Interlude 3: The Queens of Sky and Snow

Content Warning: Brief discussion of self-harming habits (Eating Disorder).

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Weiss Schnee was no stranger to stress. Her childhood had been marked by terse, bitter tension between her parents, punctuated by screaming fights, and the demand from her father that she always be better than the best, at everything that she did. He would accept nothing less than absolute perfection, her margins of error honed to a razor's edge that put Myrtenaster's to shame. Before, she had been driven to such extremes by the expectations her father had for her to bring prestige and wealth to the family name. But now, since coming to Beacon, Weiss found that she had a new motivation for excellence.

The people that she had come to love, and who loved her in turn, didn't demand such perfection from her. But nonetheless, when disaster struck, they needed her to be better than the best. So many of her friends had been hurt badly at Mountain Glenn, sometimes in ways that cut deeper than the merely physical, but she herself had escaped unscathed, due largely to her intended sending her away.

Weiss knew that, as long as she lived, she would never forget how he had looked, standing at the train platform as he waited for it to whisk Team RWBY away to safety. He had been afraid, yes, but that fear was overshadowed by his steadfast resolution. The earth beneath her feet would give way before Jaune Arc would falter when his course was clear. He was beautiful, displaying the first realization of the true potential that she'd always known he had.

And now, all the world was beginning to see how beautiful he was for themselves.

Each and every one of their team brought something beyond their base combat prowess to the table. Jaune's performance as a field commander, with his incredible Semblance, wouldn't have been possible without Ren's expertise in Auralogy. They wouldn't have even known about Mountain Glenn in the first place without Blake's investigatory skills and ability to reach out to former colleagues in the White Fang. If Ozpin and Jaune were to be believed, the surge of celestial power that Ruby, silly, happy Ruby, had conjured could be the key to achieving a true and lasting victory.

Shortly before his death at Mountain Glenn, Doctor Oobleck had challenged Weiss on her plans and priorities, wondering what in all the world her aspiration towards becoming a Huntress had to do with her dream of reforming her family's company. Only now, after that horrible mission, did she have an answer for him. Her friends could move the world itself, if they had a lever and a place to stand, and with her connections, she could give them that. With the resources that she'd wrangled from her father, she had the ability to deliver unto her friends and allies the sort of logistical support that they would need to achieve victory. To that end, since her arrival back at Vale, Weiss had become a one-woman military-industrial complex. SDC Saunus had incorporated Polendina Biomedical Corporation as a subsidiary, and while Penny retained intellectual property rights over prosthetic designs created by both her father and herself, the workshop that Weiss had set up for her was already turning out high-quality products for the people of Vale. While Penny had taken to handling the Huntsman-class prosthetics for her friends, when not standing vigil over Ruby, the robot girl had a few employees fabricating civilian models for everyday customers.

Weiss hadn't stopped there.

She had gone to the Vale Council on behalf of Silaris Defense Solutions, and negotiated a long-term contract for the production of Silaris Armored products, most notably armored plating to retrofit existing vehicles. Construction of their new factory was recently completed, and hiring was proceeding apace. Jaune's new armor had finally finished testing and was ready to be given to the bold young Knight of Vale, and as a gift in thanks of her patronage, one particularly clever engineer had created a mechashifting saddle for Jaune's horse, which could extend into barding to protect Talos. Weiss couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she gave it to him. She had also taken the liberty of commissioning a light cuirass, faulds, vambraces and greaves for her own use. While Jaune insisted that he'd sent her away to watch over their friends, she herself was under no illusions as to how she would have fared in the sort of long, desperate siege that he and the rest of JNPR had endured at that station. Weiss never wanted to be too fragile to be unable to accompany her intended into battle, not ever again.

When Winter had told her of what scouts had discovered about the island of Doctor Merlot, it had become apparent that Beacon's existing fleet of Bullhead aircraft would not be sufficient for the task at hand. Long-range scopes from the shore had revealed a massive force of aerial Grimm assembled over the island, no doubt ready to overwhelm and destroy any approach by sea. Weiss had spent some time sitting vigil next to her comatose partner, considering how to attain air superiority over the island and land a strike force to ensure Merlot's death.

