Here's chapter 31, everyone.
After the shock of seeing Willow Schnee, wife of Jacques Schnee bowing to her, the cat Faunus didn't know what to do, so Weiss spoke up to try and get her mom's attention. "Mom, uh, could we talk for a bit? Just the two of us."
"Hmm? Oh, of course, sweetie." Willow gave a light wave to Blake, both her and her daughter walking off far enough to the side, while Blake was still struck with shock.
Weiss got far enough for the others to not hear them and stopped. "How have you been, mom?" The first question the white wolf had for her mom when the two were away from the others.
"I should be the one asking you that, snowflake." Willow smiled and sat on the grass, surprising her daughter, but when she patted a spot next to her, Weiss nodded and laid down. The white haired mother looked over at Beacon in awe. "I've been well. A lot… More active if that makes sense."
"In what way?" Weiss inquired.
Willow chuckled a bit. "I shouldn't lie to you, snowflake." That confused Weiss a bit as her mother sighed. "My aura. I've had some help learning how to use it."
Weiss' ears perked up and she lifted her head. "W-What? Mom, why would you need to learn about that? You've told me before that you don't have an interest in fighting."
"That is true, yes, but a friend of mine had shown me how dangerous things can be, even if I'm not out there fighting monsters." Willow started. "It's best to at least be prepared."
"I-If what happens?" The white wolf started growing more concerned for her mother.
Willow could tell from the stutter, so she reached her hand over and rubbed her fur a bit to calm her down, one of the few people in Weiss' life that she'd trust to do so. "Shhh, don't worry, snowflake. I'm just taking precautions is all. Aura does also heal us, so say your mother is a dunce and gets a nasty papercut."
"Mom…" Weiss wasn't able to play along with the joke.
"Come on, sweetie. Don't be like that." Willow comforted. "I don't really have all that much to do at the manor, and… Honestly, I've quite enjoyed learning how to use my aura."
"Y-You have?" Weiss said, her ears perked up a little in surprise.
Willow nodded. "Mhmm. It was a little difficult at first, well… It still is, but at the same time rewarding."
Weiss recalled the days of her own aura training, how tough it would be to keep her aura up as it were as easy as breathing. "I had the same feeling too. But… Are you really sure about continuing?"
"From how you're sounding, sweetie, I can tell you're worried about me, but you don't have to be." Willow assured. "I have a good friend watching over me while I learn about my aura more and more."
"Mrs. Rose?" Weiss assumed.
"One of these days she'll get you to call her Summer, snowflake." Willow chuckled a little. "And no, it's not her. I'll introduce you to her, though you have met her before actually."
"I have?" Weiss was growing more curious and sat up. "Is that the only hint I'm getting?"
Willow nodded, earning a groan from her daughter. "You'll see her soon enough, trust me." She looked over at Summer, smiling at how she, Ruby and Yang were most likely talking about her new job. "Why don't we get back over to them."
Weiss got up on her paws and swayed her tail a few times. "I'm really happy that you decided to come here with Mrs. Rose, mom."
Willow stood up on her feet. "I would never miss out on a chance to see my little snowflake." She leaned down and kissed her daughter on her forehead, earning a nuzzle in return. "I'm so proud of you."
"And I know Lazuria is too."
Weiss felt her mom pull away and the two walked back over to the others, hearing Ruby squeal in excitement. "So you'll be able to help modify Crescent Rose whenever I need it?"
"Of course." Summer proudly confirmed. "Though don't expect special treatment, my little rose. Just because I'm your mother doesn't mean you can skip others waiting for their fixes and upgrades."
Ruby pouted in response. "Awww, but Crescent Rose is a lot more complicated than other weapons! She needs more time than anything."
"And who's fault is that?" Summer smirked.
"I... Ugh…" Ruby grumbled a bit.
Yang chuckled and patted her back. "Don't be so whiny, sis. Mom will easily still help on the side, just on her off hours."
Summer raised an eyebrow in a jokey manner. "Oh is that so? And who's to say I wouldn't want a bit of a break after work, firecracker?"
