Big Issues
AN: To be honest, I thought that this would be a short chapter that I'd struggle to stretch to my usual 6k word length minimum. Should have figured I'd blow past that by now. But I hope you all enjoy this fairly relaxing chapter.
Vytal Tournament – Advice Given
"You won't beat me old man!" Ruby shouts.
"Heh, you're nothing but talk, kid." Qrow scoffs.
"You can do it Ruby!" Yang cheers from the side.
"Eh, she's hangin' in there." Denko offered his support.
"She don't got it." Itazura grins.
The family and friends were in the Team RWBY dorm room, spending some quality time together. Which meant that they were playing video games. This time, it was a fighting game with ninjas and other fighters facing off against each other.
"Soaring Ninja wins! Total annihilation!" the game announces as Qrow got in the final attack with just under half his characters health left, having decapitated Ruby's for the win.
"By the way, don't ever call me old." The uncle comments to his youngest niece who was hanging her head in shame where she sat on the floor next to him.
"My turn!" Yang declares as she grabs Ruby's scroll that was her controller and pushes the younger girl backwards, her rounder body making it easy for her to roll to stop at Denko's feet. She did take his offered hand to stand up once the 'surprise attack' wore off.
The blonde girl dropped into the spot her sister had occupied, the floor nice and warm and her belly filled her lap, keeping her mostly bare upper legs warm.
"Now… where was I?" The oldest in the room asks no one in particular.
"You were telling us about your last mission!" Ruby darts back over to kneel between and behind her family. The siblings behind her content to watch the family drama as it was better than most of what could be found on television. Plus, it was an interactive show.
"Right. Right… I'd come across a small village in the swamps west of Mistral. Right off the bat, I knew something wasn't right." He began with practiced ease.
Telling stories to the girls when they were younger about the missions he'd been on may have been part of the reason they wanted to follow in his footsteps, Denko and Itazura too. The four of them heard many tales of his adventures, though he kept them a bit on the tamer side… he'd been smacked once or twice by Summer for being too graphic to Yang. Ruby was too young to do much more than eat, sleep, and fill her diaper at the time. Didn't stop the little silver eyed girl from laughing at him when her mom hit him. Of course, Yang thought it was good to hit him following in her mother's example. It may have been the best revenge watching Summer and Yang debating about when it was appropriate to hit someone, a fully trained Huntress and mother arguing with a girl going on three over details and circumstances… with him sitting there and holding Ruby as they watched the two go at it. And that was how Tai had found them when he walked in through the door.
"What were you doing there?" Ruby asks, bringing him back from the old memory to the newer one, while still fighting Yang on the screen.
"I needed information." Qrow replies easily, gathering information when entering a town should be natural for any Huntsman worth their Dust. "Tired from battling Grimm along the way, I decided to start my search at the town's inn. The place was crawling with lowlifes and thugs, even a few Huntsmen I could only assume that were hired by less than reputable people for less than respectable jobs. And that's when it happened…"
"What happened?" Yang asks. Behind her, Denko and Itazura smiled as they recognized the trap.
"I was defeated… by the mere sight… of the innkeepers skirt length!" He finishes proudly. That part was enough to distract Yang from the game long enough for him to claim another victory, for which she threw Ruby's dog pillow at his head for and glared at him for the cheap trick.
"You are the worst!" She raises her voice at her uncle who shares a look with Ruby before they break out into laughter. It didn't help the girls' mood any when she heard the siblings laughing behind her.
"Best two out of three?" He asks with a smirk, ready to whoop digital ass again.
Ruby moves over to sit on Weiss' bed, which had been properly made since this mornings'… events. "So, Uncle Qrow, did you get in trouble with Ozpin?" She asks teasingly about yesterday's fight.
"Nah!" He waves a hand dismissively. "Me and Oz go way back. We're cool."
"Cool for an old guy." Yang comments with a smile.
The man rose to take the bait though as he glared at her for calling out his age. "Not funny."
"Hey! So, what are you doing here anyway?" Ruby asks innocently. "I though dad said you'd be away on a mission for like… ever?" She waves a hand try to accent her point.
The next round on the screen began just as Qrow began talking, keeping his eyes focused on the projected screen. "Well, a professional Huntsman like myself are expected to get results as soon as possible."
He missed seeing Ruby's chubby face light up in pride in her family before it shifted to overconfidence in herself. "Yeah, I get that. Heh, we're pretty much pros too." Ruby missed the pair of snorts from the desk.
