That new RWBY anime tho! I'm cautiously optimistic about it (also love the focus on best girl Weiss). What about you guys?
She was 19 when she finally reunited with her team again.
Weiss hadn't realized her birthday had passed until she began anxiously checking her Scroll for a message from Adam. It was the most she'd stared at her Scroll all month. She could barely pay attention to Ruby recounting the surprise betrayal of Hazel, and Sienna's joint attack with Cinder's gang.
It was strange to be surrounded by so many familiar faces again after months of being apart. While everyone looked the same, there were slight changes that left them mere shadows of the people they were before the fall of Beacon. It was in the way Ruby was less childish and energetic, or how Jaune always held a sad, distant look in his eyes whenever he thought no one was looking at him. Even Ren and Nora appeared to be much closer from the last time she saw them. They all seemed so familiar yet so foreign.
Weiss wondered if they felt the same way about her.
"Why do you keep looking at your Scroll?" Yang asked when Weiss snuck a peek at her Scroll for what felt like the hundredth time.
"I was just seeing if Winter replied to my message yet." She lied quickly, though the mention of her sister's name now tightened the uncertainty around her throat.
"How did you get here anyway? Y-you didn't walk all the way from Atlas, did you?" Jaune asked next.
Weiss rolled her at his response," of course I didn't. I had a bit of an…accident coming here."
She quickly summarized her disastrous flight over Mistral. Weiss gave them the most watered-down version of her journey, condensing the exhausting journey to a quick hike through the wilderness and a few sketchy towns. She made a conscious effort to leave out any mentions of Adam. The less they knew the better.
"Wow, you're the last person I expect to survive in the middle of nowhere." Yang teased. "Are you sure you didn't sneak one of your fancy servants out of Atlas with you?"
"Nah, she'd be wearing designers clothes if she snuck one of her butlers out." Ruby teased. That earned a laugh from all her friends.
"I'll have you know I can perfectly take care of myself," Weiss replied half-truthfully—while she was better at coping in the wilderness, Weiss still didn't have the guts to hunt animals for food.
"Wait, didn't you arrive with a friend? What happened to him?" Jaune asked. It took everything for Weiss to not groan in disappointment. In the excitement of reuniting with everyone again, she was hoping he'd forgotten about Adam.
"Is that the childhood friend you told me about?" Ruby unknowingly deepened the hole Weiss dug herself into. "I knew you guys would make up!"
Weiss became distinctly aware of Blake's eyes on her. She purposefully angled her head away so she could no longer see her.
"He had to leave." She told them truthfully. "He's got somewhere to be."
Ruby visibly deflated at the answer," is he coming back? I really want to meet him."
"Probably not. He's got a lot on his plate right now."
"I hope he's alright. That White Fang lady seemed pretty pissed off to see him too." Jaune said. "What the heck did you two do to irritate her so badly?"
"W-we just got in the way of her plans here and there." She shrugged. Weiss was beginning to regret not coming up with a cover story to explain her absence.
"Was he the guy I saw beside you?" Blake questioned next. The tone of her voice gave away her suspicions right away.
Weiss could barely bring herself to look Blake in the eyes. The conversation she had with Adam regarding her crimes was still fresh in her head, and the rage she felt that night burned hotter than ever.
"Yeah." She answered shortly.
'Were you the one who killed my aunt?'
"What's his name?"
"Ash." She blurted the first male name she could think of. Blake, however, didn't seem to buy her story.
"He looks an awful lot like Adam." She pointed out sceptically. "Even down to the weapon."
"Adam isn't the only one who uses a red sword." Weiss shot back. That only seemed to make Blake narrow her eyes suspiciously.
"I know what I saw, Weiss. I've been around him long enough to pick him out from a crowd."
"It's been a while. Maybe your memory isn't as good as you think."
"Or maybe Ash just happens to look like him!" Ruby chimed in, quickly picking up on the tension building up between them. "I'm sure Weiss wouldn't be friends with someone like Adam."
Weiss forced herself to nod in response. She hoped Adam wasn't secretly monitoring their conversation from afar.
"I find it awfully convenient that a guy who resembles Adam just so happens to leave right when Sun and I arrived." Blake folded her arms. "I don't believe in freak coincidences."
"I barely know him. What makes you think we would be fighting together?" Weiss tried to argue from a different angle.
"That's what I want to know. You sounded awfully familiar with him when you two fought in Beacon."
Weiss bit back a curse, forgetting how close Blake was during their first clash.
"You must be hearing things." She blurted the first thing that came to mind.
It was at that moment Weiss' scroll buzzed with a new notification. She felt her heart race when nearly all her friends' eyes looked down at her hand curiously.
"Is that from him?" Blake challenged her tightly.
"I don't need to tell you everyone I keep in contact with." She immediately hid the Scroll up her sleeve.