She had gone to other businesses, such as Aka Arms International, to see what solutions they may have had to offer, but in the end, as with all of her other endeavors, she ended up securing the technicians she needed and set them to producing an in-house solution. Thus was Pegasus Aeronautics founded. As they had waited for the first batch of Silaris material to be finished, Weiss had set her team to designing airships. One pair, a married couple actually, had conceived of a dual-phase platform - a mid-sized airship, larger than Mistral galley but smaller than the true Atlesian battleships, which would carry a smaller, short-range, high-performance airship. This small airship, no larger than one of the elaborate aircars that some wealthy Atlesians liked to use, would intercept light, fast Grimm such as Lancers. For that reason, the smaller airship was called an "interceptor." By screening lesser enemies from approaching, the larger ship would be able to concentrate its guns on the greater Grimm, as well as bombarding any stationary defenses built into the fortress.

It was all coming together. Winter would command the larger ship, while it formed the spearpoint of the burgeoning Beacon air force, with her greater experience commanding such forces allowing it to cohere into a functional unit. The Bullheads would back up her ship, and then screen Winter's...charming paramour as he brought his custom aircraft in to deliver the strike team. Jaune would lead the ground team to infiltrate Merlot's hideout, and they'd Dust the sick bastard in cold blood. All that was left, then, was to find a pilot for the interceptor. While there were plenty of qualified pilots in Vale, the specifications on the interceptor demanded a pilot of unusual nerve and daring, a true daredevil.

Weiss had just the candidate in mind.

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Yang frowned as she hit the heavy bag. Ever since Mountain Glenn, her heart just wasn't in it, and it worried her. By rights, she should be rip-roarin' to go, preparing to tear Mercury fucking Black apart for what he did to her, and what he tried to do to Ruby. But…

She remembered the screams. The wet, choking gurgles. The feeling of flesh and bone giving way under the unrelenting flame of her rage.

Gods. It was one thing to say that she would tear someone apart. It was another altogether to go and do it...

In a weird kinda way, Yang felt that she could understand Pyrrha better now. How it felt to be horrified and ashamed of an aspect of one's own personality. Yang had no idea how she would have reacted had someone seen her in her absolutely homicidal berserker fury and been turned on by it. "Weird" wasn't a strong enough word.

Slipping into one of the gym showers, Yang found herself wishing that she could talk to someone about it. Blake was dealing with her own problems, and didn't need her making things worse. Weiss had suggested that there was a pretty good chance that the speed by which her bloody-handed rampage had blasted through the Fang had made the difference between rescuing Ruby alive and recovering her corpse. That helped, sure, but still…

She couldn't go to her father. Besides the sheer shame of it all, Ruby was still out, and Mercury was on the loose. Whatever problems Yang had, Ruby came first. She always had, and always would. Miss Nikos was...Yang had been older than Ruby when Summer Rose had died, and her memories of having had a mother, even if just for a little while, were much sharper. Speaking with the older woman, hearing her soothing words, just being around her...but as much as she enjoyed the priestess's company, she was Pyrrha's mother, not hers, and she couldn't take up the woman's time with her selfish needs. The Champion of Mistral had been doing well in her physical therapy, and apparently, it wouldn't be long before she would be cleared to use her Semblance once more.

The blonde bombshell stepped out of the shower, toweling off before donning her new combat attire. Her old clothes had been a total loss, soaked through with blood and gore. It had taken her hours to clean out her Ember Celica. Yang's new clothes were much less provocative than her previous outfit, consisting of sturdy khaki pants, an orange tanktop, and a vest of thick rawhide. She was at something of a loss as to what to do next. Maybe she should go talk to Sir Rusty. He certainly knew a thing or two about feeling ashamed, but...he'd done what he'd done at the orders of the man who raised him, not really knowing any other path. Since coming to Beacon, he'd acted as nothing less than a literal, actual knight in shining armor. Yang had gone and shredded people without mercy or hesitation, and she didn't have any excuse beyond "they had my sister." She may not have had her mother, but her father and her Uncle Qrow had done their best to teach her right from wrong.

Saving Ruby was right. She knew that. But the way she did it...it just felt wrong.

Yang decided that she should at least check in on her uncle. He'd been hurt pretty bad by some rampaging fire bitch - she winced as she realized that that epithet could just as readily be applied to her - and while he was recovering well, it was still a scary shock, the realization that her uncle wasn't invincible after all. She tied up her hair in a loose ponytail and set off for his office. Neither Yang nor Ruby had ever known that he had an office at Beacon, but after learning about his role as Ozpin's lieutenant, well...a lot of things about their childhood made a lot more sense after that.