"Huh, you? Taking a break? Yeah, sorry, mom, no way." Yang grinned. "We had to beg you to come with us to the pool that one time when you wanted to fix up Qrow's scythe."
"I-It was broken! He couldn't go on hunts without it…" Summer whined as equally as her daughter.
Willow pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "Are you seriously still whining?" Summer snapped her attention to her white haired friend, sticking her tongue out at her. Willow rolled her eyes in response. "You're a grown woman. Act your age."
"Hmm… Nah, I do that only when I need to." Summer joked as she held her hands on the back of her head.
Yang snickered in response. "That's right! Who wants to be a stuck up old woman anyways?"
"I-I'm not that old!" Summer exclaimed as she dropped her arms.
Weiss started to laugh a bit, earning a blush from the older rose woman, while Yang joined in on the laughter. Ruby herself couldn't contain it anymore and she too laughed, while Willow was letting out more of a giggle.
Summer was pouting about it for a few seconds, but when she saw how happy everyone was, she started laughing too.
The only one not joining in was Blake though, feeling like she was out of place, but yelped when Yang wrapped an arm around her shoulders to whisper. "I know… It's not your thing, but come on. Don't be separated from us, Blake."
Blake sighed a bit. "I'm not really in a laughy mood." She whispered back.
"You don't need to be, but don't stay on the side. Come on, talk with my mom. She wants to meet my badass partner." Yang grinned.
The urge to roll her eyes was strong, but Blake chose to simply nod and join the blonde, since she knew walking off or making an excuse to get away wouldn't be honoring her promise to try. "Okay…"
Yang patted her back and walked her over to Summer. "Mom, this is my partner, Blake. Blake, this is my mom, Summer Rose, best blacksmith Remnant will ever know."
Blake wasn't as nervous to meet Summer, but did wonder why Yang's last name wasn't the same as both her mother's and her sister's. "It's nice to meet you."
"Same to you, especially knowing my little firecracker needs a responsible partner to keep her in check." That earned a pout from the blonde, while Summer chuckled.
"Ugh, is that all you got to say about me, mom?" Yang faked offense as she crossed her arms. "Not even how awesome I am at hand to hand, or how I can break an Ursa's hand like nothing?"
"You've earned enough praise in the past, firecracker. Any more and I may have to start worrying about that big head of yours." Summer grinned.
Blake joined in on the grin, making her partner sigh in defeat as the three began to talk about their partnership. Ruby however went over to talk with Willow. "I haven't seen you in so long, Mrs-."
"Willow is fine, little rose. Your mother is very specific about that, though my snowflake still seems to not get that." Willow eyed her daughter, who huffed in return.
"How I refer to people should not be such an issue, mother." There it was again, when Weiss said mother instead of mom, she was a little peeved.
Ruby grinned at that. "Well I think it's kinda cute."
Weiss blushed a bit and looked away, while Willow chuckled a bit. "Now, now, snowflake, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I won't pester you anymore about your preferences on what you call people."
The white wolf grumbled a bit and laid on the grass. "Fine." She did think about something she hadn't asked her mother yet. "Mom, have… Have you heard from Winter?"
"Sadly no, sweetie." Willow frowned when she saw Weiss' ears drooping. "Well, not in voice at least since she's very busy, but I know she sent you various texts congratulating you on passing initiation." She smiled, sitting on the grass with her daughter.
Weiss did in fact receive those texts, but to hear her sister's voice was something she wanted more so. "I know… Just seeing you here makes me wish she could've been here too."
Willow gently brushed her daughter's fur, knowing how much she missed her sister, and to be honest, Willow herself missed her eldest daughter very much so. "I miss her too, sweetie, but you know she'll find time to see us."
"Yeah…" Weiss sighed a bit, and Ruby sat on the other side of her.
"Hey, come on. I bet if you call her, she'll answer right away." Ruby tried suggesting, and Weiss lifted her head up a bit.
"I-I don't know. She's very busy, as my mom just said, Ruby." The white wolf reminded.
"Maybe she's on break." Ruby smiled, trying to lighten her partner's mood.