"You do if it could hurt the rest of us."
"Blake has a point you know." Yang came to her defence. Weiss didn't miss the way Blake's cheeks seemed to redden at her response. "We shouldn't keep secrets from each other. It's not a good way to build trust."
'Neither is lying about your past crimes!' She very nearly blurted out. Weiss bit her lip and stubbornly turned her head away.
'Now is not the time.' The logical part of her brain warned her. It'd been months since they'd been together, she didn't want to ruin it by dragging all of Blake's dirty laundry out in the open like that.
"Just tell us a bit about Ash and we'll back off." Yang continued as if she'd already won the argument. "We're only doing what's best for you and the team."
Weiss wondered if Yang would be this adamant in digging through her personal life if it was Blake being questioned.
"I wouldn't hide something that would jeopardize our safety. I understand you're just trying to be cautious, but I deserve to have some privacy too." Weiss tried to reason.
"Sometimes you need to make compromises," Blake responded instantly. "It's only fair."
"How is it fair? I bet you have friends we don't know about, why aren't you telling us their biography?"
"I'm not asking you to tell us his darkest secrets. I just want to know who exactly this Ash guy is and if he's dangerous." Blake argued. "We deserve to know the truth after what we've been through."
'And I deserve to know you killed my aunt!' Her pent-up rage was just about ready to burst from her chest.
"Just show us your Scroll and we'll back off." Yang continued to fan the flames. "If you have nothing to hide then it should be easy."
"I don't know who Adam is, but I don't think we should be grilling Weiss like this." Jaune thankfully spoke up before Weiss could completely lose her temper. "Ash saved my life and helped defeat that White Fang lady. I don't think he's bad."
"If it's Adam, he'll have an ulterior motive," Blake disagreed.
"If he's Adam." Ruby stepped in once again. "I understand why you're worried, but I think we should at least trust Weiss. She's our friend, she wouldn't want to do anything that could hurt us."
"If she's done nothing wrong then why is she acting so defensive?" Yang shot back.
"I'd be pretty upset too if you guys demanded to see my contact list." Jaune reasoned. "I agree we should all try to be honest with each other, but don't you think this is going a bit too far? By your logic, we should all share our Scrolls to make sure none of us is keeping secrets from each other."
That seemed to convince Yang, but Blake didn't seem too satisfied with the speech. She eyed Weiss suspiciously one last time before addressing Ruby," I trust Weiss, but that doesn't mean I have to trust all the decisions she makes." She said.
It took every ounce of willpower not to point out how ironic her obsession with trust and honesty was.
"Ash helped us defend Haven." Jaune reminded her much more gently than Weiss would've. "It's only fair to give him a chance."
"Yeah," Ruby eagerly nodded. "I've heard stories about him from Weiss. He seems alright."
Weiss could tell Blake wanted to continue arguing, but it seemed having two people challenging her kept her from pressing the issue any further.
"Fine, but don't tell me I didn't warn you." She glared at Weiss one more time before looking away. "I still think it's too much to be a coincidence."
'And I think it's rather convenient for you to forget what you did to my aunt.' Weiss turned her back to Blake, afraid of what she'd say if she kept confronting her about the topic.
"If you're finally finished interrogating me, I'm going out for some fresh air." Weiss left the group before anyone could make a move to stop her.
The courtyard outside was still a mess. Medical staff and surviving students used the space to tend to their dead and injured while their teachers patrolled the grounds. Blake's parents and their staff were mainly dealing with the captured White Fang members. Weiss wasn't sure how they were going to deal with the prisoners, but she felt relieved it was them who would be determining the punishment and not human officers.
Weiss quietly picked her way through the crowd until she found herself in a secluded space behind one of the damaged buildings. Though the fire had long been put out, the air still stunk of burnt wood.
After ensuring no one had followed her, she eagerly took the Scroll out of her sleeve to read her message.
Adam:
Lost her. I'm on my way back. Stay alert.
Weiss anxiously scanned the parameters once again, half-expecting to meet the murderous gaze of the former White Fang leader. She hastily responded, keeping her ears strained for any signs of movement.
Weiss:
Please be careful. There are a lot of Hunters and Huntresses patrolling the courtyard.
Adam:
I'll be fine. Worry about yourself.
Weiss
Okay. See you soon
Adam:
I hope not. I'm not that bad at hiding.
She laughed out loud at his response.
Though he was no doubt far away from her, it comforted her to know he'd soon be looking out for her in the shadows, like he always did.
Awkward was the only term Weiss could use to describe the tension between herself and Blake. They did everything they could to avoid eye contact with each other, only ever speaking to each other when others prompted them to.
It grew worse whenever she pulled out her Scroll to check mundane things like the weather. Blake would undoubtedly be staring at her like she caught her red-handed, though she never tried to confront her about it again the unspoken accusation was deafening.
