[Outtakes]

Location: Ripperscrest, Vale

June 13th

Weiss grunts as she sits up, flexing her injured shoulder and rolling it to pull and strain the tensed and bruised muscle in her back. She glances over to Eden, ensuring that the elderly lady had fallen asleep. Weiss' eyes flicker out of the secure shelter they were hiding in.

Mist floats up around them, she can smell the scent of heavy rain against the hot pavement on the wind. It was somehow comforting but caused a sense of uncertainty to settle within her gut as well.

It's been seven hours since the Griffon attack. Weiss' shoulder and her back throb with pain, it hurts to move as her bruised muscles would tighten and protest against the strain.

Despite being in as much pain as she was, Weiss was eternally grateful that she lacks any sort of discomfort in her lower regions. She hadn't been thinking. She had seen innocent people in danger and immediately rushed to protect them, the safety of her unborn had completely slipped her mind until the attack.

She couldn't lose this baby. She can't . She would do everything in her power to protect them. But, she has to be careful. Her baby was fragile, especially during the first trimester, an attack like that would most definitely kill them.

Weiss' heart plummets.

She could kill her baby like this.

Her arm wraps around her stomach and her body suddenly grows dreadfully heavy. She bows over, her knees tucked beneath her and the tip of her forehead lightly touching the cushioned blankets below her.

"It's not like you have to do this alone…"

Tears sting at her eyes.

She didn't know what she was doing. She hardly had any previous experience with children at all! How was she supposed to keep her baby safe like this? One mistake, one detail gone unnoticed, one sound unheard, and they could lose their lives.

Weiss' body trembles and she clenches her jaw.

'No! I have to protect them! …I have to.'

Her soul is anchored to the depths of the sea. She was surrounded by numbness. There's a vague, searing agony bubbling up within her. It wasn't supposed to be like this! A broken sob escapes her as her throat constricts.

What if she's made the wrong choice? What if she had thrown away her only chance for a loving family?

"...Ruby…"

Would she ever see her again?

How on Remnant was she supposed to protect her baby all alone in a world like this?


Location: Coquina, Vacuo

August 8th

Vacuo was hot. That was one of the first things Weiss had to learn about her temporary home. The days were practically scorching, and the nights were cold. Thankfully, each caravan seemed to have a built-in heater that ran solely on fire dust that prevented them from freezing after the sun had long since set.

Many of Weiss' first nights in Vacuo ran on very little sleep. Iris would sleep all day and keep her up at night, crying, fussing, and sometimes screaming if she went ignored. The newborn woke her up every two or three hours, or at least it felt like it.

After being informed by another mother within the Tribe, Weiss had slowly begun to alter Iris' sleep schedule. It would, hopefully, keep her asleep until at least sunrise. Iris would have her up before there were even any golden rays in the sky, and she wouldn't be able to get her back to sleep.

Much to her relief, none of the Tribe members seemed irritated by the baby's wailing. Most of them were women, and fully understood the hassle of trying to get a newborn to sleep.

For the first time in what felt like months, Weiss had managed to get a good night's rest. The schedule was working so far, but she could only hope it would remain this way.

Voices became audible in the back of Weiss' mind and her gaze drifted away from the circle of people she was sitting within. Her blue eyes fixed on her daughter, playing with a boy several years older than her. Weiss' heart flutters with happiness and a smile pulls at her lips.

Iris, now seven months old, is full of energy, she was happily burbling as many noises as she could form and pulling her small, chubby little body across the sand.

"Violet?"

Weiss turns her focus back to the boy's mother, who kindly smiles at her and offers a steaming hot bowl of bat stew. The young woman's stomach churns with slight disgust, but she graciously accepts. She could tolerate the taste better than she could eat any kind of snake dish. They don't seem to care about withdrawing all the little bone fragments, and biting into meat, tasting a dissatisfying crunch, and learning there was bone in your food would kill anyone's appetite.

"Little Iris is growing fast, isn't she?" Mentions another woman with graying black hair and fading emerald eyes. There's a distant smile on her face, the look in her eyes revealing that she has lost her own children.

"Speaking of," a girl no older than fourteen speaks up, "why is her hair so light? Why are her roots black? Your hair is purple."

Weiss sighs a little. She had known this question would come up. "My mother had platinum hair," she informs them, "Iris' father had black hair." Weiss shrugs. It wasn't too far from the truth. "I suppose my hair is recessive in her genes."

