Ruby messaged the other three girls to meet them in the park when they done, and they all did, Weiss arriving last with a shopping bag of groceries that raised an eyebrow on Tai and Ruby, but not on Blake and Yang. They merely grinned at each other when they knew Weiss wasn't looking. Together the five wandered back to the car park, climbed in the jeep and drove back to their home for the week.
It was just starting to get dark when they arrived, and despite being only fifteen minutes away from the main city on Patch, Tai's cabin was relatively secluded, and it was easy to see the beginnings of the stars in the dusk sky. They piled out the van and into the house, all four of the girls agreeing that unpacking was the best thing to do next. Tai nodded as they told him and grabbed a lead off a hook on the wall, saying "I'll give Zwei a walk whilst you girls unpack and show our guests around a bit more." With that he tapped his thigh and Zwei bounded over and sat waiting for the lead, before they both headed out.
Weiss followed Ruby to her room, and Blake to Yang's. Ruby waited for Weiss in front of her door, then pushed it open with a "Ta-da!" Throwing her hands wide, she walked in and immediately stumbled over the two suitcases she had slid just inside the doorway earlier that day. Weiss unsuccessfully tried to smother her laugh as Ruby got back to her feet, face going a deep pink colour from embarrassment. Weiss smiled and shook her head as she bent to pick her case up and moved it over to the foot of the bed she guessed was hers from the plain covers, whilst the other bed had a rose petal design covering it, which she figured, correctly, was Ruby's.
Weiss looked around the room slowly, taking it in, the couple of picture frames on the dresser, the row of small Grimm models on a shelf, the small bookcase half empty. Ruby started at Weiss almost expectantly as she looked around, waiting for the opinion. "It's not exactly how I imagined it." Ruby looked confused, so Weiss elaborated, "You haven't really spent much time here since before we started at Beacon, other than after...yeah. After then. So, I expected it to be a lot messier like you used to be. But I like it."
Ruby laughed, "Yeah it would be messy usually, but Dad made me clean it before I went to Beacon, and then when I was here last I didn't spend much time actually in here, except when I was sleeping, so I didn't really have a chance to mess it up."
"Can I?" Weiss motioned to the dresser. Ruby nodded and Weiss walked over to the photos. Ruby was silent as she walked and stood next to her partner.
Weiss picked up a photo of four young adults, two guys, both easily recognisable, a woman who was also far more recognisable than Weiss would have liked, and a black haired woman with red tips wearing a hooded cloak, whom she had no doubt was Ruby's mother. "Is that?"
"Yeah" Ruby's voice was soft and quiet. "That's the only picture I've seen of all four of them together. Qrow, Dad, Yang's mum, and my Mum. I think Dad put it in here after I went to Beacon, cos I hadn't seen it in a long time before I came back."
Weiss nodded and put it back, before looking at one that should have some happy memories attached, judging by the giant grins on the faces of the three people in it. Ruby saw where Weiss was looking and smiled, "One of the only photos I have of us with my Mum. We'd just been out for a picnic and Dad insisted on taking a picture, I don't really remember it cos I was only like three or something, but Yang does. Apparently, I'd grabbed as many cookies as I could hold and then tried to make a break for it when I was caught with them, only I tripped over my own feet and face planted in the grass." Ruby smiled and Weiss couldn't help smirking, apparently Ruby had always been a klutz. "I wasn't hurt, but Mum gave me a big hug and made me feel better, and apparently I got to keep most of the cookies I'd tried to run off with." She smiled to herself at the story. Weiss looked at her and gently reached a hand over and put into Ruby's hand, gently squeezing. Ruby squeezed back and leant her head on Weiss's shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Weiss giving Ruby the silent support she knew was needed. Ruby was the first to move away, letting go of Weiss' hand gently and smiling broadly, much more her usual self.
"Come on, let's unpack and get changed into something more casual." Ruby walked over to her case and threw it on the bed before unzipping it. Weiss watched her, smiled to herself, then put her case on the floor and unzipped it too. "You can use any drawers in the dresser as well as any space in the wardrobe you want, I'll mostly just keep my stuff in the case so I don't get confused with stuff that doesn't fit me." Ruby laughed as she said it. Weiss started to pull her clothes out and hang them up in the wardrobe, selecting an ice blue turtleneck sweater she knew to be cosy and warm, as well as a pair of black skin-tight jeans. Placing the folded clothes on the bed, she turned back to the wardrobe and started hanging the rest up. When Weiss turned around Ruby was wearing a black short sleeved top, an open red hoody, and some light blue tattered jeans, with her tights showing through the rips. Weiss struggled to keep her composure; Has that dolt just got completely changed right behind me? I could have turned around at any minute! She could have been in her underwear!
Weiss did manage to keep her composure, though it was a struggle, and picked her clothes up asking "Ruby, where's the bathroom? I'd like to get changed too." Ruby nodded and directed her.