Weiss made the decision to only text Adam late at night in the privacy of a locked bathroom. Whenever she wasn't texting him, her Scroll was always turned off and in her pockets.
Adam:
There's no need to have a conversation with me every night. I don't want to trouble you like this.
He'd sent her that message when she told him about her precarious texting arrangements.
Weiss:
I want to make sure you're okay. I know you can take care of yourself but I still worry!
Adam:
You're too soft for your own good. Seriously, don't waste your time on me. I don't want to cause useless drama with your friends.
Weiss:
You're my friend too. They'll just have to deal with it.
The tension could be cut with a knife when Ruby signed them all up to bunk together on the Argus Express. Even Yang seemed to be eyeing them both cautiously while her sister eagerly listed out all the catching up they needed to do. If it weren't for Ruby's excitement, Weiss would've happily signed up to stay with Jaune's team.
While Ruby and Yang seemed perfectly content settling into their bunk beds, Weiss felt the sleeping cart was far too stuffy for her liking-–especially with Blake sitting directly across from her. No matter how many times she pretended to check over her refilled stock of Dust, there was no escaping the suffocating weight between them.
She quietly excused herself once the train began moving. Weiss kept a close eye on all the passengers she passed by, turning her head whenever she spotted someone who even remotely resembled Adam. Each time she thought she'd spotted him, she was bitterly disappointed.
If it weren't for the message confirming he'd managed to sneak on board, she would've been sure he was left behind in Mistral City.
She'd just pulled out her Scroll to send him a request to meet up when she spotted Jaune approaching at the end of the hall. Weiss quickly lowered her Scroll and greeted him with a forced smile.
"Were you about to text him?" Jaune asked her right away.
"Is it that obvious?" She half-joked. It was nice to openly talk about her continued conversations with Adam without having their interactions scrutinized.
"I don't think I've ever seen you play with your Scroll that much." He elaborated. "Is everything alright with you and Blake now?"
"We tolerate each other." Weiss tried to appear nonchalant.
"I'm sure she'll come around eventually. She's probably just a bit skittish after everything."
'Maybe she should stop being skittish and tell me the truth already.'
"Hey, I'm about to explore the train a bit more with Ren and Nora, do you want to tag along?" He thankfully changed the topic.
"In a bit. I want to uh…" She glanced down at her Scroll.
"Oh, right!" Jaune smiled sheepishly. "I'll leave you to it! Can you tell your friend I appreciate what he did for me back in Haven?"
"Of course," Weiss beamed. She was sure he'd appreciate it too, especially when it was probably the first time he saved a human other than her.
After Jaune left, she sent Adam a quick message.
Weiss:
We could find time to meet up. It's a big train.
Also, my friend Jaune (the guy with blond hair) says thank you for saving him!
She looked out the window and idly admired the fresh snowfall. Her heart leapt with excitement when her Scroll buzzed.
Adam:
Too risky with so many of your friends around.
And are all your friends as mushy as you? I was only fighting for the side I support.
Weiss:
:(
And there's no need to act so cool all the time. I think you'd get along great with Jaune!
Adam:
We'll have to agree to disagree.
Weiss jumped in surprise when Ruby suddenly called out her name to invite her to explore the train with the rest of the team. While she'd like nothing more than to cuddle up in her bed now that Blake wouldn't be in the room, Weiss reluctantly gave in to Ruby's request. She could always relax after Ruby exhausted her curiosity.
Her wish to rest on a soft bed never came true as she and the rest of her team tumbled into the blizzard raging just a couple of hours later.
"I saw him," Blake spoke up after what felt like hours of pushing through knee-deep snow.
No one had spoken much after that cursed lamp had all but crushed their morale, so when Blake finally broke the silence nearly everyone turned their heads to her.
"Saw who?" It was Yang who answered.
"Adam." Blake's ears curled downwards. Yang looked as if she wanted to hold her hand, but for whatever reason, she held back.
Between the constant barrage of snowflakes pelting her face and the endless layers of snow, Weiss couldn't find the energy to respond to her. She buried her face in her scarf and quietly pressed on against the wind.
"Maybe you were just seeing things?" Oscar suggested in a poor attempt to ease her anxiety.
"I-I don't know. He looked so real." Blake stammered.
Weiss pretended not to notice her Scroll buzzing for the third time since they fell into the middle of nowhere. She purposefully ignored Blake's accusatory glare and continued walking like nothing had happened.
'He's going to be so pissed at me.' Weiss thought guiltily. Between her falling off of a moving train to ignoring his messages, she had no doubts he was worried sick. 'I hope he didn't jump off after us.'
"Where did you see him?" Yang asked softly, seemingly the only person who wanted to entertain Blake's claim.
"Right when I derailed our cart." Blake finally tore her eyes off Weiss. "I-it could've been a hallucination, but I-I can't say for sure. I-I'm scared he's following us."