"My son's hair is blue," a lady with bright orange hair agrees, she almost sounds and looks just like Nora, "my father's hair was dark blue, I was told I have my grandfather's hair. It's quite possible."

The other women in the circle murmur their agreement.

"Violet!" A redheaded woman exclaims in astonishment, pointing behind her. Her next words fall deaf on Weiss' ears, and her attention whirls to her daughter as her body shifts into defense mode, ready to leap into action if she needed to.

Her world stops.

Iris was pulling herself up on her feet using the wheel of the caravan, her friend standing behind her, ready to catch her if she fell. "Iris?!" Weiss is quick to her feet, approaching the little girl and kicking clouds of dust up into her wake.

Baby blue eyes meet hers and Weiss collapses to her knees next to the seven-month-old. Iris' little face turns into a grin and she takes a step forward, still holding onto the wooden wheel.

Realization clicks.

Weiss feels her breath hitch.

Wobbly, Iris takes another step and releases the wheel.

She was trying to walk… She was learning to walk. Her little girl was growing up. An indescribable feeling hits her like a wave, turning her body numb as her heart pounds against her chest.

Weiss' heart skips a beat and her lips crack into a smile.

Tears sting in her eyes.

Iris heavily steps toward her and pauses, her little body slowly tilting forward. Weiss' hands shoot out faster than lightning, catching her daughter beneath the arms as she loses her footing.

Iris lets out a squeal-like noise of excitement, looking up at her mother for her approval.

Weiss' voice breaks. "Good job, Flower…" She murmurs, her throat tight and her face wet with hot tears. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face if she wanted to. "I am so, so proud of you…"

Why was she so happy over a few little steps…? Parenting is weird.


Location : Whisper Blossom, Vale

December 16th

"Mama!"

Weiss' eyes blink open groggily, she grimaces as a cold wind drifts into the tent, and a shudder rolls through her body, chilling her to the bone. She feels as if she's inhaling ice. Weiss sits up, noticing the white puffs forming in the air as she exhales.

The dead of winter had seeped in whilst they slept. If Iris hadn't woken up, they would have frozen to death in their sleep. Weiss shakes her head in befuddlement. The snowstorm had been a whole day away, had she miscalculated?

"Mama, what's all that white stuff?!"

Weiss turns her attention to Iris, who sits at the front of the tent with the flap pulled back to reveal a burst of dazzling, sparkling white powder gathered around their tent. The young woman looks up, finding the roof dipped in slightly from the weight of a pile that had formed above them, likely having fallen from the tree branches.

Weiss shakes her head, straightening her posture and ignoring the cold nipping away at her skin. She speaks with a hoarse voice, "That would be called snow, little one."

The four-year-old examines her for a moment, her dark brows pulling together in concern. She looks outside and back at her mother as she opens their bag to retrieve a familiar red cloak. "Does it hurt?"

Weiss clips the tattered cloak around her shoulders, "Only if you stay out in it for too long, little one. Where I grew up, it was very cold and we had lots of snow." She informs her, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her head against the tent. Iris' eyes twinkle with curiosity.

Her question causes Weiss' heart to drop. "When are we going to where you grewed up, Mama?"

The young woman forces a smile, trying to conceal her distress from her daughter. "Hopefully never…"

Iris tilts her head a little, bewildered. "Why?"

"We are never going there voluntarily, it's…" Weiss hesitates, "Do you remember how I taught you about the Schlange ?" Iris nods once, curious. "The Schlange lives there too, Flower… That is someone I never wish for you to meet." She answers as Iris retreats inside, Weiss takes note of the small bumps growing across the child's skin. Iris tucks her tiny body up to Weiss' side.

"Okay…" Iris decides, sounding like she has more questions to ask, but chooses to keep quiet.

Weiss hums. "You don't want to play in the snow?"

Iris looks up at her. Her mood changes instantly. "Yes!" She replies excitedly, lowering back down as a chill drifts into the tent. "But it cold…" Iris murmurs, burrowing herself into the red cloak. Confused silver eyes stare up at Weiss. "It cold, Mama…" Weiss' heart clenches. "Why is it cold?"

"Because you're wearing short sleeves and shorts, that's why." Weiss giggles, sitting up and causing the small child to topple over into a fetal-shaped ball. Iris grunts in annoyance. Weiss quickly locates a red wool jacket and sweatpants in her bag, checking the size to ensure it would fit the little girl. She had gone a size up just in case because Iris was outgrowing her clothes faster than her mother could buy them.