"Oh really?" The caped man asks.
"Psst, yeah! Read the news sometime. We totally saved Vale while you were gone." Yang tells him with a grin.
"Funny… because I heard Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you ALMOST managed to stop a train." It was at that point that Qrow won the game, raising his blonde niece's ire again. That didn't stop him from leaning closer to tease her further. "But they don't give out medals for 'almost'."
"They do and they're called silver!" Ruby proclaims to the room proudly, receiving a thumbs up from the siblings for her quick thinking.
"Well, we took down Roman Torchwick. He's locked up in Ironwood's ship and crimes been down ever since." Yang tells her uncle with a smile. "That's basically a bounty mission."
Qrow was far from being as proud as the girls. "Sure, you may be acting like Huntresses, but you're not thinking like one." He slipped into teacher mode, something that was hard to drop after the years at Signal. "You really think four girls and their friends could end all crime in the Kingdom?"
Denko saw the shift in the mood and crossed his arms over his chest. Itazura simply rolled her eyes at the lecture, having heard it before. Yang began to look uncomfortable where she sat while Ruby began poking her fingers together. "Um… I did until you said something…" The youngest in the room mutters.
"Violence hasn't dropped since Roman got nabbed… it stopped. Completely." The veteran Huntsman sat up straighter to show how seriously he was taking things. "No White Fang activity anywhere around the city." He continues. "You cut off the head of a King Taijitu, but now the second head is calling the shots."
Qrow pulled a knee up and rests an arm on it as his tone turned a little harder. "That's something that Ironwood can't get through that thick metal head of his."
Denko and Itazura barely suppressed their snorts at the comment. Meanwhile, the sisters shared a glance, in silent communication.
"You know the General?" Yang asks, unsure how her uncle knew someone like the General of Atlas. She knew that Qrow is a great Huntsman that had few rivals in skill and had seen him in action more than a few times. But he'd also been a teacher on the little island that they called home. Him knowing Ozpin, that could be explained by the fact that Qrow had attended and graduated from Beacon and Ozpin was the Headmaster, though she never checked to see if he was in his position when her parent's team were students. But to know someone like the leader of another Kingdoms military forces…
The man shifted from teacher to cool uncle in a flash. "Hey! I know everybody to some extent. Remember, you're talking to a member of the coolest team to ever graduate Beacon." He boasts before reaching into a pocket and withdrawing an old photo, folded, faded, and slightly stained.
But it was Team STRQ in their late teens or early twenties, standing among some trees in a forest. Taiyang Xiao Long was easily recognizable to everyone in the room, though he lacked the hair on his chin back then and wore cargo pants rather than cargo shorts like he does now. He also was a bit thinner back then, the effects of settling down for a family most likely. The younger Qrow was equally easy to make out as he wore nearly the same thing now. The only real difference was the lack of stubble and his hair was darker. Harbinger was held on his shoulder as he stood confidently.
But it was the two women in the picture that drew attention the most. On the far side, leaning on the same tree as Tai, was Summer Rose. She was wrapped up in her white cloak with a hood, her black skirt and blouse stuck out from the obscuring cloth but the part of her face and hair that could be seen… Ruby saw the same face whenever she looked at a mirror. Then there was the other woman, whose face looked so much like Yang's, only framed by black hair that was 'tamed' by a red bandanna. Raven Branwen, stood there with a hand on her sword, Omen, and ready to draw it. But there she was wearing her black clothes with red armor on her arms.
But being so close to the picture, Yang had a clear view of everything and she focused on Raven… until Qrow shifted his thumb over his sisters' face.
"Ah, Team STRQ." Qrow sighs, remembering the good old days when the team was together. "That's when I met your parents. We were pretty well known back in the day." He knew the girls were taking their chance to see the team whole and happy… it wasn't something that they got to see often at home. Tai made sure to hide the photos after Summer was gone… he couldn't stand seeing her as only a picture. And the fact that Raven was in many of the pictures as well, that didn't help things at all. Qrow had helped the blonde pack up most of them and put them in storage in the basement, locked in a safe. There were a few left in the rest of the house, but they were usually concealed. He knew the girls each had a picture of Summer holding them in bed while she read them stories. They also had their birthday pictures as well from when the family was 'whole' and happy. But the girls only brought them out for Summer's own birthday, something they did away from their father in the privacy of their room with three cupcakes. It was usually Qrow's job on that day to keep the blonde man occupied so he wouldn't mope all day, but they'd get cupcakes by the days end. Since Denko and Itazura came into their lives, they were brought into the remembrance.
