed her lesson, correcting Ruby's mistakes and filling in a few gaps she'd left.
"Ohhhh, I get it now!" Ruby cheered quietly, triumphant as she quickly scribbled something down in her notes. Weiss smiled at Ruby, a little bit of pride igniting in her chest as the topic finally clicked for her leader.
"Excellent," Weiss said with a nod. She cleared her throat quietly, realising she'd been talking without a drink for a while. "I'm going to get some water, does anyone else want a bottle?"
"Oh, yes please," Pyrrha said with a nod.
"Yep!" Ruby answered.
"Alright, three bottles," Weiss said, standing up. She quickly learnt that standing was a mistake, the pain in her legs flaring intensely as she did so. She stumbled, catching herself on the table and knocking her chair back, hissing quietly in pain.
"Weiss?" Pyrrha asked, making to stand as Weiss stumbled, concern returning to her face.
"I'm fine," Weiss hissed through gritted teeth, pushing herself up from the table and stumbling again, this time into the wall. A pained noise escaped her throat. "Okay, 'fine' might be pushing it a bit," she conceded. Pyrrha and Ruby both stood up, stepping closer to Weiss.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, eyes wide and worried.
"... Phantom pain," Weiss said after a moment. "Help me sit?" she asked. Ruby and Pyrrha both nodded, each taking an arm and making sure Weiss didn't fall over as she sat on the ground, leaning back against the wall.
"Is there anything we can do?" Pyrrha asked gently, crouching next to her.
"Ruby?" Ruby nodded quickly, eager to help. "Can you run back to our dorm? In the blue bag by my bed, there should be a white and red box of pills. Could you bring it here?" Ruby stood back up and saluted before disappearing in a cloud of rose petals. Weiss closed her eyes and let her head roll back into the wall, controlling her breathing. "Pyrrha? Would you mind getting me some water?" she asked after a moment.
"Of course not, I'll be back in a moment," Pyrrha said, standing and quickly leaving. She returned quickly, jogging back over to Weiss. Weiss gratefully took the offered bottle, and Pyrrha watched as frost radiated out from where Weiss' fingers touched the plastic, chilling the drink before she greedily started drinking.
How did she do that without dust? Pyrrha thought, before putting aside the question for now. "Does this happen often?" she asked, sitting down next to Weiss.
"In general? Yes. It's been a very long time since I've had it this bad, though," Weiss said, taking a deep breath through her nose. "Normally it's just a dull ache, sometimes burning in my hands."
"Is there anything you can do about it? Or do you just need to ride it out like a migraine?" Weiss shook her head at the question.
"Beyond strong painkillers, not really," Weiss replied, taking another sip of her water. "Well, there are some experimental treatments," she corrected herself after a moment, grimacing a little. "I… Have reasons for not exploring those," she eventually said evasively. Pyrrha nodded, knowing better than to press.
"I'm sorry you have to deal with this," she said sympathetically. "It's not very fair." Weiss laughed bitterly. Pyrrha hated how often she was hearing that harsh bark from Weiss.
"No, it isn't, is it?" she asked resentfully. "You lose a limb or four, and on top of that, your missing body parts will just hurt randomly." Weiss sighed, letting her arm thud against the floor, wincing as she did so. "Sorry about the tutoring session, I doubt we're getting anything more done tonight."
"Oh, don't apologise, it's not your fault," Pyrrha said, turning to face Weiss. "We can always reschedule, don't worry. I… Well, I can't say I get it, exactly, but I suffer migraines myself," she confided. "So whilst I don't know exactly what you're going through, I do understand what it's like to be in pain at random with no way of really treating it." Pyrrha smiled encouragingly at Weiss, who returned it with a pained one of her own.
"The Invincible Girl gets migraines, huh?," Weiss asked ruefully. "So there is some fairness in the world," she joked, laughing a little before groaning and leaning forwards. Pyrrha surprised herself by returning Weiss' laugh, before her expression creased back into concern. Helpless to do much else, Pyrrha put a hand on Weiss' back and rubbed in small circles.
It wasn't much longer before Ruby returned, sprinting to Weiss' side and scattering more rose petals. She thrust the box towards Weiss, who took it quickly. She practically ripped the box open, popping four pills out of the foil and putting them in her mouth. A gulp of water and a swallow later, Weiss leant back against the wall. "Thanks Ruby," she said.
"Oh, no problem! Do you want to go back to the dorm?" she asked, fiddling nervously.
"Yes. Two problems, though," Weiss began. "One, I don't think I can walk there myself just yet. Two, I don't think you'd be able to carry me."
"Umm, well, Yang is kind of running over?" Ruby said hesitantly. "I kind of burst in the room saying you were hurting and then ran off again?" Weiss sighed, chuckling a little.
"Ok, Pyrrha and Yang can probably manage it if you both hold me up. If you don't mind helping, that is?" Weiss asked Pyrrha.
"Oh, not at all, I'd be happy to help," Pyrrha said, smiling at her again. True to Ruby's words, Yang burst into the library and raced over to the trio, ignoring all the shushes she was getting.