Weiss looked over at her mother. "D-Do you think she would be on break right now, mom?"
"Hmm, well I don't see why not." Willow responded as she got her scroll out to call her eldest daughter. "I'll have her on video call too, snowflake."
The white wolf's ears perked up and she was hopeful, watching as her mother pressed Winter's name on her scroll and the three waited to see if she would answer. After a few moments, the screen lit up and revealed the Specialist, who at the moment was sitting at her desk. "Mother, and… Weiss?!"
Seeing her in her wolf form, as well as being next to their mother was shocking indeed for the rather usually calm Specialist, causing Willow to lightly chuckle. "It's good to see you, Winter."
"Mother… Are you at Beacon? And sister, you're using your semblance?" Both answered with a nod. "I, well, okay then. Mother, why are you at Beacon right now? Did something happen over there?" The concern in her voice showed.
"Nothing bad, dear." Willow assured. "Summer was offered a job here, so I decided to come along with her to see your sister. You remember Summer, right?"
Winter nodded. "She had helped me with my saber… Though seeing Qrow that day was not something I wish to repeat." She sighed, but then looked over at her sister. "Weiss… I'm a little surprised you're using your semblance in what appears to be… The courtyard?"
Weiss sat up, swaying her tail a bit as she nodded. "I've gotten a little more comfortable about it, and Ruby is making sure to keep an eye out for me when I change back."
"Very good. Be sure to also look out for her too, Weiss. A partnership only works when both are in sync with each other." Winter sternly reminded.
"You say it like I haven't been looking out for the dolt." That got a squeak from Ruby, while Winter nodded.
"Just a reminder, sister." The Specialist took a moment to think about what to ask next. "How have you been?"
Weiss would love to spend the whole day telling her sister everything she's done so far at Beacon, but she knew that she'd have to keep some things left out. "A bit… Surprising." Winter raised an eyebrow at that. "I mean I really like it here. It's just some things were unexpected is all."
"Like what?" Winter inquired.
"The people. Some are very… Unique." Weiss said, thinking about who to mention. "There is this one boy, Jaune, at first Ruby, Yang and I met him after he… Well, 'lost his lunch' as Ruby would put it." That earned a giggle from Ruby. "And then there is his one teammate who… Ugh, drives me insane, Winter."
"How so?" Winter continued asking.
Weiss sighed a bit. "She is very… Interested in how my semblance works and tends to ask too many questions concerning it."
"In all fairness, sister, your semblance is very unique, especially seeing as you are a Schnee." Winter reminded, earning a groan from the white wolf.
"I-I know, but still. People shouldn't be so curious about it. So what if I can turn into a wolf?" Weiss laid her head back down, believing people should keep to themselves about her 'semblance'.
Seeing how her partner reacted, Ruby spoke up. "Hey, I can talk to Nora about backing off with the questions. Ren already told her about it too, so hearing it from me should really get her to stop."
Weiss shook her head. "It's not just her, Ruby."
Winter sighed sadly, remembering how when Weiss was younger and discovered her 'semblance', it was quite a shock to even her.
6 years earlier
"Weiss, you know you're still too young to start thinking about training with Myrtenaster." Winter scolded. "And before you say it, yes I know others at your age would be able to train, but mom and I are still not comfortable with you doing so yet."
"But I'm ready to…" Weiss frowned as she and her sister were outside in the courtyard, their mother sitting down at the table not too far from them. "Why are you and mom so afraid about it?"
Winter sighed. "It's not that we're… Afraid per say, we just don't want you rushing into this so soon, Weiss." The eighteen year old explained. The younger Schnee sibling mumbled something, and Winter raised an eyebrow. "Weiss, speak your mind. We've talked about this."
"I just said that it's not fair." Weiss huffed. "My aura isn't that strong, but I can still at least swing a sword at a practice dummy."
"Maybe so, but you just said it yourself. Your aura isn't as strong as it needs to be, so what happens if you cut yourself with your sword? What then?" Winter questioned.
Weiss crossed her arms and sat on the grass, looking even more upset. "I can learn how to not do that if you'd let me."