"Well known for crummy fashion sense." Ruby snapped the older man out of his thoughts and back to reality.
"Hey! We looked good! And I have a number of inappropriate stories that will back that up." He proudly tells his youngest niece. Meanwhile, Yang kept staring at the picture, mesmerized and trying to memorize every detail. Then he noticed the blonde girl not really reacting and quickly pockets the photo, carefully. But without it in sight, Yang snapped back to the present and shook her head, something that another blonde noticed and his sister gave him a look. "BUT I'll save those for when you're older."
Qrow stands up and walks towards the door as Ruby showed her immaturity with a little freakout at the mere suggestion of more 'adult oriented' tales, especially those concerning her parents. "Anyway, I'm too old to be hanging out with a bunch of kids, you're gonna cramp my style."
The man stops by the door, turning around with a finger raised and his face serious once more. "And don't think for a second that graduating means you're done; every day out there is worth a week in this place." His entire being relaxed. "You kids, you're gonna go far, but only if you keep learning, if you never stop moving forward." He addressed not only his family, but the two other siblings in the room. The sisters smiled at the praise and advice that was given to them by one of their greatest role models and teachers, while the brother and sister pair nodded as they've heard this before from him but appreciated the compliments from the man who helped to get them off the streets.
With those final words, Qrow Branwen left the room. Yang and Ruby shared a soft look with each other, glad that they got to spend time with their uncle and knowing that he was looking out for them, yet wasn't going to hold their hands. The chubby blonde jumped a little when she was poked in her soft side, Denko having sat next to her, accidentally elbowing her as he withdrew his scroll from his pocket so he could play the game with her.
"Ready for another round?" He asks, connecting into the game and making his selections from the character roster.
Instantly, Yang switched to being competitive as she made her choices. "You're on!" Meanwhile, Ruby slipped out the door with Itazura, the old friends going for a walk since they knew the blondes would be going for a while.
"He's right, you know." Denko says after they finished a round in the game. He'd lost as he had to get used to the game again.
"I know."
"You're still having that problem."
"What problem?"
"I saw how you were acting to the picture."
"It's been a while since I saw that picture."
"Maybe, but you don't fool me. We've been over this."
Yang froze as she remembered that they had discussions about her mother, the most recent being the night before the dance. She didn't regret breaking down and using her best friend to vent and cry on. It was a sad truth that she had learned early on in their friendship that Denko was a bit emotionally stunted; he really wasn't one to truly express himself freely. Yet she understood why but grateful that he was someone she could always count on to be there for her and she would do the same for him.
"My offer still stands." He says as he claims a victory in the game.
"I know… thanks." She relaxes as she readies herself for another round of the fighting game.
"So… you really aren't going into the double round?" Itazura asks her cloaked friend.
"No. We kinda had to figure things out since most of us wanted to fight." Ruby shrugs as she lets the older girl get cups and drinks out of the students lounge kitchen.
"Most?" The fox questions, one of her ears swiveling around to ensure audio quality.
Ruby was a little uncomfortable talking about her teammates' thoughts on the matter, hopping into a chair to curl up. "Well… Blake didn't really care about fighting in the next round. But Yang was really excited to go."
"What about you and Weiss?"
"Um… we kinda flipped a coin for that."
"Really?"
"Oh, come on! We had to plan things!" Ruby threw her hands up. "You know how much Yang likes to fight! She's really strong and we don't think there's too many here who could take her on when she really gets going."
The girl lets out a sigh as she remembered how her hotheaded sister could be when she got excited in a fight. The hand to hand training the blonde had put her through before coming to Beacon was a good example, but that was still Yang being tame. Granted, that was also before the night that Ruby had gotten invited to enroll at Beacon herself…
"Weiss has her glyphs and all kinds of Dust she can use and she's great with her sword!" Ruby gushes. "And Blake has her swords that can do so much! And her Semblance can be mixed with Dust or just getting out of the way of attacks or jumping higher…"
Itazura smiles as she mixes their drinks as she listens to one of her best friends praising her team. She found a small snack to toss in a bowl for them to share with their drinks.
