"You guys ready?"

"Ready," Blake replied, fixing her bow in place.

"Yang?"

"I'm still doing my hair. You go on ahead with Blake, Ruby. I'll catch up when I'm done."

"Okay!"

Ruby was chipper as ever, but Blake took a glance at Yang's hair and raised an eyebrow. "Your hair is already fine."

Yang gave Blake a meaningful look. "I need a little more time to make it all right."

Suddenly comprehending, Blake nodded. "We'll save us all a table then."

The door clicked closed and Yang took a deep breath and let it out, setting her brush back on the bathroom counter. She was thankful to have a partner like Blake, who seemed to understand things without being explicitly told. Yang knew that Weiss still hadn't come back yet, nor would she go to breakfast without first coming back and getting ready. After all, the Schnee heiress wasn't allowed to show herself in her PJs in public spaces. If Yang was going to apologize, she'd rather do it one-on-one in the privacy of their dorm room, as Blake had so quickly figured out.

Yang didn't have to wait long. Only a few minutes later, the door beeped and Weiss walked in. On the outside she seemed fine, but Yang immediately noticed the slight glint in her eyes, the telltale sign of someone who had shed some tears and hastily washed up to hide the evidence. Unnoticeable, to all who weren't looking. Seeing that deflated what little anger Yang had left, leaving an uncomfortable twinge of guilt in its place. As Weiss stepped over to the closet she and Ruby shared, Yang stepped out of the bathroom.

"Hey Weiss—"

Bang! Yang found herself slammed against the wall, a solid white glyph firmly threatening to smush her like a fly. The glyph lasted only a second though before it fizzled out, revealing a wide-eyed Weiss with a hand over her mouth.

"I…guess I deserved that," Yang said ruefully.

Weiss recovered quickly. "What are you doing here?! I thought you were an intruder or something!"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Right, like every intruder is gonna waltz in with blonde hair and a kick-ass figure."

"It's—It's possible!" protested Weiss, flustered.

Yang actually chuckled. "Sure, we'll let you believe that."

"Hmph." Weiss turned her head to a side, arms crossed and nose in the air.

As the joke settled down, Yang's smile faded. Out of the corner of her eye, Weiss didn't miss how Yang suddenly began to play with her hair, looking uncomfortable. "Umm, Weiss? Can we talk?"

She…she actually wants to talk? Ruby had told her Yang would do that, and Weiss hadn't believed her at all. After all, there was no such thing as "a talk" in the Schnee family. Maybe a lecture, or an argument, or a compromising deal, but a talk? What did that even mean? "Umm, okay?"

Yang felt her heart drop slightly at Weiss' reluctance, but she plowed forward. "I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for this morning. I was pretty angry at what you said, but after talking it out with Blake, I realized that I overreacted. I'll try harder not to do it again."

Weiss stared, shocked. She's…apologizing? Actually saying the words, admitting she was wrong…? Ruby had also told her Yang would probably apologize, and Weiss had scoffed at that as well. There was no way, not the hot-headed temperamental blonde who liked to yell so much. "Did Ruby put you up to this?"

Yang's face fell. "No, it's-it's just me. And Blake, I guess."

"I, umm…well…thank you?" Yang raised her eyebrows and that seemed to snap Weiss out of whatever funk she was in. "Thank you for the apology. I am glad that we have come to…an understanding," she said formally.

"You…don't sound happy about it."

"What? No! I just…I suppose I'm…" Weiss looked to the side and clasped her hands together meekly, a subdued, almost vulnerable look on her face that made Yang raise her eyebrows. Weiss was many things, but vulnerable she was not, at least not in front of others. "…not used to apologies."

Yang's eyes widened, then she placed a hand on her hip and smirked. "I guess that makes two of us, Ice Queen."

"Huh?"

"Look, I won't pretend to know everything that's happened in your life. You and I, we've grown up differently. But it's nice to know that in spite of that, we both have something in common."

"Not being used to apologies?" It was more a statement than a question.

Yang shrugged. "Ruby apologizes for way too much, even when its not her fault. And Blake seems like she'll apologize when there's something to apologize for. At least there's one other person on the team who gets it."

Weiss wasn't exactly sure what to make of Yang saying such things. The thought of sharing the same trait as…well, as Yang…was strange, for one. Her father would have had something to say about comparing Weiss Schnee to this "peasant". But her father wasn't here right now, and after searching herself for a moment, Weiss found that yes, she did appreciate this new commonality. She was learning from Ruby that friendships were based on interests and traits shared in common. She had already promised Ruby that she would be the best teammate ever, and Weiss began to realize that being the best teammate in Ruby's eyes meant being the best friend, both to Ruby and to the rest of the team. Ruby was Ruby, and Blake was easy enough to get along with (or rather Blake was too buried in her books to be of much consequence). Yang had been a standstill, but now? A small smile crept across her face. "Yes, it is good," Weiss said aloud softly.

Yang wasn't sure what was happening in Weiss's brain, but the small smile Weiss turned in Yang's direction convinced her that some hurdle in their relationship had just been overcome. She grinned in turn. "So now that things are good again, it's time for me to exact my revenge and for you to apologize!"

The sudden change from soft smile to horrified indignation was totally worth it, Yang decided, grinning at the expression on Weiss's face. "For what?!" Weiss spluttered.

"Why, ruining my shirt of course."

Weiss scrutinized Yang's shirt. "I don't see a problem."

Yang pointed to the pile of clothes in the corner. Following Yang's finger, Weiss spotted the problem immediately. "Neither myself nor my coffee has ever been in the vicinity of your disgusting gym wear. I'm not sure what you're playing at, Xiao-Long."

"That isn't coffee, princess. It's cat diarrhea."

What?! A sudden memory of Ninja prowling around came to Weiss's mind. "But…how?"

"Welllll, I'm glad you asked," Yang said sarcastically. "A certain redhead told me that somebody forgot to take the dirtbox out last night. Hmm, wonder who it could be?"

Weiss didn't remember ever taking responsibility for putting out the dirtbox. Then again, she'd already known Ruby was unreliable when it came to such things. Would Ruby have remembered? The answer was a resounding no. Still, she wasn't going to pass up the chance to throw Ruby under the bus.

"Ruby's the one who assumed responsibility over Ninja, including her general care. I merely assisted her with matters she expressly delegated, such as procuring food and said dirtbox," Weiss proclaimed matter-of-factly. Yang looked like she was about to protest when she continued, "As team leader, Ruby also holds the responsibility of assigning missions. Instead of determining roles in Ninja's care, however, she chose instead to play with Ninja for two hours before bed. Under your supervision and encouragement," Weiss added smugly.

Yang struggled to refute the logic and failed. "But—but what about my revenge?" she whined.

Weiss smirked. "Looks like you won't be getting any. Now if you'll excuse me, we have important matters to attend to." In a twirl of skirts, Weiss disappeared into her shared closet with Ruby.

In an uncannily accurate impression of Ruby mimicking Weiss, Yang mimed, "Ooo, important matters to attend to!" Back to her normal voice, Yang muttered, "Screw you Weiss! And you too, Ninja!"

Ninja slept, still oblivious to Yang's glare.

Thanks for waiting.

If it seems weird that Ruby thinks Yang would apologize but Blake doesn't, keep in mind that Ruby is Yang's beloved little sister, who she doesn't mind apologizing to. Other people on the other hand...

Ninja herself has been on the backburner, but there will be more of her coming a few chapters down. Things are going really slowly, but I think it'll pick up speed soon. Hang in there.