"Don't worry, I—we won't let him hurt you if he comes for you," Yang reached over Bumblebee to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. That managed to earn a genuine smile from Blake.
Weiss tore her eyes away from them, feeling as though she was intruding on something private.
"It's not me I'm worried about," Blake added so quietly Weiss nearly missed it over the roaring wind.
Weiss had done and seen many things since she left Atlas, but taking shelter in an abandoned house with mummified bodies was definitely one of the most disturbing things she'd ever done.
Weiss was used to sleeping on the floor, so she really didn't complain when the couches were occupied by Oscar and Maria. At least she had a cushion for her head, a warm blanket to curl into, and a toasty fireplace to ward off the chill. Blake and Yang made their bedding just next to hers, which helped the house feel just a bit warmer. Ruby had her bedding laid out to her right, but she took a keen interest in monitoring her uncle's drinking habits and hadn't been back since he found the wine cellar.
Under normal circumstances, Weiss would've happily kept Ruby company. She was far too familiar with the helplessness of watching a loved one lose themselves in alcohol, but tonight she could barely lift her head up without feeling completely drained.
Not even her long journey to Mistral City left her half as exhausted. All she wanted to do now was to close her eyes and sleep until the end of her days.
Her Scroll buzzed, barely rousing her from her cloud of exhaustion. She would normally be worried about Blake hearing the notification when she was so close to her, but tonight her fatigue dampened her usual sense of caution. She pulled her Scroll out and found three panicked text messages from Adam.
Sent at 12:01 pm
I saw what happened. Where the fuck are you?
Sent at 2:57 pm
Is everything okay? Send me something back so I know you're still alive.
Sent at 9:02 pm
Weiss, if you don't answer me by the end of today I'm coming to find you!
Texting her response proved even more difficult than she expected. Her fingers were sluggish, making stupid spelling mistakes with almost every word.
Weiss:
Alive. Fell off train. Okay now
It took mere seconds for him to answer back.
Adam:
Where are you?!
Weiss:
Don't know, some bodies upstairs.
Adam:
Bodies?
Are you sure you're okay? You're making no sense.
Weiss:
Tired. Very sleepyeveyone sleepy.
Adam:
This doesn't sound like normal fatigue. Did you guys eat anything strange? Were you served food by a stranger?
Weiss:
No just berytired
She was just about to tell him what she'd learned from that lamp but she paused when she heard Blake adjust her pillow before going still again. Though she was surrounded by friends on all sides, she felt strangely alone in the storm.
Without thinking, she erased her unsent message and hastily wrote a new one.
Weiss:
I wish you werehere. Been a bad day.
Adam:
Do you want to talk about it?
Weiss:
No. TooComplicated. Also too tiredto talk
Adam:
Maybe you should get some rest. Have you guys got a safe place to sleep?
Weiss:
Yess! We're sleeping inside ahouse with nicefireplacr and pillows.
Adam:
Good. Update me tomorrow ASAP! I hope you sleep well.
Weiss:
Night Adam
She didn't even bother pocketing her Scroll before closing her eyes, snuggling closer to it as if that would bring her closer to him. At some point, she swore she felt someone slipping her Scroll out from beneath her fingers, but she couldn't bring herself to care as she slipped into a dreamless sleep.
Weiss shivered despite the fireplace crackling in the hearth. Though it'd been hours since they left that abandoned house, the Apathy Grimm still left her stirring with paranoia. Even after they left that cursed house she couldn't quite shake the feeling that someone was watching her, but no matter how hard she scanned their surroundings, all she could find was snow.
"Next time we stay in a creepy house, we're checking everything." Ruby trembled beside her. "That was way too close."
They were insanely lucky to stumble into Argus so soon after their harrowing escape. Everyone was a bit apprehensive to go waltzing into the town at first, but after seeing the peaceful locals going about their day it assured them that nothing malicious was hiding beneath the surface. It didn't stop them from doing a complete sweep of Jaune's sisters' place before settling down, though.
Ren, Nora, and Maria left to grab some takeout while Qrow slumped upstairs to sleep off his hangover. That left the rest of them alone to catch up.
"At least we can finally relax a bit." Oscar sighed tiredly. "This feels like heaven."
Weiss felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise and jerked her head to the right, catching Blake's eye once again. Blake looked away guiltily and pretended to fix something on her sleeve.
Weiss would've been more relaxed had she not caught Blake staring at her all day. At first, Weiss assumed Blake was just acting worried, but as the day went on she still couldn't quite shake off Blake's eyes. It was the most she'd caught Blake staring ever since they'd reunited.
"Okay, spill." Weiss confronted her directly, unable to stand another couple of hours under her gaze. "Why do you keep staring at me like that?"