Blake and Yang meanwhile were both unpacking too, sharing a dresser between the two of them, taking it turns with the drawers. Yang picked her clothes out and got changed in the bathroom, whilst Blake got changed in the room and headed downstairs to wait for Yang, who came down a moment later. Blake smiled as her partner came down the stairs, feet almost soundless on the wooden stairs, wearing jeans, a yellow, low cut, v neck top, and a brown leather jacket. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes swept over Blake quickly, trying to hide it as she took in her outfit, black tights under denim shorts, a light grey top and a purple flannel. Blake had curled herself up on the sofa, with her legs beneath her.
"You know, that's the quietest I've heard you be in a long time. If only Professor Greene could have heard, she'd have given you a higher mark for stealth."
Yang stumbled the last stair, "Hey, come on, I'm not that bad! And don't bring up school, we're here to...relax!" She dropped herself into the sofa next to Blake as she said the last word. Blake just chuckled and went back to her scroll, reading a novel on it. Yang just smiled and looked at Blake, content to just be in her presence, no major worries, no madness about saving the world, and no worries about school.
A few minutes later Ruby came bounding down the stairs, Weiss not far behind her, and she threw herself onto the sofa over the back of it. The only problem was that she'd thrown herself a bit too hard and so started to slip off. "Weiss! Yang! Blake! Help! Heeeeeelp!" Ruby's feet in the tights were finding zero grip on the polished wooden floor, as she scrambled like crazy to stop herself falling off the sofa and, instead of helping, Yang was just cracking up laughing. Even Weiss and Blake were laughing hard as the sight of Ruby, the speed demon of Beacon, scrabbling with her feet to gain a purchase on the floor as she steadily slid further and further down was just too funny for any of them to intervene. Finally, after what seemed like five minutes, but was actually less than two, Ruby's backside hit the floor with a soft thump, and she pouted at them all. "I can't believe none of you helped me! I was falling to my doom and all you did was stand around and laugh!" This exaggeration only made the others laugh even more, and Tai walked in from the kitchen to find three of the girls laughing very hard, Yang almost falling off the sofa herself whilst Weiss and Blake were trying, and failing, to hold their laughter back, whilst Ruby was sat on the floor pouting. Zwei, who had been trotting at his feet, went running over to Ruby to lick at her face, which broke her pout and she started to laugh with the others too.
"I don't even want to know." Tai shook his head and smiled. Later that evening the four girls were sat around the table as Tai served up grilled cheese sandwiches, something both Ruby and Yang claimed were "the best sandwiches Remnant has to offer!" Weiss couldn't argue as she hadn't had anyone else's, and Blake...Blake was distracted.
After eating, she slipped out to stand on the porch. Yang went to follow her, but Tai just placed a hand on her shoulder saying "I'll go. I know she's your partner, but I think she needs some Dad advice." He smiled softly and Yang hesitated, the uncertainty plain as day on her face, but she nodded and went back to the table.
Blake was leaning on the porch railing, looking out at the sky as the stars twinkled, and Tai leant you against the railing as well, near enough to talk, but far enough away to be polite. They both stood there silently for a moment before he broke it, "What's on your mind?"
"Why do you think there's something on my mind?" Blake's reply was quietly spoken, trying to be polite, whilst not opening up to him. He may be Yang's father, but she still didn't know him that well.
"The first time you saw me you looked petrified. You were also distracted enough during the meal that Yang noticed it and was on her way to find you before I stepped in."
Blake nodded, "I'm sorry for troubling you, I'll go find her."
She was about to put her hand on the door when she heard his voice quietly say, "I'm not angry with you for running." She froze, hand still outstretched and inches away from the door handle. Tai continued, "I know why you'd think that, and I don't blame you for thinking it either, if the positions were reversed, I would probably think it too."
Blake was quiet, "I'm not sure what you're talking about." She was lying, she knew exactly what he meant, she just didn't want to admit it.
"You faced an enemy from your past, Yang stepped in to help you, and she lost her arm. What did he do next? Threaten to kill her? Ruby? Weiss? Destroy everything you hold dear, whilst you're powerless to do anything but watch?" Tai didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "So, you ran. Rather than wait to see the worst happen, you ran because you knew he'd follow you. He'd leave the others behind because you were his goal." Blake was rooted to the spot. His voice was softer than it had been during the earlier day and meal. "But you didn't realise what it would do to Yang. How badly it would affect her. In your eyes, you were protecting her from further pain, not realising what it would put her through to wake up and find her partner had vanished. It's clear that Yang's forgiven you, and I think you've mostly forgiven yourself too."
Tai was still leaning on the railing, resting his forearms on it and not looking at Blake. "But you realised I'd been there for her at the worst point and seen what you leaving had done to her. So, seeing me terrified you because how would I react to you?"
Blake was still standing in the same spot, as much as the urge to run had filled her the moment Tai had started talking, she knew running would fix nothing, and she wasn't going to run away anymore. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn't sure she could right now, even if she wanted to.
"You made the wrong choice in running, but I'm not angry with you for it. You did it because you believed it would help and protect your teammates." Tai chuckled, "Your intentions were pure, even if your idea wasn't such a good one. I know you're not asking for forgiveness, but even if you were, there's nothing to forgive."