"Weiss, Atlas academy may not be too far, but I still won't be able to help train you as much as you'd need." Winter reminded.
Her little sister kicked some grass under her feet, wishing her sister didn't remind her of how she wasn't going to be around as much. "M-Maybe mom can help me train then."
"You know mother has not trained like Mrs. Rose or other hunters out there, Weiss." Winter stated, but their mother overheard and walked over.
Willow knelt down by her youngest daughter and rubbed her back. "Snowflake, I overheard you and your sister." Winter was a bit nervous that their mother would be a bit upset with her comment. "Truth be told, your sister is right. I have no training experience, but what I can do is help set up practice courses for you with Klein's help."
Weiss perked up at that, while Winter was taken aback by their mother's sudden approval of training. "Mother, I thought we spoke about this. Weiss isn't-."
"I know we spoke about this, Winter." Willow interrupted, while Weiss remained quiet. "Your sister is growing up though, just like you did. We can't keep treating her like a child forever if she wants to become a huntress." She smiled and looked down at her youngest daughter. "That is what you want, right, snowflake?"
"Y-Yes." Weiss smiled brightly, hoping her mother was truly going to let her begin training. "I really, really want to, mom." She looked to her sister. "Please, Winter… Please let me at least let me try."
Winter was still hesitant, since it was her little sister after all, so she sighed and looked back and forth between her sister and mother. "I… You have to promise me to not overdo it whatsoever. Only the basics. Understand?"
Hearing that made Weiss gasp in joy as she leaned over and hugged her big sister, nodding happily. "Yes! I promise, Winter!"
She couldn't help but smile at her little sister's excitement, so she patted her back twice and felt her pull away. "Good. And I don't want to hear any complaints from you about your training. If this is really what you want, then you need to promise to be both safe, and work hard for this."
"I will!" Weiss assured, getting to her feet as she looked to her mom. "C-Can we start today, mom?"
Before their mother could respond, Winter crossed her arms and spoke up. "Weiss, you are not to try and rush into this." Her tone was stern and made her little sister tense up a bit. "Before you even think about using Myrtenaster, you need to have better control of your aura."
Weiss wanted to complain, but she knew that would get her nowhere since her sister literally told her moments ago that she didn't want to hear her complain. "R-Right. Um, can I still try that at least today?"
Winter sighed at her eagerness. "Alright, but please don't try to overdo it, little sister. Aura isn't a toy. It's our lifeline in a way. So if you try to use too much of it, it can break."
"Oh," Weiss rubbed the back of her head a bit. "I didn't know it was easy to break."
"Not exactly easy, but it can be broken if you aren't careful, which is why I'd rather you learn how to properly use it before attempting to use Myrtenaster." Winter explained.
Willow cut in. "I've seen her use her aura before, so let's allow her to try here, Winter."
"I-I… Okay, but she needs to-." Before Winter could continue, Weiss spoke up.
"I'm standing right here." Weiss pouted. "I can do this, Winter." She took a breath, focusing on her aura, while Winter was still a bit nervous. Soon however, the older Schnee sibling and their mother were pleasantly surprised to see a light blue aura surrounding Weiss. "S-See…"
Winter wanted to reach out to her sister to stop her from trying to use her aura, but she held herself back, wanting to respect Weiss' wishes. "Okay, just… Remember what I said."
Weiss nodded slowly, keeping her eyes closed as she tried to keep her aura up longer than she had done before. A calm wave washed over the younger Schnee sibling and a light began to encompass her, making both Willow and Winter gasp in shock as they had to shield their eyes.
Both of them opened their eyes after a few moments to hear a cry of shock, their concern growing immensely as they didn't see where Weiss was. "W-Weiss?! Weiss, where are-?!" Winter's eyes widened when she looked down to see a white wolf on the grass, not as big as an adult wolf, but not as small as a puppy. "Gah! A wolf?!" She backed away in shock, while Willow looked down at the wolf, making her freeze.