"Come here and get changed," Weiss tells her, setting the clothes across the bag. Iris crawls across the ground, seeming to think that she would be warmer if she were closer to the floor. Weiss scoffs a little in amusement. "Tuck your dirty clothes into the black bag we got from Saudira, okay?"

"Okay," Iris responds.

Weiss spares a single glance over her shoulder before exiting the tent, ducking her head and zipping it back up. She remains on her knees for a moment, her gaze fixed on the cold, powder-like frost beneath her. Weiss lets out a breath that forms a puff of air before dissipating into nothingness.

She stands, brushing her violet bangs back out of her eyes. A cold breeze blows through the clearing, sweeping beneath her cloak, brushing against her sleeves, and sending a chill throughout her body.

She needs to find a safer place to stay now that the snowstorms have begun to settle in, despite having checked the night before, aware that she was bordering Solitas, and had managed to calculate the snowstorm being at least a whole day away. She, clearly, had been mistaken.

If Iris had not woken, they would have frozen to death. She cannot afford to make this mistake again. Weiss had intended to be as far away from Solitas as she could before the winter fell upon them, but due to railroad difficulties, thanks to a landslide, she had been forced to remain within the outskirts of Mistral until they were cleared.

Once Iris was dressed, they would be beginning their journey to the other side of the continent. It would be warm enough for them to spend the summer there.

"Mama!"

She hadn't heard the tent being unzipped. Weiss turns around, her eyes meeting with Iris' wide silver pair. The child wears an oversized red, wool jacket with black sweatpants over her shorts, topped off with a brown pair of snow boots that Weiss had bought for her only two weeks ago.

Iris waddles forward, showing that the jacket was far too heavy for her to walk. Weiss bites back a laugh when Iris' boot catches against a white-covered log and she face-plants into the snow.

Weiss kneels in front of her. "Are you okay, Flower?"

The little girl struggles to push herself back up, but she pops back up with a grin of awe on her face. "Yeah!" She exclaims, seeming happier than she's ever been before.

"Well, maybe you should try lifting one foot at a time as you walk." Weiss chuckles, helping her daughter stand on her feet. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Iris repeats.

Weiss steps around her, "Well, go play while I get the tent down-" She's cut off by a snowball colliding with the back of her leg, Weiss looks down at Iris and her brows pull together in befuddlement as Iris sneaks away from her, giggling loudly.

"Did you throw that at me?!" Weiss asked in mock astonishment. Iris nods once. The woman smirks, facing the child before slowly kneeling into the snow. Iris holds another ball of snow in her hands, seeming to have connected making balls of mud in the creek to form a snowball

"You are challenging the Queen of Snowball Fights, my dear…" Weiss murmurs as a blue mist takes structure behind Iris, who remains oblivious.

Iris scoffs. "You told me Mom was the Queen of Snowball Fights!"

Weiss shrugs. The Knight behind Iris holds eight small snowballs between each finger. "She was," the knight gently lowers his hand and aims at Iris, "until she trained me."

The child lets out an 'eep' like noise as a snowball hits her in the back, causing her to topple over and into the snow. She stays still for several moments.

Weiss frowns, quickly approaching her daughter. "Iris?"

No response.

Her heart begins to beat against her chest like thunder. "Iris…?"

Still no response. Panic flashes through her.

Weiss' knees hit the cold ground beneath her, she grabs the small child in a panic as her heartbeat quickens. She turns her over, expecting to find Iris completely unconscious.

Her world turns white as a cloud of snow is flung up at her, followed by loud and obnoxious laughter from beneath her. Weiss brushes the flakes out of her face, blinking her eyes open and readjusting herself to reality.

"I got you!" Iris announces smugly. "I got you! Haha, I got you!"

The woman huffs and moves away from the little girl, dusting the remains of the snow off her clothes and out of her hair. "Yes, you did…" Iris puffs her chest out victoriously and Weiss smirks a little. "All right, enough play, you brat." She pulls Iris' wool hood over her head. "I need to take the tent down so we can get going."

"Where are we going?"

Weiss hums, "A little place called… Menagerie."


Location: Yellowhawk, Mistral

April 26th

There's a loud ringing in her ears.

It hurts to breathe.

Her senses are fading. Her vision is slowly becoming blurry. She just has to rest…

Familiar voices manage to break through her numbing thoughts.