"I'm not staring," Blake answered quickly.
"I've caught you staring at me the entire day. If you have something to say just say it."
Blake seemed to flinch away from the accusation. Weiss was convinced she wasn't going to cave when Yang whispered something to her. While Weiss couldn't make out what she said, her tone indicated she was worried about Blake.
"Okay fine!" Blake looked back at her, whatever shyness she felt before had melted in burning determination. "Why are you talking to Adam?"
"This again?" Even Ruby sounded a bit exasperated. "I thought you guys agreed to drop this."
"Yeah, we did." Weiss narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Then why are you texting him?"
"I don't know–"
"I saw it last night." Blake cut her off. "Unless 'Ash' likes to go by another name. It's a rather convenient nickname, don't you think?"
Weiss felt all their eyes aimed at her. She should've been more horrified at her secret being thrown out for everyone to see, but at that moment all she saw was red.
"You looked through my Scroll?!" She exclaimed angrily.
"So you're not denying it." Blake pressed on. "That man really was Adam."
"I-I'm sure this is all a big misunderstanding!" Ruby quickly jumped in.
"He uses the same sword as him! I know what I saw that night!" Blake snapped. "What I don't understand is why you'd willingly work with a guy like that!"
"Plenty of guys use flashy red swords!" Jaune tried to reason, but even now he sounded a bit unsure. "R-right, Weiss?"
She glared at Blake. Weiss couldn't believe she had the audacity to snoop through her personal life like that when she was hiding so many skeletons from them.
Her pent up frustration was bursting like an inferno. No matter how much she tried to control her breathing or think of an alternative way to deal with the problem, all she could think about was Blake's lies-all she could picture was Blake scrolling through her private conversations with Adam.
Weiss dug her nails into her palms so hard she was certain she'd drawn blood.
"So what if it's Adam?" She challenged her coldly. The cabin went so quiet they could hear Qrow snoring from just upstairs.
"You traitor!" Yang jumped to her feet, hair blazing and eyes crimson. Weiss immediately jumped to her feet, not wanting to be seated when Yang's semblance was bursting at the seams. "You're talking to the enemy behind our backs!"
"He's not our enemy—"
"He cut my fucking arm off!"
"And I didn't forgive him for that-it was needlessly cruel! I never claimed he was a saint, but I promise he's not a threat to us anymore!"
"How can you expect us to believe you when you've been lying to us?!"
"W-wait, is this the same guy you told me about?" Jaune asked Yang meekly as if fearing she'd turn her anger on him next.
"Oh yeah. He's the bastard that destroyed Beacon!" Yang fumed.
Jaune slumped back in his seat in utter shock, his complexion was very quickly resembling the freshly fallen snow outside. "I-I don't understand. W-why would you lie for someone like that, Weiss?"
"He also saved your life!" She reminded him sharply. "I wasn't the one who told him to do that. He wasn't even supposed to be at Haven but he still came to help us!"
"T-that guy targeted Beacon for no reason! He's the reason Pyrrha…" he could barely finish with the tears welling in his eyes.
"It was Cinder who killed her. Not him."
"Oh and that makes what he did okay?!"
"Don't put words into my mouth, Jaune! I never said what he did was okay, but it also wasn't like he had a choice. Cinder would've killed the Faunus working under him if he didn't help her!"
"Yeah right. How could you believe something so obviously made up?!" He snapped.
"And what would you do if Cinder threatened to kill your friends and family? He's not a monster, he has to look after his friends just like the rest of us." She challenged him.
Jaune visibly struggled to come up with an answer. When he couldn't think of a response, he chose to cross his arms and looked away from her.
"I thought you were smarter than this, Weiss." Blake was up on her feet next, standing firmly by Yang's side. "How could you defend him so blindly?"
"He didn't trick me into trusting him!" Weiss argued. "You don't know what I've seen. He's saved my life dozens of times when he could've easily killed me. I trust him because he's earned my trust."
"I've known him for years! You don't know the number of innocent humans he's killed without mercy! I don't know what he's said to make you defend him like this, but monsters like him can't be trusted!"
'Says the murderer.' Weiss bit back her heated retort. With every second that ticked by it was growing harder and harder to keep her rage from bursting like a bomb.
"He's really trying to turn a new leaf and I'm willing to give him a second chance." She explained as calmly as she could manage. "I know what kind of past he has, but I also see he's willing to change his ways now."
"Bullshit! How do we know you're not working for him?!" Yang took a threatening step toward Weiss.
Weiss rested her hand on her sword, readying to draw it at a moment's notice. Immediately Ruby jumped in between them.
"Stop it! We're supposed to be a team, I'm sure we can talk it out—"
"Talk it out?! She's fraternalizing with a terrorist! She betrayed us!" Yang pushed Ruby aside and walked right up to Weiss, fists trembling. "Give me one fucking reason why I shouldn't kick you out right now."