"Weiss, what happened, are you okay?" she asked, stopping and crouching next to her.
"I'm fine, just bad phantom pain. I'd appreciate some help getting back to the dorm, though?" she asked. "I hate to have to ask, but it's that or I stay sitting here until my painkillers start working."
"Oh, yeah, of course," Yang said, nodding. "How're we doing this? One of us under each arm?" she asked Pyrrha.
"That would probably be the best way," she said, nodding in agreement. "Are you alright for us to start moving you now, Weiss?"
"Sure. Help me up?" Yang and Pyrrha each took one of Weiss' arms, helping her stagger to her feet. They then twisted in unison, draping Weiss' arms across their shoulders and standing under her arms, helping to support her. "Ruby, could you get my things? Don't forget my medication," Weiss said, glancing over her shoulder at the shorter girl. Ruby nodded, quickly gathering Weiss' books, notes, and other belongings before following the trio. Weiss grunted as the three of them started moving, doing her best to support her own weight, Pyrrha and Yang straining a little.
The pair of them shared a glance and a concerned frown as they manoeuvred their way out of the library. Under any other circumstances, Weiss would have been quite pleased with this arrangement, being effectively carried by two stunningly athletic women. However, the pain flaring along limbs that didn't even exist anymore did an excellent job of distracting her from what otherwise would have been a pleasant experience.
Mercifully, there were no encounters on the way back to the dorms with other students or faculty, though Weiss did spot a few other people around who saw her being helped back to her room. They elected not to even try taking the stairs, instead using the elevator, forced to enter and leave it sideways like a trio of crabs. The same routine happened when they finally got to RWBY's dorm, Ruby darting ahead to hold the door open. "Where do you want us to put you?" Yang asked.
"My bed, please," Weiss replied. Pyrrha and Yang did as requested, helping her to her bed so she could sit down. "Ok, I'm good now," she said, motioning for them to let her go. They did so, and Weiss swivelled, lying down on her back after kicking her boots off.
"Gods, I feel pathetic," she muttered harshly. "Could someone get me some water, please?" she then asked, a little louder. Ruby deposited Weiss' things on her desk and ran into the bathroom to fill up a bottle.
"It's not pathetic to need help," Pyrrha said. "Weren't you criticising that sort of thinking at breakfast?" she gently pointed out. Weiss huffed, lifting her head and dropping it back onto her pillow.
"That's different, that was about accepting help with school work or training, not getting a fucking glass of water when there's nothing wrong with me," she grumbled. Ruby, Yang, and Pyrrha were briefly stunned by Weiss' swearing, Ruby silently placing the filled bottle of water by Weiss' bed. She picked it up and took a few sips. "Thanks Ruby," she muttered.
"Oh, no problem," she said, smiling a little at her.
"It's ok to need help with things like this, Weiss," Pyrrha gently repeated, crouching next to Weiss' bed. "Everyone gets sick or hurt sometimes."
"I should be stronger, though," Weiss replied sadly. "I've made it through entire dinners with pain like this before," she huffed. Before any of the others had time to be appalled by that statement, Weiss continued speaking. "Finally starting to take effect… Oh, right, that reminds me. I took a pretty high dose, and it can knock me out of it a bit. If I say or do anything out-of-character, please don't take it too seriously?"
"Oh, uh, sure," Yang said, blinking and nodding. There was a knock at the door, drawing Yang's attention. "I'll get it," she said, starting towards it.
"If it's Jaune, don't let him in or I might actually kill him," Weiss called out. Yang chuckled a little at that, opening the door to a concerned-looking Blake.
"Oh, hey Blake. You lock yourself out or something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, but I saw you and Pyrrha carrying Weiss back here so I figured I should knock before coming in," she replied, peering around Yang. "Is she alright?"
"She says it's phantom pains, really bad episode apparently," Yang said sympathetically.
"Is that Blake? She's allowed in!" Weiss called from her bed. Yang looked back at Weiss before returning her attention to Blake, sarcastically sweeping an arm to invite her in. Blake let out a small chuckle at the gesture, stepping around Yang.
"You doing alright, Weiss?" Blake asked carefully.
"Other than my missing limbs deciding to torment me once more, just grand," Weiss said sarcastically, a note of fatigue entering her voice.
"I'm sorry…" Blake said, wincing at the displeased huff Weiss gave in response.
"Everyone please stop saying that. It's not your fault, you don't need to apologise," she addressed the room. The knot of guilt that had been resting in Blake's gut since the start of the school year tightened a little at the words, but she nodded regardless. Weiss grunted, carefully levering herself up. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night. I hereby stake my claim on the bathroom until such a time I am done with it," she said with a yawn.
"Alright, we'll leave you to it," Yang said, looking at the others and jerking her head towards the door.
"Good night, Weiss," Pyrrha said, smiling. "And please don't worry about the tutoring session, alright? We can find another time to do it." Weiss nodded, giving a small smile as the other four left the room.