She can vaguely hear Iris' voice approaching, sounding panicked and confused. A blur of white rushed by her before her vision went completely black. Weiss feels the child's presence near her, pressing against her body. Despite the continuous ringing blaring through her mind, she can hear her daughter's cries. She wants to move. She needs to. She has to reassure her that she's okay.

"S-she's not…" Weiss' senses were shutting off. "Why won't…?"

'Iris!'

Her chest strains and her lungs protest as she struggles to take a breath. She attempts to urge her body to move, to sit up and pull her daughter close. Wipe the tears from her eyes. Hide her pain. She would treat her injuries while Iris slept, just as she always did. Anything to prevent her little girl from worrying about her, she's too young.

But, she can't do it. She can't move . She could hear Iris crying next to her, but she couldn't do anything about it.

It was the worst feeling in the world…

Was she dying…?

She can't die. Iris needs her. What was she supposed to do without her mother? She would never survive longer than a day! There was nobody to take care of her…

'No…'

Suddenly, there's a tightness around her midsection, and alarm shoots through Weiss' foggy mind like lightning. Her muscles ache, resisting movement, but she manages to turn slightly. Weiss' disoriented gaze meets with a familiar pair of silver. A flash of white-hot pain erupts through her chest when she gasps. Her brows pull together, puzzled.

Silver eyes and dark hair… Weiss can just barely make out the fuzzy picture of red around her waist, a bright crimson. It wasn't blood. It was a cloth of some sort…

No, it couldn't be.

"It's okay… It's okay, I've got you."

"Ru… Ruby…?" Weiss' heart drops. That voice was undeniable. It was Ruby, of course, it was Ruby. A sense of fatigue washes over Weiss. Her eyes closed, she was so drained.

"Mama…"

Iris. She can't go to sleep. Weiss' eyes crack open, despite the heaviness overtaking her. She was tired.

Realization dawns on her. Ruby was here. She was Iris' mother , she had family and friends who would help her. She would take care of Iris…

She looks back to Ruby, who had moved slightly and now sits closer. Their gaze met. Gratitude swells within her chest, mixed with the thickness of sorrow and grief.

'It's okay…' A voice whispers in the back of her mind. 'Ruby will take care of Iris… You've done your job. Iris is alive, and she's safe. There's nothing more you can do.'

Weiss' vision slowly fades to black.

' I love you…'


Location : Patch, Vale

May 7th

"I'm heading out for a mission, but I have some time. Want breakfast?

Weiss lifts a brow and looks at the clock, "It's one in the morning. Shouldn't we wait until, maybe six?"

The brunette rolls her eyes and scoffs in amusement, "Hush, I don't need your logic." She turns back to her for a moment to grab the eggs from the counter, an egg is cracked and the yellow yolk is dumped on the pan, it immediately begins sizzling. She drops a few strips of bacon on the pan. "And since when were you a morning person?"

Well, that was a ridiculous question.

"Since I became a mother? It's kind of hard to sleep in when you have a kid depending on you." Weiss answers with an irritated grumble, Ruby glances at her with yet another indecipherable look on her face. She looks happy in a sense, but there was a deep, hidden longing in the younger woman's eyes.

Ruby clears her voice and faces away, refocusing her attention on the pan and flipping the egg to provide herself with some sort of distraction. "Weiss," Weiss winces upon hearing the serious tone of her voice, "I could take care of Iris if you'd just let me. You could sleep in?"

"That's not necessary.." Weiss says in annoyance, matching Ruby's glare that's sent over to her. The brunette's lip twitches and she closes her eyes, her chest heaving heavily as she releases a loud breath. She flips the food onto the plate she'd set next to the stove, clicking the burner off.

The plate is set down in front of Weiss. "Bon appetit," Ruby mutters with a blank face. "I lost my appetite." She walks away, heading back upstairs.

Ruby stops at the staircase and tilts her head, looking back at Weiss through the corner of her eye. "I don't want you two left alone here in your condition, so I'll be calling my Dad. You can stay with him."

"Ruby…"

Silver eyes meet hers questioningly.

Weiss lets out a deep breath, "I…" She hesitates, her heart growing heavy, "I'm sorry…"

Ruby smiles a little, appearing grateful for the apology. "I know."

The sound of the plate being slid away and the chair moving must have grabbed Ruby's attention because a cloud of red wrapped around Weiss in a whirl, sitting her back down at the table and repositioning the plate of food in front of her.