"Because you'll be the biggest hypocrite in this room." Weiss tilted her head up and bravely met Yang's eyes.
"What did you just call me?!" She said through clenched teeth. Her golden hair seemed to glow with even more vigour it was almost blinding. Still, Weiss firmly held her ground.
"You didn't hear me the first time? Then let me make myself clear, Yang." She stepped toward her until their noses were nearly touching. "You would be a hypocrite."
"Stop it!" Ruby once again squeezed herself in between them, forcing both to back down.
"I think you need to read a dictionary, Weiss, because you clearly don't know what that word means!" Yang was still trying to find a way around Ruby, but this time her sister refused to budge.
"Oh really?!" Weiss directed her glare at Blake. Almost immediately Blake's own scowl dissolved into fear.
'She knows.' Her rage was clawing at her chest like a chained beast.
"Maybe you should do a background check on your girlfriend because she's not as innocent as she looks!" The words left her mouth before she even had the chance to fully process what she said.
Had it not been for the fury taking over her every thought, Weiss would've regretted revealing something so personal to everyone. Now, however, it satisfied the angry beast yearning to be released.
"Don't you dare compare her to that heartless monster!" Yang very nearly threw Ruby on the floor while Weiss drew her sword.
Jaune and Oscar jumped up at that point, warily eyeing them both.
It was at that moment Nora, Ren, and Maria reentered the house with dinner. It was almost comedic to see their cheerful mood dissolve the instant they noticed the suffocating tension in the house.
"Ummm…is this a bad time?" Nora asked warily.
"Weiss has been working with a terrorist behind our backs," Yang explained curtly.
"And Blake is desperately trying to pretend she didn't commit any act of terrorism." Weiss countered just as shortly.
"Stop making up more lies!"
"Then why don't we hear it from Blake then? Go on!" She gestured to Blake. "You seem awfully quiet all of a sudden! Weren't you just accusing me of being tricked by Adam?!"
"I-I…" Blake was eyeing the front door. Had Nora and the others not been crowding her only escape, Weiss had no doubt she would've bolted by now.
Weiss pushed past Yang and stood stubbornly in front of Blake, who visibly flinched and looked away.
"Tell them you're innocent!" Weiss challenged her. "We're waiting!"
"You don't have to say anything!" She felt Yang grab onto her shoulder.
"If she's innocent she should have no problems defending herself!" Weiss shook off Yang's iron grip by raising her sword up. "Maybe you should shut up for once and let her speak for herself!"
Yang reeled her fist back, but Ruby grabbed onto it before she had the chance to fully commit to the punch. Jaune quickly jumped in and helped pull Yang back when she tried to hit Wiess with her other hand.
"Stop it! Stop trying to fight each other!" Ruby pleaded desperately, struggling against her sister's strength. Oscar sheepishly tried to help her hold Yang back, but it did little to relieve the strain Ruby was under.
"We can settle this once and for all if you'd just tell us the truth." Weiss turned her attention back to Blake, who stumbled away like she'd just been punched.
"I-I didn't—" Blake began weakly.
"Look me in the eyes and say it, you coward!" Weiss marched right into her personal space. "Look me in the fucking eyes and tell me you had no role in murdering my aunt!"
That got her attention. She sheepishly met Weiss' gaze, guilt was written all over her face like a neon sign.
"Say. It." Weiss continued to push her. "Prove me wrong! Tell me you're innocent!"
"I'm sorry!" Blake's apology made the cabin go dead silent.
The room felt as cold as the Dust Mines back at home. The fire was uselessly crackling in the hearth. Weiss backed away from her, throat tightening at the sound of Blake's confession.
She already knew what to expect, but hearing it straight from Blake made it feel that much more real.
"Blake…" Ruby looked nervously between her and Weiss. "Is this…is this true?"
"She's right." Blake hugged herself, looking down at her feet. "I did some unforgivable things before I defected. I'm sorry I never came clean with it."
"Blake…" Yang visibly wilted like a dying flower.
"They were my family." Weiss felt her anger melt into grief for her aunt and cousin. "I don't care what happened to my uncle, he can burn in hell, but my aunt and cousin were innocent—they took no part in the business!"
"We knew that—"
"Why didn't you tell me?! Why did I have to learn this from him?!"
"I was scared you'd hate me!" She cried. Somehow her reasoning only made Weiss' rage burn more furiously. "I didn't want to ruin my friendship with you!"
"And you thought keeping this a secret would help?" Weiss was desperately trying hard to hold in her own tears and failing miserably. "You murdered my aunt, Blake! I have every right to know!"
"I'm sorry! I-I really am!" Blake shyly met her gaze and held it. "I promised myself I would never hurt innocent humans again. I haven't since I left, I swear!"