"I just have a big scythe that shoots big bullets and a Semblance that lets me move around fast." The cloaked girl had little to say about herself, making one to question if her sense of self-worth was that low or simple humility.
"You really need to reevaluate your skills." Itazura says as she walks past Ruby, making sure to smack her friend with her tail as she passed with their drinks and snack.
"What do you mean?" The girl asks as she rubs the back of her head where she was hit to smooth out her hair.
"What I mean is that you are really good with that scythe of yours. Nothing on that thing isn't used in some way, from the recoil of your shots to how you can move with that big thing like its nothing." She pauses for a breath, her ears twitching a little. "And that Semblance of yours, you can do a lot with something like that where you can get around faster. I've seen you shoot up into the air a few times, higher than you can jump easily using that."
Ruby sputtered some nonsense as she blushed at being called out by her friend, making the fox laugh before she sipped from her hot chocolate. The younger girl gathered her wits about her enough to occupy her mouth with the drink before she embarrassed herself more.
"Maybe next time. The tournament will be held in Atlas then." Itazura tosses the small candy-coated chocolates in her mouth. "You'll really have to deal with the cold then." She teases.
"Then I see a lot of hot chocolate for me then."
Blake had found herself sitting down for a meal with Team ABRN. Next to her, Sun chatted with the chef. Apparently, the woman ran a restaurant back in Vacuo and was welcoming to talk with someone from home, especially since their party was the only customer base she had at the moment. Add in that things were running a little late and she was closing up shop, just waiting for them to finish.
As it turned out, Reese didn't hold a grudge about losing to the disguised faunus, actually laughing at how bad she had screwed up on that one. Nadir and Bolin were enjoying their meals and Arslan calmly ate. But one thing that was for sure, everyone had nothing but compliments for Bonelli and her culinary skills.
They didn't have any seafood at the stand, understandable given that this was a Vacuoan food stand. But what got the cat girls attention was hearing about the chef having mole crab in stock. Immediately, Sun had jumped at the chance to have some and recommended the food to his fellow faunus. She was far from disappointed by the food she was provided, she may have been unable to tell exactly what flavors she was tasting as they changed with almost every bite but it was all delicious.
"Blake, right?" Arslan asks as she finishes her meal.
"Hmm? Yes?" The cat was almost zoned out when she was served a second helping of the crab meat dish.
"Think you could tell the rest of your team that we're up for a rematch anytime, if they want." The blonde girl tells her with a smile. Next to their leader, the boys nodded in agreement while Reese held up her hand to flash a V.
Blake's eyes widened a little at the offer, though it took a small nudge from Sun's tail to get her to answer. "That… is unexpected, but sure."
"All right! Kanpai!" Reese cheers as she lifts her cup of cactus leaf tea, clinking cups with her team and the faunus pair with everyone echoing.
"Hey! If you ever come to Haven, look us up and we'll hang out. Maybe show you and your team around." Nadir offers, putting on a charming smile.
Blake really wasn't used to being talked to so friendly by those who were pretty much strangers to her. At the same time, she's had to deal with the likes of Yang, Nora, and…
"I may have moved to Mistral but I can show Blake around." Sun jumps in.
Arslan quirked an eyebrow at her fellow blonde but left it at that. "Sounds like you have options." Bolin acknowledges, remembering that SSSN is a Haven team as well.
Blake lets a small laugh slip. "I guess I do." It really was something different for her being popular for good things. That would certainly be better than the infamy she had with the White Fang, though she was lucky enough to avoid the biggest missions then that would have gotten her noticed. Following through with the last one with Adam would have ensured that her name was known.
"Well! It's getting late and there's a lot of fights to watch tomorrow. Maybe we'll get to see your team go at it." Reese tells the faunus as she gets off her stool and stretches her arms high over her head and bending backwards, enough that there were several audible pops from her spine and showing a fair amount of pale belly under her hoody.
"Don't forget that we're still training." Arslan reminds the most light-hearted of the team. The blonde turns to Blake once more and gives her a small bow. "My offer of a spar will remain as long as needed. Maybe next time Yang and I could really go full out." She says the last part with a genuine smile on her face, excited to find someone to match fists with on fairly equal term.
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind a rematch, or the rest of my team." Blake honestly says with a smile of her own, glad that she was getting respected for her skills.
"Just one more thing before we go." The blonde stops Blake from turning back to her food to look back with a curious eye. "That bow of yours is a bad disguise. How is it working yet?"