She stopped by his door, peeking in to check if he was busy. Her uncle had a ratty old couch in his office, and Yang found her uncle sitting on it. He was resting with his head on Winter's shoulder, snoring lightly as the soldier perused reports on her Scroll, a faint smile on her lips. It was a surprisingly cute scene, and Yang didn't want to interrupt it. Her uncle had had a hard time of it, and he deserved a cuddle-nap on his girlfriend's shoulder. Yeah, it was a little weird that her uncle was dating Weiss's hot big sister, but really, it was more unusual that no one had snapped him up a long time ago. Uncle Qrow was a great guy, and if Winter was the only woman around to see that, then more power to her.

Stepping away from Qrow's office, Yang found herself at something of a loss. As if responding to her listlessness, her Scroll chimed, and she found herself looking at her white-haired teammate on her screen. Weiss had been throwing everything she had into preparing Vale for war, and it showed. While the Atlesian girl still looked beautiful and fabulous, she also looked bone-tired.

"Hey, Weiss. What's up?"

"Yang," Weiss acknowledged with a nod of her head. "I have a particular role for you in an upcoming mission, one that I feel would suit your particular talents."

Yang felt her stomach drop. She shouldn't be surprised, really, that her team would see her as a psycho-killer and try to find a tactical application of her raging. "I...don't know about that, Weiss."

"Let me show you before you turn me down," the budding business mogul said. "Here, meet me at this address, and come see for yourself."

Well, Yang had been a little listless just then. "All right, Weiss, you win."

A faint smile teased Weiss's lips. "Of course I do. I'll see you within the hour?"

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Yang stared at the large industrial building whose address Weiss had sent to her, and tried not to be impressed. She went through the door, and saw a Faunus woman with mouse ears, seated at a large receptionist table. "Uh...hi?" Yang greeted, feeling awkward. "I'm Yang, and I'm here to see Weiss."

"One moment, miss," the receptionist said politely. She picked up an old-fashioned telephone on the desk. "Miss Schnee? Your two o'clock is here? Of course." The receptionist hung up the phone, smiling at Yang. "Miss Schnee will be here momentarily, miss. Would you like some water? Or tea, perhaps?"

"Uh...no thanks." Yang looked around at the lobby. "Was any of this here a week ago?"

"Well, no, but Miss Schnee has been hard at work recruiting a fine team. I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say that we're all excited to be part of such an important service for the people of Vale."

Yang coughed awkwardly. "Yeah…" she shrugged, not really knowing what to say. On the one hand, she was glad that this lady liked her new job and all, but on the other hand, it was weird to think of Weiss, the girl she caught having a literal slap-fight with Ruby a month ago, being someone's employer.

She stood around for a moment, feeling hopelessly out-of-place, before an elevator at the far end of the lobby chimed, revealing her sister's partner. Weiss was in what Yang mentally labeled her "Business!Weiss" attire - navy blue pencil skirt with matching suit jacket, white shirt, a red tie, and stylish pumps. More to the point, Weiss had finished her ensemble by buckling her swordbelt around her hips, from which her rapier and dagger-gun were suspended. Yang eyed the girl skeptically.

"You bring your sword to your corporate stuff?" she said by way of greeting.

"Well. I'm of the opinion that a lady isn't finished dressing until she has her weapons at her side."

"You need them for investor meetings, do you?"

"I may need them in the event of a hostile takeover."

Yang quirked an eyebrow at her friend. "Sir Clanks-a-lot had that gun of yours chambered in five-hundred. It can drop an Ursa at fifty paces."

"A very hostile takeover." A smile crossed Weiss's face. "I'm glad that you're here, Yang."

"Well, I said I'd give it a looksee, so let's get to it."

"Of course."

Weiss led the way through a large double-door behind the receptionist's table, holding up her Scroll to unlock it. Yang suppressed a whistle as they walked past several computer design stations and testing labs, with people hard at work putting models through wind-tunnels, logging results, and tweaking blueprints.

"Holy crap, Weiss. This is, what, business number three for you?"

"Four, if you count Silaris Defense Solutions, whose board authorized a buyout the other day."

Yang shook her head. "Still, you got all this going out of nothing. That's...that's really something, Weiss. You should be proud of all of this."

Weiss came to a sudden halt, staring at her feet.

"Uh...Weiss? You okay?"

"I'm not proud, Yang."

Yang scratched her head. "Why not?"