She almost hated how honest Blake was being. It would've been so much easier to continue staying mad at her if she didn't already put in so much work to prove she'd changed from her past. Now it felt like kicking a dead horse.
"I wish you hadn't lied to me." Weiss' anger was slowly beginning to lose its fuel, leaving her heart heavy with guilt at what she recklessly revealed to the others. "Were you ever going to tell me?"
"I-" Blake paused for a second and shook her head. "N-no. I-I was hoping you'd never find out."
"I thought I could trust you." Weiss breathed, leaning weakly against the nearest wall. Her legs felt like they were made of jelly.
"What I did was stupid. I'm sorry. I wish I could undo everything, I really do! I-I don't know how else I can prove that I regret it!"
"I-I know. I can see that you're sorry." Weiss told her honestly. "But that gives you and everyone else here no right to tell me who I can and can't forgive. Not while we openly accept you as our friend."
Her Scroll chose that moment to buzz with a new message. Weiss noticed the other shifting uncomfortably at the innocent noise.
"I'm sorry I never told you guys the truth about Adam. I didn't think you would understand, but I should've known better than anyone how much secrets can hurt." She pushed herself off the wall, swaying a bit before finding balance again. "He's really trying to change, Blake. I know that because I see a lot of you in him right now."
Weiss looked behind her, grimacing as she saw Nora's group still blocking the exit. She bowed her head and stumbled her way upstairs, locking herself in the bathroom before losing herself in tears.
Though the friends she fought so desperately to reunite with were just downstairs, Weiss felt more alone than ever.
Sent at 3:48 pm
Checking up on you again. You promised to update me today. Is everything okay?
The message displayed on her screen was blurry thanks to the lingering tears still burning her eyes. She'd been resting on the cold bathroom tiles for what felt like hours, and her back ached from being hunched over for so long.
She hadn't heard a peep from downstairs aside from the brief moment Jaune's sisters came home. They all could've left without her knowing any better.
Weiss clumsily typed out a reply but she changed her mind halfway and started a call instead.
'I wonder if I should stay the night.' She thought glumly. Weiss was expecting to hear Jaune storming upstairs, demanding she packed her bags and leave his sister's home. The silent treatment somehow felt worse.
"Weiss?" Adam finally answered her call. She smiled at the sound of his voice, it made the house feel significantly less lonely.
"Hi." She said quietly.
"You don't sound too good. Are you still feeling tired? It could be another cold, do you remember what herbs to cook again?"
"I'm not sick." She sniffled. His concern, while warming her heart, also made her eyes sting. It was nice to hear him again, but it made her long for his company even more.
"Then what's wrong? You sound upset." He asked after a short pause.
"Promise you won't get mad?"
"If you jumped off another train I swear to gods."
That got her to laugh at least, easing some of the earlier tension like a wave.
"I wish it were that simple, Adam."
She told him everything that happened after they escaped that horrible house. It was exhausting to relive it all over again, but she felt so much lighter after venting out her thoughts to him.
"Sorry I got you into so much trouble." He said once she'd finished.
"It's not you. I shouldn't have been so cryptic about us." She answered tiredly. "They probably hate me."
"I doubt that."
"You weren't there. You didn't see how awful it was." She whimpered. "What if I get kicked off the team? What will I do?"
"If they can somehow forgive Blake I don't see why they can't forgive you for being buddies with another White Fang defect."
"I don't know, I've never seen them that upset before." She shivered, recalling how close Yang had been to punching her. "Yang almost knocked me out."
"Are you safe right now?" He asked in a heartbeat.
"I'm fine." She sighed, resting her head against her knees. "It was partly my fault too, I provoked her unnecessarily. I'll be lucky if they let me stay another night."
"Well...you mentioned you're in Argus now, right? If your team is stupid enough to abandon you, you can stay with me. We'll plan our next steps together."
Together.
It was a simple promise, but it was enough to numb the crushing pain left by her argument with the others.
"Y-yeah." She quickly wiped her eyes dry.
'I'm not alone anymore.'
"Besides, you still owe me more of those first-class train rides." He added as a joke. "I'm not about to let you get away with that."
"You're right." Weiss laughed. "I'll get us the best seats they can offer us."
"I don't doubt that you can." In a more serious tone, he added," if there's someone on your team that's a threat to you, let me know. You might not have the heart to fight back, but I don't take kindly to people who threaten my friends."
"I'm fine, really I am." She assured him. "Yang's just a bit...impulsive but she's not a threat. Can we stop talking about this? I've had enough depressing conversations for one day."
"As long as you feel safe I suppose." He didn't sound too happy to drop the topic, but she appreciated that he didn't push it any further.
"Are you staying somewhere warm in Argus?" She quickly changed the subject.
"Yeah, there's no way in hell I'm camping in the snow. I also haven't been able to pick up on any signs of Sienna since arriving."