The white wolf was looking at her own body in fear, unsure of what was happening as she spun around. "W-W-What's going on?! WHY AM I A WOLF?!" Weiss exclaimed, while Willow was staring at her, eyes widened with nothing but pure shock, while Winter would hear her sister's voice coming from the wolf.
"W-Weiss?" Winter spoke, taking a step forward as she watched the white wolf frantically moving around until she fell on herself since she wasn't used to walking on all fours.
"What's happened to me?!" Weiss was afraid as she tried to get up but failed until Winter knelt down and looked at her. "W-Winter… I-I'm scared…"
"Oh my goodness…" Winter held her hand against her mouth, only to look up at her mom for guidance, but when she noticed her mom was still frozen from the shock, Winter tried to reach out to Weiss. "I-It's going to be okay, Weiss… I-I don't know what's happened here, but you'll be okay."
Weiss was small enough as a wolf to be picked up by her sister, but when she was picked up, the white wolf started to panic even more, struggling in her sister's grasp. "Help!" She begged to change back, but her cries finally snapped Willow out of her trance.
She knew it would happen one day, so Willow needed to just tell her the one thing she had ready for the day. "S-Snowflake, calm down, mommy's here." Willow took Weiss from Winter, who looked to be shaking from seeing her sister freaking out so much.
The white wolf was crying in her mom's arms as she was shaking still, looking up to see her mom was also crying a bit. "W-What's happening to me… M-Mama…"
"Shhh, shhh, it's okay, sweetie." Willow rocked her back and forth in her arms, happy Weiss was still small enough as a wolf to do that for her, since it did calm her down as a puppy. "T-This is your semblance."
Winter's eyes widened, while Weiss' cries seemed to slow down. "M-My… S-Semblance?"
"Yes," Willow smiled as best she could. "Remember… Semblances use aura, so when you tried using your aura, you must have activated your semblance."
She couldn't stay quiet any longer. "Mother, that's not our family semblance." Winter reminded.
Willow knew Winter couldn't know about Weiss' true bloodline, so she had a feeling she'd bring that up. "I know, but you've studied semblances as well, Winter. They are based on our personalities, so," She again, did her best to give both a reassuring smile as she looked down at Weiss. "Your sister may have finally broken away from our hereditary family semblance."
While it seemed hard to believe, it didn't seem impossible either, so Winter simply stayed quiet while Weiss was starting to calm down even more so. "I-I did?"
"Yes, you did." Willow let her down, feeling a tear fall as memories of the day Lazuria trusted Weiss to her began filling her mind. "I am so proud of you, my little snowflake."
After hearing her mother explaining as much as she could, Weiss looked around a bit, and then down at herself. "This… This is really my semblance?" When Willow nodded happily, Weiss' tail began to sway on its own.
Winter needed to sit down, taking in what had just happened as she held a hand against her forehead while taking several breaths. "Wow, Just," She shook her head a bit. "Wow."
Weiss' ears drooped a bit and she tried to stand on her paws, but it was still tough as she slowly made her way to Winter. "Do you not like my semblance?"
How she sounded hurt Winter, like Weiss wanted her approval but believed she wouldn't get it. "It's not that, Weiss. I just didn't expect this." She answered honestly. "All I've ever known about our family semblance is that we can use glyphs."
"Me too." Weiss replied, whimpering a bit, but she blushed since she didn't expect to actually whimper.
Willow sat with her children, pulling Weiss close to her as she rubbed her head a bit, making the white wolf feel less stressed. "It's my fault for not believing any of us in the family could break free of our hereditary semblance."
"Mother, no one could have expected this." Winter defended as she examined her little sister's new form, wondering if she would be okay still.
"Maybe not, but as your mother, I should have-." She stopped when she felt Weiss pawing her arm.
The white wolf looked up at her mother. "Mama, please don't be upset. I'm… I'm a little happy about it now." Willow was pleasantly surprised by that. "I unlocked my semblance." Her tail wagged a bit, making Willow tear up a bit.
"Y-Yes, you really have, sweetie." Willow leaned her cheek down and nuzzled her daughter, still crying a bit as she thought about Lazuria, and how she wished she were with them to see how much her daughter has grown.