Blake's eyes went wide as her hands snapped to the top of her head. "Wha-what do you mean? It's just a bow."
Four pairs of eyes looking at her showed that they weren't buying it. A glance at Sun saw that he had a little smirk and had a knowing look in his eyes, his words from when he found her at the statue after running away from her team echoed through her head. "I knew you'd look better without the bow." He'd said that night. It was significant enough that she had twisted it back on him when she found him playing with his tie when they met up for the dance.
"Eh, don't sweat it." Bolin was quick to calm her fears. "We won't tell anyone if you're going through that much trouble."
"Though you may want to get it off on your terms." Nadir offers his own advice.
Blake's eyes darted from one face to the next and saw that there was nothing but support for her to be herself. It was something that she had wished for most of her life yet here she was, being encouraged by honest people who she only knew from a fight in the tournament and a quick dinner. They were seeing her as Blake Belladonna the Huntress, not Blake the faunus. Sun was the first to show support for her removing the bow but was content to let her wear it as she felt it was necessary. Ruby had complimented her ears, claiming they were cute. Yang simply didn't care. Weiss… had told her flatly that night at the docks that she didn't care that she is a faunus, then surprised her later with thanking Blake for the trust she gave her team now that she slept without the bow on.
She couldn't stop the tears from leaking. "Thank you!"
Team ABRN gave her a quick bow before leaving, though Nadir looked back in time to see Sun patting Blake on the back.
"See, I told you that you didn't have much to worry about." The monkey boy encouraged the cat girl as she let some tears fall.
"If you ask me, you're worrying too much about little things that shouldn't bother you." Bonelli tells the younger girl as she sets the dish in front of her once more, having slipped it away and warmed It up while they were busy talking with the other team. "The best you can be is just being yourself. If others can't see that, they aren't worth your time."
Sun smiled at the familiar attitude that Vacuo was known for before watching as Blake ate to keep herself occupied, obviously not trusting her mouth right now for much else. "Got any breadfruit? We can share that as we leave."
"You're lucky that you're friends with my girls." The chef shakes her head at the pair before retrieving one of the fruits and taking the lien card from the tail holding it.
Back with Weiss and Winter, they had yet to leave the far out of the way building. They were still having their bonding time but they were spending it in a different way than most would expect. Winter was assisting and guiding Weiss in her training, specifically her Summoning aspect of her Semblance. She had provided the younger and admittedly wider girl a review on how to summon, with a few hints from her own experiences. Now Weiss stood by the table with her sister by her side, Myrtenaster in hand and pointing out at the floor where a white glyph was slowly spinning over the stones.
"Excellent form!" Winter stood rigidly to the side, having fallen back into a more militaristic mindset in both the stance and how she spoke. "Now think back to your fallen foes. The ones who forced you to push beyond who you were and become who you are now!"
The glyph was different in form than what was normally used. Her standard glyphs used the image of the snowflake that became the symbol of the Schnee family as a whole. Her time dilation glyphs created the image of a clock. This one still held the snowflake in the center but the glyph was dominated by the images of four broadswords that reached from the center snowflake to the outer edges of the aura construct.
"Think of them and watch as they come to your side." Winter finishes with a smile, proud to help her sister with the hardest part of using their family semblance.
In a stark contrast, Weiss' face twisted from controlled concentration to teeth gritting and lips pulled back in anger as she pushed herself. The glyph began to sputter, flickering in and out while shrinking and expanding in size until it vanished altogether after a few seconds.
"I can't!" Weiss shouts in anger. Her outburst was immediately countered by a slap to the back of her head, perfectly placed so that her off center ponytail couldn't dampen the blow at all.
"Stop doubting yourself!" Winter raises her voice at her sister. Things had been going well until they weren't.
"I'm trying!" Weiss yells back, still having plenty of frustration from her failure to summon.
"If this is what you call trying, you have no hope of winning the tournament, let alone succeeding as a Huntress." While the anger was still evident in her tone, she had resorted to some big sister tough love. Then her tone became a mix of teasing and sarcasm with a hint of threat. "Why don't you just move back home? I'm sure father will give you a nice job as a receptionist."
"I don't need his charity." Weiss pouts as she turns away from her grinning sister.
Winter leaned down to be level with her shorter sibling, grin on her face. "But you do need his money, don't you?"
Weiss hung her head, regretting that she had told her sister about that problem now.