"That's good."
"No, it isn't. She could try to make her move now that I lost her."
"The only thing we've seen is snow and a bunch of creepy Grimm. I don't think we need to worry about Sienna." She assured him. "You should lay low for a bit. I think you could use a break."
She nearly dropped her Scroll when someone knocked against the locked bathroom door.
"Weiss?" She heard Ruby's muffled voice on the other side. "Do you have time to uh...chat?"
"Erm...i-in a minute." She answered back.
"Who was that?" He asked worriedly.
"Ruby, she wants to talk," Weiss whispered. "I'm about to be kicked off the team, I-I just know it."
"Don't be so dramatic, you'll attract Grimm if you keep this up." He reassured her calmly. "Relax. I'm only one call away if something goes wrong."
'I wish you were here.'
"I should probably go. It'd be rude to keep her waiting." She absentmindedly played with the ends of her red scarf. "Stay safe."
"Let me know what happens later. Good luck."
Once the call had ended she reluctantly cracked open the bathroom door. Ruby was patiently leaning against the wall opposite of her, anxiously eyeing the guest room where her uncle had secluded himself since they arrived.
"You wanted to talk?" Weiss asked, making Ruby jump in surprise.
"Y-yeah." She smiled awkwardly and looked over at the guest room set aside for their team. "Want to talk somewhere more private?"
They made their way to the tiny bedroom without saying another word. Weiss dejectedly sat herself down on her designated while Ruby locked the door behind them. Weiss didn't look up as Ruby sat down beside her, choosing instead to inspect her backpack and taking a mental note of the supplies she had on hand.
'I might as well be prepared to leave.' She thought miserably.
"So..." Ruby played nervously with the end of her cloak. "Adam's that friend you told me about?"
"Yeah." Weiss hugged her bag.
"The very same one who risked everything to save you from the White Fang?"
"Yup."
"Man, this is weird." Ruby fell back onto the bed with a dramatic sigh "I didn't think relationships could get this complicated."
"You're telling me." Weiss scoffed. "If you're here to tell me I'm wrong for trusting him you're wasting your breath."
"I'm not. I just want to understand something." Ruby paused for a moment before sitting back up again. "Are you sure he's trying to change? I-I don't want to accuse you of lying or anything, but I think Blake also has good reasons to suspect he's not being honest."
Weiss felt a little annoyed at her response, but she pushed down irritation for the sake of avoiding another argument, "I know what I've seen, Ruby. I trust him like I'd trust you guys."
"Can you tell me why?"
"You...want to know more? A-about him?" Weiss asked gingerly. She was expecting Ruby of all people to yell at her for trusting the guy who hurt Yang. Then again, Ruby had always been the most optimistic one of them all.
If Adam considered Weiss hopelessly optimistic then Ruby was constantly living in a perfect fairy tale.
"You want us to believe he's changed, right? You should at least tell me why you think that way." Ruby simply answered. Her neutral expression hid her true feelings about the subject.
Weiss nodded and detailed his recent encounters with humans as best she could. She also delved a little into the heart-to-heart they had to give Ruby more context about what transpired between them. Even without looking at Ruby, her silence told Weiss she felt completely shocked by the new information.
"He's still a bit awkward around humans and I can't blame him." She concluded. "He's a bit like Blake when she first met us: a bit edgy, likes to keep to himself—"
"And totally awkward around strangers," Ruby finished with a laugh.
"Yup." Weiss agreed. "His circumstances are more…severe than Blake's so I'm not expecting him to act friendly towards humans any time soon."
"But he's still trying not to hurt the innocent?"
"He is."
Ruby nodded but didn't say anything else. For a long moment, they sat in complete silence. It was the longest Weiss had seen Ruby so quiet and sombre. She wasn't sure if this was a good sign or a bad one.
"I think I'm starting to understand." She rested a hand firmly on Weiss' shoulder. "I don't know if I can trust him yet, but I trust your judgement."
Weiss did a double-take. Even with Ruby smiling warmly at her, Weiss still found it difficult to believe what she was hearing.
"You're right. If we're willing to give Blake a second chance, then we have no right judging you for doing the same thing with your friend."
"Even if he...hurt Yang?"
"Honestly, I don't know how I feel about that right now." She smiled apologetically. "But I also know he means a lot to you and I'm open to working with him."
"Ruby…" Weiss cursed when she felt herself wanting to cry again.
"Besides, he risked his neck to save you, right? As your friend, I owe him at least the benefit of the doubt."
"Thank you!" Weiss embraced her. "I'm sorry I kept this to myself."
"Don't worry, I understand." She firmly hugged her back. "The others might be a bit uh…sensitive about this whole thing, but I know they'll come around eventually. Just give them some time."
As long as they weren't going to kick her out and shun her forever, Weiss would happily give them all the time in the world.