Winter ran her hand through her own hair, still trying to make sense of her sister's 'semblance', but when she saw how happy she was, it didn't seem to worry her as much.
Present Day.
"That day was, unfair to you on how I reacted, little sister. I apologize for not being as self composed as I should have." Winter said, getting Weiss to sit back up and shake her head.
"I shouldn't be complaining about that, Winter." Weiss sighed. "How can anyone react otherwise when they see their little sister turning into a wolf?"
Winter did have to give her that. Not many people in the world would just sit there and accept that as nothing. "Even so, I'm still sorry I couldn't help as much as I could have."
Willow spoke up. "You two, enough. That was in the past, and everything worked out that day, so no sense in worrying so much about it."
"Mom is right." Weiss smiled at her big sister. "I'm… I'm really happy you were able to answer your scroll, Winter."
The Specialist nodded, but then a thought entered her mind and even she couldn't help herself but bring it up. "I know we said not to worry about the past… But I do recall one more thing that we discovered that day."
Weiss turned her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Winter chuckled lightly to herself. "The moment that hit you when you saw your clothes on the floor."
Weiss' white fur was turning a shade of red on her cheeks, as she laid down and tried to hide her face with her paws. "Winter, you said you wouldn't bring that up!"
Ruby couldn't help but giggle too. "Hehe. I know about that whole thing too, Winter." She recounted initiation. "I'm gonna be helping her with it though. Being on the lookout for any peeping toms." She punched her fist against her palm. "And if I spot any, then they get to answer to Crescent Rose."
Winter raised an eyebrow. "Crescent Rose? Is that a family member of yours?"
The rose girl grinned and shook her head. "Nope! It's my scythe, and she'll make sure to cut down anyone who tries to look over when Weiss uses her semblance to change back."
"Hmm, well then I have nothing to worry about after all." Winter smiled as she looked over at her sister, who still had her paws on her face. "Oh stop, Weiss. It's nothing to be embarrassed about when you have a partner who will keep watch for you."
Weiss grumbled a bit and moved her paws away. "You still didn't have to tease me about that day…"
"No, but mother was bringing up a good point on us worrying so much, so I simply tried to light the mood." Winter explained.
Even though teasing did annoy her, Weiss couldn't help but smile as she sat up. "I suppose I can forgive you, this one time." Her tail swayed back and forth.
Winter playfully rolled her eyes and received a message on her scroll, making her sigh. "I apologize, but it looks like I'm needed for an assignment."
"Don't be sorry, dear." Willow said. "We know how busy you are, but if you ever find some free time, don't be afraid to give either of us a call. Okay?"
"Of course, mother." She looked to Weiss. "And you, little sister. Learn to not be so embarrassed about your semblance."
"Ugh… Fine." Weiss replied, but then she sniffled a bit. "It was really good to see you again, Winter. Good luck on your assignment, though, you probably don't need the luck."
Winter nodded. "Thank you, little sister. I love you both."
"We love you too." Both Weiss and her mother said as the video call ended, and the white wolf sighed a little in sadness.
"Don't worry, sweetie. She'll call back soon, I know it." Willow assured as she rubbed her daughter's back.
So the reason this chapter is longer than usual is because it was originally two chapters, cut off from right before the flashback occurs. I felt like it would be much better putting them together instead since they were pretty short otherwise. That and it felt right to keep the flashback in one chapter than doing it in two.
To JJ- Summer and Willow are fun to write cause it's like trying out a future Ruby and Weiss, but also give them their own personalities too. And yeah, Blake is gonna have to learn to really be part of the team soon enough.
To the guest on chapter 30- Thank you. Not sure which story you were reading, but I'm glad you're also enjoying this one of mine. And yeah, this story is truly my favorite to write at the moment.
To GoldElite245- Her mouth does move with the words. It is funny to imagine, but with telepathy, I just feel like that's giving her way too much at that point.
I hoped you all enjoyed chapter 31. Remember, reviews are welcomed, but not required. See you all in chapter 32.