The young mogul sighed, crossing her arms. "I didn't earn this, Yang. None of it. If the need wasn't so pressing, I would have stepped back to let others fill the void in Vale, but I'm in a position to know exactly what this country and its defenders will need in the future. That's privileged information, and I have that because of my proximity to Ozpin. I have the capital needed to fund all of this because I just happen to be the daughter of the richest man in Remnant, and those riches were extracted from the blood, sweat, and tears of exploited workers all over the world... from Mantle to Vacuo." Weiss shook her head. "It's blood money, Yang, and if I didn't need it for our war, I would have told my father where he could shove it. Do you think that I'm so much better and so much smarter than Miss Myrna, the receptionist you met back there? Because I'm not. I've had opportunities shoved at me because of my name. There's no way investor confidence for a conglomerate headed by a teenage girl would be at all this level if not for my last name. I'm putting that to good use, but make no mistake, I didn't earn this. And I have to be very careful that I don't take after my father in his practices, even when they would be more...expedient."

"Wow, Weiss...I didn't know that it bothered you this much." Yang took a step forward and rested her hand on her friend's shoulder. "I mean...I'm not really much for, you know...socio...economical...politickin'," she said with a helpless shrug. "But if you're worried about exploiting people, then just...you know...don't? Exploit them, I mean. Someone's gotta wrangle all the people and material in the right direction, and if people are willing to listen because of your fancy-pants name, then at least it's getting done. If you're paying people good money to do something that helps everyone, then that's not really wrong, is it?"

Weiss looked over at Yang, the slight hint of a smile on her face. "I suppose not. Jaune said something similar to me once. I can't help having these advantages, but what I choose to do with them is up to me alone." The white-haired girl sighed. "At any rate, that's enough whining from me. Let's go, we're almost there."

With a nod, Weiss resumed striding down the hallway. Her face seemed more relaxed, less terse and drawn than it had been, so Yang figured that her talk, as rough as it was, at least did the trick.

"You should know that this is a prototype - a proof of concept - and that, while I've ensured that there has been a great deal of preliminary testing done with scale models, we can only really know what it can do by putting it through its paces," Weiss said. She held up her Scroll to another large set of double doors, steel this time, and waited for them to swing open. "But with what we've seen so far, well...the sky's the limit, right?"

Weiss strode through the doors, and industrial lights switched on in a ceiling far above them. Yang realized that they were inside a hangar, and there, highlighted with spotlights, was the most gorgeous airship she'd ever seen. It was small and sleek, only about twenty feet long, shaped like an arrowhead, and it rested on three struts. The fuselage gleamed with an otherworldly golden glint to it, save for the transparent canopy that rose from a gently-curved slope at the rear of the vehicle.

"It's a new class of airship, which the team has taken to calling an interceptor," Weiss explained as Yang, awestruck, ran her hand along the ship's hull. "It's faster than a Bullhead, faster than a Manta. Much faster. To that end, it will require a pilot with nerve, daring, and skill. I can think of no one more suited to the task than you, Yang."

Yang's violet eyes were wide as she looked at Weiss for a moment, then back to the interceptor. After a moment, Weiss coughed politely. "Er...Yang?"

"I could kiss you for this."

"What?"

Yang nodded to herself. "Yep. A big ol' wet, sloppy kiss, right on the mouth."

Weiss made a face. "Please don't."

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It was a weary, but satisfied Weiss Schnee that made her way through Vale's Gate District. Her plans were coming along right on schedule, and soon, Winter's airship would enter its construction and testing phase. The interceptor - Yang had named the little ship Sunstrider - had its pilot, and soon, her friend would put the vehicle through its paces. Not only would Winter have the fastest, nimblest airship in history as her backup, but Weiss's friend and teammate had been truly, genuinely excited for the first time since Mountain Glenn. She would never admit it, not in a million years, but Weiss wanted the big, dumb, loud, overbearing, and annoying Yang back. Sullen, quiet, moody Yang just wasn't...wasn't right.

Weiss came to a halt in front of the address listed, seeing the midsized city estate that Jaune had been awarded. As a Knight of Vale, it was expected that he maintain a home within the city of Vale itself, as a base for carrying out operations in and around the city. Sir Roland had pulled some strings to have the Council award his former squire the estate that the Arc family had maintained prior to their deaths. The Arc family's Vale home was both surprisingly spacious and space-efficient. Within its fenced-in grounds stood a two-story house, with an extensive cellar, as well as a two-stall stable on the far side of a small training yard. Jaune had taken legal possession of Talos, and had already moved the great Valean Destrier into his stable.

Jaune - Sir Jaune, Weiss reminded herself with a giddy little smile - had been uncomfortable at the idea of actually owning an estate, citing a knight's duty to modesty, until Sir Roland smacked him upside the head and pointed out that his warped idea of a modest home was a cave with a latrine pit dug not too far from the entrance. It had also forced Jaune to consider the logistics of maintaining a household. He hadn't done his normal schtick of turning down the award that Vale had offered him because he couldn't. While Sir Roland was willing to gift Talos to his squire, the great beast still had needs - the farrier to ensure that his hooves were shod and healthy, the prodigious quantity of feed that the big lunk ate, veterinary expenses to keep him fighting fit, all of which added up quite quickly.