Blake nodded slightly, knowing that Tai wouldn't see it and went back inside. After she'd gone back inside, he chuckled to himself, "So that's Ghira's little 'cub' huh? She definitely looks like her mum used to..."
Back inside, Yang wandered over to Blake when she came back in and Blake just smiled at her warmly, "It's all fine, I just needed some air." Yang wasn't sure she believed her but decided not to press the issue there and then, Blake would tell her at some point.
Early the next morning Tai was up well before dawn and headed to get a cup of coffee, only to find the kitchen light on. Confused, and a little wary, he moved closer, a faint smell of burning reaching his nose, and a softly muttered "Shit."
He leaned against the door frame, "You know," A barely concealed shriek filled the room as the intruder jumped about a foot in the air, throwing the small bowl they had been holding upwards and spun around to face him. He caught the bowl deftly with one hand before continuing, "That's not the language I was expecting to hear from the mouth of a Schnee heiress."
Weiss' face burned with embarrassment. "Ex-heiress. And I apologise for disturbing you sir." Her hair was dishevelled, held back by a simple hair tie rather than the usual tiara, and whilst she wore an apron, there was flour marks on her clothes and some dough streaks on her cheek. Tai could see behind her that there were various ingredients as well as some cooking utensils that had clearly been used. Turning back around Weiss gingerly reached out and picked up one of the squashed blobs from a baking tray and took a small bite out of it. "Bleurgh!" She coughed and immediately threw the remaining cookie back onto the tray and sat down heavily in the chair.
Tai walked over and picked one of the cookies up, taking small bite, before copying what Weiss had done, only putting the cookie back more gently. "Ok, so first of all you need less salt. Like a lot less salt. Second, you must be doing something weird with the mixture because it shouldn't come out this hard on the outside yet undercooked on the inside."
Weiss nodded, not trusting herself to speak, she knew she was moments away from crying, and she would NOT cry in front of Ruby's father.
"Right, let's put these in the bin and start again. Alright?" Tai opened the swing bin lid and paused a moment before pouring the remaining cookies into from the baking tray. "Weiss...how long have you been baking this morning?"
She winced; he'd clearly seen the other failed attempts that were already taking up residence in the bin. "What time is it now?"
"Five in the morning."
"Then two hours." Tai raised an eyebrow. She'd been trying to bake cookies for two hours? That was...strange.
"Why have you been trying to bake cookies for two hours?"
Weiss looked down, "They're a Solstice gift for Ruby. I overheard Yang saying how much she loved Solstice cookies and so I wanted to bake her some."
"Ok, that I understand, she does love Solstice cookies, but why go to all the trouble of doing it so early in the morning? You've been at it for two hours already, and you look ready to drop. Why not just buy her some really good ones and leave it at that?" Tai shrugged.
Weiss stood back up with a straight back. She may have changed a lot since meeting Ruby, but she still had stubbornness and pride ingrained in her, and it did show through when pricked just right, like now. "Because any old fool could do that. I want the gift to actually mean something. I've followed the recipe four times, and I followed it exactly! Each time they've come out awful. I just...I just want to give her a gift that she'll appreciate."
"Why does it mean that much to you?" Tai's voice was soft again, a welcoming tone that invited people to talk, the same tone he had used with Blake the evening before.
Weiss moved as she spoke, gesturing with her arms. "It means that much to me because she was the first person I met who didn't give a damn about who I was, or what my last name was, what I looked like, or whether I was smart or not. It really pissed me off to begin with, but after a while I appreciated it. She just wanted to be my friend because she did. There was no ulterior motive, no schmoozing to get into my family's company through me, no gold-digging rich idiots trying to woo me because all they saw was a chequebook." Weiss' face changed to one of fondness, a small and gentle smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she continued to speak, "She's our team leader and she's always tried her best, she's my partner, she's supported me in everything without thinking or arguing, she was there for me when I had to go back to Atlas and face my father and brother, she...she's my best friend, and this is the first chance I'll have to give her a Solstice gift that means something. We barely knew each other for the first one, we missed the second one, so I want to get her a gift that will make her happy."
Tai was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed casually and Weiss suddenly realised she'd gushed about his daughter to him, in his kitchen, at five in the morning. "Where's the recipe you've been following?" Weiss pointed at her scroll that was propped up against the back of the counter, and Tai leaned over to flick through the recipe. "Ok, give it one more go, this time I'll be here to point out where it's not going perfectly. You'll still be the one to make them, I'm just an additional part of the recipe help." Weiss considered it for a moment and then agreed.
Author's Note:
I've got this view that whilst Tai is a teacher at Signal, he's also the counsellor for the academy too. Next week is going to be a bit fluffier, but still have a bit of angst in it.
Thank you very much for everyone who reads this and all the support!
I've got another fanfic that I'm writing and whilst it's only at one chapter so far, I'm going to keep going with it alongside this one. It's a high school story of RWBY set in the modern world (except it has Faunus in). It's called 'These are the High School Days of Our Lives' and I'd really appreciate people checking it out! Thank you very much!