"I may have been in a similar situation when I joined the military." Winter's offhand comment made Weiss look up to her in time to see the dismissive shrug from the Specialist. "But what have you done this time?" She casually accuses her sister.
"That's the thing! I'm really not sure." The younger girl tries to explain the situation as Winter walks around her, taking a second glance to make sure that she had clearance for their larger forms. "I just wanted to pay for lunch."
"How embarrassing." Winter's sarcasm was as thick as her waist.
"Well, it was! Why would he cut me off like that?"
"Perhaps so you'd stop avoiding him and call home." Winter levels a slightly stern look at Weiss.
But the young girl didn't like that advice and turned on her heel to thrust her blade out once more, a summoning glyph appearing on the stones once more where she pointed. She was angry, she had gotten away from his control, much of the reason she had come to Beacon in the first place hinged on that goal. But she had underestimated his reach and what he could do. Cutting off her funds was a perfectly good example of that. The fact that Winter knew about the 'missed' calls meant that they had been in contact.
A calming hand settled on Weiss' shoulder, her frustration vaporizing just as quickly and dissipating. "Emotions can grant you strength, but you must never let them overpower you." Winter tells her sister, gently turning her to face her and the glyph vanished without the concentration maintaining it.
"It sounds to me like you have two choices in front of you. You can call him back, beg for his money, and explain once more why you want to study at Beacon over Atlas." Weiss turned her head, not wanting to even think of doing that and securing her father's hold on her "Or… you could continue to explore Remnant, discovering more about the world… and honestly, more about yourself."
Weiss couldn't help but feel down on herself, not liking the options she had before her. One was a jail cell with golden bars and crystal chandeliers that she had gotten out of while the other would keep her free but sacrifice the comforts she had known within the cell.
"It's time for me to go." Winter informs her sister, her voice full of regret as she pulled her into a hug. It was nice that they could do so again, though their new girths made things new to them, though the softness was certainly welcome as it only assisted in the feeling of love being shared between the sisters. It was rare that they had time to talk freely anymore, even more rare that such displays of affection could be shared, making them treasure those moments as much as they could when they happened.
"It was really good to see you, Winter." Weiss mutters into her sister's shoulder, a combination of their height difference as well as due to their middles, though the elder had claim to the larger belly with ease.
Weiss walked with Winter back to the landing pads where her ship was being prepped for the flight back to Atlas. Most of the walk was spent in silence, neither of them wanted to really say goodbye nor did they feel that they had much else to say as they had spent the day talking about what they have been doing since the last time they saw each other; when Weiss was leaving for Beacon.
It was evening and the sun was setting, the later hour meant that most people were leaving due to the tournament being done for the day. The coolness setting in as the sun's rays were fading was also another encouragement for people to leave. Though those from Atlas had a greater tolerance for the chill.
"Weiss." Winter catches her sister's attention at the bottom of the ramp where they stop to face each other. The elder sibling takes a quick glance around to see that only Atlesian Knights were around them within earshot.
"Yes?"
"Was that with Miss Rose this morning… a common occurrence?" Winter trailed off a little as she was unsure how to put things.
"Ruby… isn't much of a morning person so someone has to get her moving." Weiss answers.
"Do you do that with anyone else?"
"Blake is usually easy to get moving if she didn't stay up all night reading. Yang isn't a morning person either but a few pokes gets her moving."
Winter smiles a little at her sister. "It seems that Miss Rose has been good for your growth." She takes a moment to poke her wide hip. "And not just this growth."
Weiss' eyes went wide at the joke at her weight, especially when the one making the joke was heavier than her… even if it wasn't too much. "What do you…"
"You have been showing your true self. For that, I assume I have Miss Rose to thank?"
Weiss' cheeks turned pink, and not from the cold wind blowing across the cliff. "We've been helping each other to be better." She really didn't want to bring up how she treated the younger girl for the first days. Now, she may deny Ruby's claims that they are BFF's but she was glad to have such a close friend. Aside from Winter and Klein, Ruby was the closest to her and she wasn't going to give that up. Blake and Yang were close behind Ruby and even those of Team JNPR could be on the list. Sun and DAIT too.
Now that she thought about it, she had more people that she could call friends there at Beacon than anyone she called a friend when back in Atlas.
"Well then, I hope you continue helping each other." Winter puts a supportive hand on Weiss' shoulders as she says that sincerely.
"I'm going to miss you."