From what Weiss understood, the Vale Council, having a vested interest in seeing the return of the Knights of Vale, would pay Jaune a yearly salary in exchange for his highly-visible efforts in protecting the Kingdom. While he was still a student at Beacon, he had effectively klepped out of the normal combat and Grimm studies courses - it had stung Glynda something fierce to admit that she had precious little to teach him - and besides the more scholastic courses such as history that he would take to round out his education, he would be receiving personal, highly advanced tutoring in tactics and strategy from Ozpin himself.

Weiss was so proud of him that she could just burst.

Of course, being an official knight didn't mean that he stopped being a dork, as was demonstrated by the display that she found when she walked to the front door. Team JNPR was struggling to fit a sofa through said door. Or rather, Jaune and Ren were, while Nora cheered them on from atop the furniture that the boys were attempting to get inside, and a giggling Pyrrha struggled to give directions. Percival sat at the Champion's feet, watching the proceedings with his head tilted in canine curiosity.

"Okay Jaune, now left. No, my left, your right!"

"Then just call right!" an exasperated Jaune protested.

"You can do it!" cried Nora.

"Not with you on it!"

"Are you calling me fat?"

Somehow, through mystical, magical powers of forces unknown, the boys managed to brute-force the sofa through the door. The sudden lack of resistance from the doorframe took them by surprise, and the newest Knight of Vale was nearly squished under a leather sofa, only barely keeping his grip.

"I knew you could do it," Pyrrha chirped.

"Thanks, Pyr. You're an inspiration to us all," drawled Jaune.

Weiss, her pathway cleared, stepped into the house, popping onto her toes to kiss Jaune's cheek just as he and Ren set the sofa down in its designated place in the living room. "Hey, Weiss," he said happily. "Just getting this place good to go in case we ever need it. How did things go on your end today?"

"Well, made progress on the airship program, had a setback on Blake's prosthetic today."

Ren quirked a brow. "What happened?"

She sighed. "Well, she and I had a meeting with Penny at her office to check up with her over tea. She misjudged how hard she gripped the teacup and shattered it. It was minor, but I think she's been holding a lot of things in, and that was just the last push. I tried to comfort her, but I don't know that I was enough." Weiss looked forlorn. "The world needs Ruby's power. Our team needs her."

"Do you think Blake will be willing to let me try to help her?" asked Ren, crossing his arms.

"I don't see why not. You're the only other one who can even sort of relate to what she's gone through." Weiss frowned. "How are you doing, by the way?"

"I still have the occasional phantom pains, but keeping the prosthetic on overnight has been helping. I've resumed combat practice, and while I've been having the occasional stumble, they're becoming less frequent. I'm hoping to be cleared for duty soon." Ren smiled. "But, those are concerns for tomorrow. For tonight, I had been planning to make use of Jaune's kitchen."

"Pancakes?" Nora asked, perking up.

"Saimin."

"Boo!" the girl protested, even as Ren rolled his eyes.

"I swear, one day, you're going to turn into an enormous pancake," he told her, even as he turned to enter the house's kitchen.

"That would be awesome!"

Weiss and Team JNPR sat around a newly-made wooden dining table. While her fiancé and his team ate, planned, and bantered, Weiss half-listened, consulting her Scroll. While Atlas produced much of the world's supply of Gravity Dust, which was required in the creation of airships and the Silaris composite that would form the armor plating for Vale's new forces, Weiss was unwilling to entrust the entirety of the supply chain to the inherently unstable regime of General Ironwood. As such, the next best deposits for the specific Dust in question were found in Anima, and Weiss moved swiftly to corner the market there, as much as she could without invoking sanction from Mistral's ruling council, which had its own airship needs to meet.

She winced. Ensuring the supply for Vale meant enacting a series of buyouts and ruthlessly crushing smaller businesses, but it couldn't be helped. The Mistral civilian aeronautics sector would take a hit and -

"Okay, bye Weiss!"

"What?"

Weiss looked up from her Scroll in time to see Jaune's three teammates gathered up by the dining room entrance. The entire dining room table had, in fact, been cleared, save for her bowl of noodles and her small plate with a meat bun on it, both untouched.

"Hey." Weiss felt Pyrrha put her hand on her shoulder. "Don't work too hard. You're important to us too."