Weiss blinked in surprise, staring down at the plate before a pair of hands slapped down on both sides of the table. Weiss looks up, leaning back when her eyes meet with an irritated, stubborn pair of burning silver.

"Eat," Ruby says firmly.

"But-" Weiss attempts to protest.

"Iris told me you're not eating," Ruby interrupts, her dark brows narrowing, "I don't care if you don't want to. I don't care if you don't feel like it. You need it, and if you don't start getting yourself on a regular diet," Ruby's voice turns dark, full of warning and a hint of dread, "you and I both know your body will perish."

She was right. She has barely touched any food in favor of feeding Iris, even if she knows Iris won't go hungry.

"Ruby," Weiss murmurs reluctantly, "I know… It's just hard to adapt to change."

Ruby sits down across from her, lifting the fork with a smirk on her face. She folds a hand beneath her chin and Weiss scowls at her. "Don't make me feed you like a baby, Weiss."

"You wouldn't." Weiss counters. Ruby offers the fork to her challengingly. Weiss scoffs and accepts it. "Okay. You would."

Ruby smiles, "Don't worry… I didn't salt anything." She winks, "You and your low-salt preference."

Weiss chuckles, her heart fluttering and doing cartwheels inside her chest. "Thank you… Ruby."


Location : Patch, Vale

August 20th

"Hey, you…"

A familiar voice cuts through Weiss' thoughts like a swift blade. She shakes her head, rubbing at her temple and wiping the stray tears away from her eyes.

Blue eyes open slowly and thin lips pull back into an affectionate smile as Ruby approaches, Weiss unfolds her hands from her lap and pats the space beside her, inviting Ruby to sit next to her.

"I thought you ran off on me." Ruby jokes.

Weiss giggles, "And leave my loving fiancee?" She asks, shaking her head. "Never…" Her shoulders deflate, and there's a sad smile on her face. "Not again."

Ruby lets out a small laugh, moving her hand to rest on Weiss' thigh. "I know," she says endearingly, her voice soft, "I was just joking." Her shoulders shrugged, "A little… There's still that fear in the back of my mind."

A smirk forms on Weiss' face. "Well, tell it to shut up."

Mischief flickers through Ruby's eyes and she inclines toward the white-haired woman, bumping their foreheads together as gently as she can before stealing a kiss from her lips. "Shut up."

Weiss scoffs, leaning away from the brunette in mock offense. "How dare you treat the mother of your child like this! Abuse, I tell you!"

Ruby giggles. "You mean the same mother of my child who hid said child from me for several years?"

Weiss' eyes widened and she light-heartedly glares back in Ruby's direction. "You're playing along with the joke. Now it isn't funny."

She didn't mean it.

"Apologies, love," Ruby says sweetly as Weiss looks away.

"...Ruby."

"Yes?" Ruby murmurs in response. Weiss doesn't look at her, she's focused solely on the child romping and playing through the tall grass, laughing and giggling as she chases a redheaded kid around.

"Sometimes I genuinely cannot believe that Iris is alive," Weiss tells her quietly. "I was a 20-year-old Mom all on my own with no experience regarding children whatsoever. Everything I did was a reaction of pure instinct ." Her shoulders deflate. "I had heard so many stories of babies dying in their sleep… I was terrified that would happen to my little girl."

Ruby sighs, her heart heavy. "I'm sorry… All of this was my fault."

Weiss looks at her. "No," she answers with a firm voice, "it isn't your fault, Ruby. We were young and in love, we were both incredibly impulsive and didn't consider the consequences of our decision."

"But it was my-"

Weiss cuts her off, "And I agreed because I wanted a family with you." She looks back to Iris, smiling as she lowers herself into the grass before launching herself at her new friend in a predator-like manner. "I was terrified, yes, but when she was born, even when I learned I was pregnant, she was the most important person in the world to me… I made a promise that she would grow up loved , and I did the best I could."

"She came out amazing…" Ruby agrees. "A little ill-mannered, but with you as a Mom, it's to be expected."

Weiss smiles a little. "I'm glad…" Her eyes seem to brighten, she notices Iris running at her as fast as her legs could carry her. "Iris has a home, we have a family, and my days of hiding are over…"

Ruby remains quiet, watching her.

Weiss lets out an 'oomph' as Iris slides to stop in front of her and collapses into her lap, announcing, alas tiredly, that her friend was going home. Brushing Iris' disheveled dark and ivory bangs out of her eyes, Weiss smiles.

"We're not alone anymore."