"I will too, Weiss. Until next time, sister." With those parting words, Winter walked up the ramp and Weiss had to move away as the Knights boarded and the ships engines began to power up.
Within the craft, Winter watched from her cabins window as the pilot took off. She could see Weiss waving goodbye to her, making her wish that she could wave back and have her see it. But she settled on creating a glyph on the outside and a single small Nevermore emerged to fly down to Weiss. The airship was still traveling slow in order to avoid causing traffic problems and so she had time to watch as her bird landed on Weiss' shoulder.
The Nevermore nuzzled Weiss' soft cheek and played with her hair a little, causing the girl to laugh.
"Oh wow!" A familiar voice calls out, breaking Weiss from her amusement.
Schnee turns to see Ruby was right behind her, the silver eyes watching the white and blue Grimm summon as it flapped its wings a little for balance as the Heiress turns. Not too far away, looking somewhat amused at the situation, Itazura was walking towards them, apparently having been left behind by the energetic Rose.
"This is so cool! So, this is what they look like up close!" Ruby squeals as she tries to look at the Grimm from all angles. "Is it yours?"
"Winter summoned it as she was leaving." Weiss tells her leader before searching out the ship in the dark sky and waving once more before the craft accelerated and vanished from sight soon after.
Winter saw the interaction before she was too far away to see the girls and it brought a smile to her face. Even from the distance she was at, she could see Weiss relax around the cloaked reaper, with another they both knew joining them soon after.
Weiss blinked a few times as tears threatened to leak from her eyes, not wanting to show that in front of her teammate and friend. She reached up to stroke the perched summoned bird a few times, even allowing Ruby to do the same. It was certainly different to the touch than the Nevermore they rode during initiation, maybe it was due to being a summon rather than being the real thing or the size difference.
She was able to indulge this rare opportunity for a few more moments before the summon faded, it's summoner too far away and out of aura to maintain it. An arm wrapped around her shoulder, the softness of the limb and the body attached that was leaning against her told her that it was Ruby.
"You'll see her again soon." The young girl was quiet.
Weiss said nothing, but was content to lean into the hold, enjoying the warmth and softness of her friend. Nothing needed to be said when they had friends by their side.
Off to the side, Itazura felt a bit out of place but still took the opportunity to take a picture of the peaceful moment for them… maybe a few pictures from multiple angles since the subjects were fairly oblivious.
The three girls ran into Blake and Sun on their way back to the Team RWBY dorm and finished the trip to the building together, the three faunus making small talk while the two humans listened. Inside, they found JNPR in the common room kitchen, where Ren was cooking up some okonomiyaki with Jaune assisting him. Pyrrha was pouring out drinks while Nora was kept at the table; she was known for trying to sample the food before it was ready… a pet peeve that Ren had.
"If you didn't eat already, we can make some more for you." Jaune offers with Ren nodding his support as they had plenty of ingredients.
"Thanks, but we ate already." Blake motions to herself and Sun.
"I had some snacks since breakfast but nothing else." Weiss admits.
"Same." Ruby and Itazura say together with hands raised.
"Think Yang is still in your room with Denko?" Itazura asks the RW girls.
"Why would they be there?" Weiss asks. "I would have expected them to be in the gym unless they're done already."
The fox shrugs. "I dunno. When we left, they were playing games. It hasn't been that long." She checks the nearby clock on the wall. "A little over an hour."
"Alright, you go and check on them and we'll get your food ready awhile." The blonde says with a smile as he mixes the batter. Blake and Sun moved to get some plates needed for the meal from the cupboards while Nora started humming to herself.
Ruby and Weiss could hear the music of a game or movie being played from outside, along with the sounds of fighting. Obviously, they were still going strong with their games. The girls let out a sigh as they opened the door, though Itazura's ears were twitching at what she was hearing.
Inside, they found Yang on top of Denko on the floor. Both were face down with Denko holding a scroll just out of reach of the girl on his back. The boy was very facedown as her chest was pushing his face into the carpet with one arm being used to hold his free arm down. A different game was on the screen in a multiplayer mode, though both of their characters were currently dead.
Lilac eyes blinked at the sudden intrusion as she froze.
"Was that the door?" Denko was heavily muffled under Yang and his outstretched arm.
"Yeah…" Yang drawls as she rolls off of him and allowing her friend to sit up.
"Oh." Denko sees the three girls, one of which was slipping their scroll back into their pocket.