Pyrrha made way for Nora, who, undeterred by Weiss's general Weissy-ness, gathered her up in a big hug. Ren merely nodded and shared a quick word with Jaune before the three left through the front door. Weiss looked around, vaguely puzzled at their abrupt departure. "Jaune? What's wrong?"

Jaune popped into the kitchen, emerging a moment later with a new, warm bowl of saimin and a replacement bun. He switched out the warm food for the old dishes that had been sitting there.

"You don't need to do that," Weiss said. "It's only been…" her face fell as she checked the time on her Scroll. "Two and a half hours. Huh."

Jaune sat down next to her, pulling her in close to him. "It's okay. But I should tell you...your sister spoke to me today."

Weiss made a face, not liking where the conversation was going. "I'm not crazy," she said.

"I never said you were," Jaune was quick to say, looking to placate her temper. "We all have our hurts, and they just show up in different ways."

She sighed. "Tell me exactly what Winter told you."

"Well," Jaune rubbed the back of his head nervously. "She told me to look after you and make sure that you eat."

"Because?" Weiss led him.

"...Because you have an anxiety-induced eating disorder, and you'll tend to starve yourself when you're stressed."

She couldn't be mad at him. Nor her sister, for that matter. When Jaune had been acting in self-destructive ways, she had looked after him as best as she could, and encouraged him to seek help from others. She could hardly begrudge him the same effort.

"Did you eat today? You mentioned tea with Blake and Penny…"

Weiss looked at him, at those deep blue eyes full of love and concern for her. "...no," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Would you try to eat something? For me?"

...Those blue eyes of his were trouble.

Weiss nodded, smiling wanly at him. "Are you going to try to play the 'here comes the airship' game on me if I don't?"

Jaune just looked at her with his earnest, open puzzlement. "What's the 'here comes the airship' game?" he asked.

She had a sudden mental image then, of an infant Jaune squalling, crying alone and unloved in an Atlas lab somewhere. Her heart broke all over again for him. "Oh Jaune…" She took up her bowl and chopsticks, and deliberately forced herself to eat. She flushed in embarrassment as she realized that Ren had put in some real effort into preparing a meal for his friends, and she had ignored it and let it cool on the table for more than two hours.

Jaune rubbed her back. "It's okay," he soothed, as if he'd read her mind. Perhaps he'd merely read her expression. "He's not angry. None of us are. You've been doing such a great job of taking care of everyone. You got Penny what she needed to get Ren and Blake their prosthetics in a flash. You've given your sister a ship to command, and I'm sure that Yang's over-the-moon at that souped-up little ship you gave her."

"...I can't help Ruby," she said, her voice small.

He smiled sadly at her. "No one can. What's going on with Ruby is between her and the gods. Literally, apparently. But what you can do - and what you've done - is made sure that when she does wake up, all her friends and teammates are at their peak, and ready to do whatever we have to. But that includes yourself, her partner and very best BFF in the whole world. So you gotta keep your strength up, for her, for me, and for all of us, okay?"

Weiss stared down at her bowl, idly swirling the noodles around in the liquid. "Okay."

Jaune kissed the top of her head.

She managed to eat the entire bowl of noodles, and even half of the meat bun, and she found herself growing sleepy. Jaune took her dishes into the kitchen and then scooped her up in his arms, carrying her bridal style.

"Jaune?"

"Furniture's not the only stuff I picked up today," he told her. He carried her up the stairs and into the master bedroom. He set her down on a queen-sized bed. "Stay here. I'll be back in a moment."

"Mmkay," she said, feeling sleepy and full of noodles. Weiss heard the sound of a bath running, and a few minutes later, Jaune was back. He began taking off her clothes, gently stripping away the conqueror of the business world to reveal the young woman underneath. He picked her up again, and tenderly carried her into the master bathroom, where he had run a hot bath, set scented candles on the bathroom counter, and even added her favorite bubbles into the bathwater. He carefully slid her into the bath, where Weiss moaned happily at the sensation of the soothing heat sapping the stress from her weary body.

Weiss drifted happily for a time, not quite asleep but not fully awake either, before Jaune returned and slipped into the bath with her. He was a contradiction, his hands large but slender, strong but gentle. She allowed herself to fully relax in his embrace, listless and almost as liquid as the bathwater as he carefully scrubbed her clean. She pouted when he finally pulled her from the bath, drying her off with soft cotton towels and pulling her favorite blue nightgown over her head. Weiss decided to forgive him his transgression as he laid her down in the bed, tucking her under the covers, embracing her from behind, and activating his Semblance. She was surrounded, filled, infused with feelings of love, security and serenity, her own Aura flaring in glacial blue at the touch of his spirit. It died down as he released his Semblance, leaving her utterly comfortable. When Percival hopped onto the bed and she pulled the dog into her own embrace, the scene was fully perfect.

She fell asleep with a happy little smile on her face.

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The Sunstrider, the first of its kind, knifed through the skies over Vale. Her pilot sent her into a steep ascent that no other vehicle in the world could match before pulling out and doing a roll just for the sheer joy of it. Her pilot, Yang Xiao Long, was having the time of her life working out the limitations of the interceptor airship. When its capabilities had outstripped the maneuvers of conventional flight manuals, Yang had invented new ones. She darted and flitted through the air, a sunny little dragon basking in the joy of flight.

Inside the bubble cockpit, Yang was singing. She was singing horribly off-key, but she was singing. "I looked in the mirror...and I gotta say...it's been a long, long time, since I felt this way, but right now...I'm just a bit surpriiiiiised…'cuz I'm feeeelin' fine, and I might just touch the sky! I might just touch the sky!"

Well. Yang probably should have left the singing to Weiss, but if she wasn't a professional singer, what did it matter? It wasn't like anyone could hear her or anything.

"I think we should make that our company's new motto," Flight Control remarked over the radio.

The Sunstrider, the first of its kind, actually dipped as Yang fumbled the control yoke in shock. "Wait, you heard that?!" she demanded.

"Don't quit your day job, Sunstrider," Flight Control answered, with a dry tone.

"Aw, son of a bitch!"

"If it's any consolation, Boss Lady was real happy to hear you happy, so that's a thing."

"Oh gods, Weiss heard that." Yang hung her head. "Sunstrider to Flight Control, requesting permission to jacknife into the ground, to ease my shame."

"Denied, Sunstrider. Be advised, simulated dogfight is about to occur."

Yang quirked her brow. "Really? Who'd you find to go up against me?"

"Corvid's Claw to Sunstrider, come in Sunstrider."

"Uncle Qrow?!"

She heard her uncle chuckle over the radio. "You didn't think my mandate to kick your ass in the name of fun and education ended at the ground did you?"

Yang burst into a broad grin. "Corvid's Claw, be advised that your ride is as decrepit and obsolete as you are. You might as well be flying Skippy, the Xiao Long family car, up here."

"Sunstrider, be advised that I have paint missiles with your name on it, brat."

"Bring it on, geezer!"

Both aircraft were fitted with laser receptors, which would register 'hits' that would be emitted from their respective guns. Yang's Sunstrider had a pair of rotary cannons, one on each side, though Corvid's Claw had far more. Moreover, Qrow's Manta airship was loaded with paint missiles, which would simulate the effects of real explosive warheads. In order to save weight and improve performance, the Sunstrider carried no missiles - instead, its heaviest-hitting weapon was a miniaturized Dust plasma projection cannon mounted under the nose, a scaled-down version of the weapons that gave Atlesian battleships their legendary punch. While this version obviously wouldn't measure up to the greater power and range of its full-size cousin, it would give the Sunstrider one hell of a haymaker against any Elder Grimm that might haunt the skies. The only problem was, Pegasus Aeronautics didn't have the proprietary training equipment to safely simulate its effects.

Yang didn't mind. She wouldn't need the cannon to take her uncle down a peg or two.

A truly predatory grin spread across her face. Little birds should know better than to pull a dragon's tail.

[/]

"...So there I was," Yang said, animatedly gesturing with her hands to play out the dogfight. Miss Nikos probably didn't know all the technical details of the dogfight, but that didn't matter, so long as she got that it was awesome. "I hit the split-S - I called it that because, you know, it looks like half an 's' - and swung in out of the inversion, directly above and behind him. He was less a crow and more a sitting duck! He was all like 'noooo! I am defeated! How can this be?!'"

"That isn't what I said," Qrow, sitting across from his niece at Beacon's cafeteria, interjected.

"It's totally what he said," Yang assured Miss Nikos. Across from her, Winter patted her paramour's arm in consolation.

Of course, anyone looking at the specs would have been able to tell that, in a straight-up dogfight, the unparalleled speed and maneuverability of the interceptor-class airship had a Manta gunship - even Qrow's lovingly-customized one - utterly dead to rights. That wasn't why Qrow had challenged his niece, though. The girl had had a rough time dealing with the aftermath of Mountain Glenn, what with her sister falling into a coma, that little absolute dead man pulling a Clover on her, and his own injury, to say nothing of the violence of the fight itself. Qrow had to admit that Jailbait giving her that souped-up little thing was the right idea. Getting absolutely stomped in a dogfight by his niece and playing up the despair of it cost him nothing, and seeing Yang gleefully recounting the totally-exaggerated details of the story to Miss Nikos, the broad and happy smile back on her face, well…

Uncle of the Year. Again, as always.