"Um… dinner is being made." Ruby tells them, not used to the sight of them fighting like that since it had been years. She may be innocent but not naïve, she saw how her sister's chest was on his head. Though she probably would have slammed the door closed if he was facing up.
A pair of stomachs growling at the mention of food reminded the blondes of just how late it was, Denko checking the scroll in his hand for the time.
"Just what were you two doing in here?" Weiss demanded answers, planting herself in the doorway to show that they weren't getting past her to eat without answering first. Maybe having wide hips was a good thing at times like this.
"Um… got upset that we were losing to the dungeon boss a couple times in a row…" Yang admits sheepishly as she hung her head and made her double chin more prominent. Denko nodded next to her.
"Really? All of that over a game?" The Ice Queen presses.
"It's a tough fight! Its hard to do with just two of us." Denko tries to explain but not making it sound any better.
The glare that Weiss leveled at them sent shivers up their spines… Yang was much softer and so jiggled a bit more. "You're done for the night. Turn it off and clean up for dinner."
"Yes madam." Yang responds before grabbing her scroll from Blake's bed and exiting the dungeon, saving as soon as possible with Denko doing the same with his character. The projector was powered off and they both went to the bathroom where they could be heard washing their hands.
"You know, that game is big enough that you could put in hundreds of hours into it and not do everything." Itazura tells Weiss, who hangs her head in frustration.
"But why are they playing games? I thought they would have been in the gym like always."
"C'mon, didn't you ever hear about 'Work hard, play hard'?" The fox counters.
"And games like that are full of puzzles that need to be figured out, not just hit stuff until you win." Ruby chimes in.
"Fine." Weiss relents before seeing the looks on her fellow short girls. "What?"
"Maybe you should give the game a shot. You might like the challenge." Itazura tells the heiress.
"Really? And sit around to stare at a screen to push buttons?"
"Testing reaction time, problem solving skills, diplomacy, skill combination arithmetic and planning…" The faunus recites, knowing that she was pushing the Schnee's buttons of favorable aspects.
"And its relaxing to go into another world for a little bit, especially when you're tired from your normal training." Ruby adds.
Weiss was silent for a little while, and that's how the blondes found her when they emerged from the bathroom. They pointed at her, not wanting to say anything that would draw her ire again.
Itazura grins as she guides the thinking Ice Queen out the door. "I do believe that we will have a student of Ancient Tomes by the end of the week!"
Along the way, Weiss' scroll began to ring. She withdrew it from her pouch, hoping that it would be from Winter, only for her face to fall when the screen read FATHER. Her hand rose to push the accept button on the screen but stopped short. She looked around the busy kitchen and table, seeing those she was closest to aside from her sister and butler here in the room… her friends. Those she had no ideas of cozying up to for favors and business opportunities – that time with Pyrrha before initiation not withstanding- just people who accepted her for being her and she accepted them for being themselves in return.
Talking to those who wanted her around as their companion was a far better option and her scroll was silenced and returned to the pouch on her back. It was the easiest decision she made for a long time. There was no way that she'd give up her friends just for some money, she knew that you couldn't buy happiness… she just wished that she had learned that earlier.
"Thank you. It looks delicious." She was sincere as she took her plate from Ren to sit beside Ruby.
AN: Things are gonna get rolling next chapter into more action. But a break from the fights and having some touching scenes that show how far the gang has come since attending Beacon... with a few tear jerkers, was needed. But once again, the next few chapters are going to be action heavy and more than likely, will carry a lot of emotional weight as well.
But yes, as much as I borrowed from canon material, I put a lot of my own spin on things that I believe made some scenes far more impactful. I do hope you all enjoyed those parts.
At the same time, I'm wondering about starting a different version of this story; the original basis that I had started but abandoned early on that had Team DAIT coming to Beacon. I barely got two chapters written up before dropping it but wound up using much of that as the basis for chapter two where we first meet Team DAIT. But the version would be essentially be Big Issues, just without the weight. Makes me wonder if that would get some of the haters and body shamers off my case. Yet that would also go against some of the advice given in this chapter. Not to mention the loss of a lot of the plot and humor that Big Issues has that's unique to it.
But I'll leave that up to my readers to tell me if they'd like to see something like that done or not. Just leave your votes in a review.
But as always, constructive criticism is welcome and reviews are encouraged as I'd like to continue to improve in my writing.