He winked at Winter.

"Well, I'm glad that you and your machine will be screening my flank," the former soldier said. "Once the frigate is complete, we will have to drill frequently to ensure flawless operation in the field."

"This is gonna be awesome!" Yang grinned. "How long until Weiss gets your -" The blonde pilot was interrupted by the blatting of both her own Scroll and that of her uncle, which went off in a loud alert. Yang dropped her device as she read the message on its screen, almost tripping over herself in her haste to get up and get moving.

"Ruby's awake!"

[/]

Entry Endnotes: So, for this last Interlude entry, I couldn't decide between Weiss and Yang, and went with both of them.

The next entry is going to be a full-sized chapter at last. I've been doing physical therapy and I got an ergonomic keyboard, and while I didn't write this interlude in one go, I was able to write the entire thing without aching in my hand or wrist, so I think I'm good to go.

The stage is being set for the next battle in the team's campaign.

One of my goals for this story has been to have each of the team members bring their own particular strengths and skills to the table, skills that aren't necessarily in a straight-up fight on the ground. While Weiss is harsh on herself for her (admittedly) unearned advantages, she does have the logistical skills and business acumen to secure, organize, and distribute the resources that the team needs for success. And I loved the idea of Yang the Fighter Pilot, with her wearing aviators and bomber jackets in the show.

Now, she'll have to get back on the ground eventually, and before that, she'll need to come to terms with the sheer violence that her style inflicts on people, but taking a different role for this mission could well be just what the doctor ordered. Fly around and vape Grimm - no nightmares from that. I'm also aware that there's a distance growing between Yang and Blake, and there's a plot thing building from it.

The Sunstrider is based off of the Delta-7 Aethersprite Light Interceptor - the "Jedi Starfighter" - from Star Wars, primarily on the grounds that that is a gorgeous ship, and I want one. One thing that I noticed is that, while Atlas had gunships a-plenty, they didn't have anything like a dedicated air superiority fighter - an interceptor.

I've been reading a lot of the old Rogue Squadron books in preparation for Yang's new secondary role.

The song Yang was singing was "Touch the Sky," from the Volume 7 Soundtrack. Such a happy song.

It's pretty common for kids who grow up in abusive households to develop self-harming habits. When Weiss gets anxious, stressed and afraid, she throws herself into work and deliberately stops eating. I've hinted at it before, with Winter staring her sister down into eating her lunch, but I made it explicit here.

The same day that Weiss showed Yang the interceptor was the same day that Blake had her incident at tea. While Yang has taken to the skies, Blake's been seeking healing and acceptance, and Weiss has been taking care of the others and being taken care of in turn. Kali arrives to greet her daughter not long before Ruby wakes up, which is around the same time Oscar hops off the boat at Vale. So we're all clear on timeline here.

Finally, I meant to have a DnD 5e-style class breakdown of the main team as one of the Intermission entries, but I forgot. Ever forget? Happened to me. Anyways, I figured that this would be as good a time as any to introduce it for your consideration.

Jaune Arc - Battlemaster Fighter/Oath of Redemption Paladin

Weiss Schnee - Bladesinger Wizard

Nora Valkyrie - Storm Herald Barbarian

Lie Ren - Kensei Monk

Pyrrha Nikos - Champion Fighter

Blake Belladonna - Thief Rogue

Yang Xiao Long - Berserker Barbarian

Ruby Rose - Horizon Walker Ranger/Divine Soul Sorcerer

Winter Schnee - Eldritch Knight Fighter

Qrow Branwen - Swashbuckler Rogue/Gloomstalker Ranger

Some of these aren't direct 1:1 translations (Weiss's Semblance doesn't stop working if she has her dagger in her offhand, for example) and I'm not going to go into level breakdowns. These are just fun little thought nuggets for how I see each character's defining traits all bundled up. Like how Winter is a fighter who can cast, while Weiss is a caster who can fight. Horizon Walker Ranger has all kinds of mobility features, which I felt suited Ruby perfectly, and her Divine Soul stuff should be pretty obvious.

Just something fun to throw in for discussion. Anyways, while I have to get the next chapter of Reign of Steel finished, this story is officially off hiatus, and the next chapter will be coming out in a matter of weeks, not months. As always, thanks for reading!

-Mahina