Something was sounding off, above water or in the distance, but whatever it was invaded as though is was closer than it seemed. Whatever it was, it was vibrating the liquid deep she was submerged in and dragging her to the surface. A siren? No, it didn't have the body to move these waters, nor did she know of a being that sought to entrance her. Of course: a train bell, signaling a great mechanical beast was tearing across the land along a predetermined track. Mindless, numb, and violent. She woke with a start, groaning as she brought her leaden arms up to cover her head. What was that noise? Prying her eyes open she looked to her night table to see Winter's classic bell alarm clock going off beside her. She threw an arm over in an attempt to silence the damned thing, but ended up knocking it to the floor where it continued to ring. "Goddamnit Winter, why is this in here..?" She groaned again as she slowly lifted herself to a mostly upright position, picking the alarm clock up and finally ending its aural assault. Resting her elbows on her knees and still clutching the clock, she took a few deep breaths to aid in waking up and to still herself. Another vague dream that riddled her with a subtle buzz of unease upon waking. Not that waking up felt much like waking up anymore. It felt more like being born, like consciousness was brand new to her and she had to work extremely hard to acclimate to it. She sighed, wondering how long she could stand being born again every morning. She didn't do too bad today she mentally noted as she focused on the face of the clock. Eight-twenty wasn't awful for a morning where Winter wasn't the primary catalyst in her becoming perpendicular to her bed. She supposed she could count the small victories. She gave herself another ten minutes before grabbing her phone, pecking out a good morning text to Ruby, and starting her commitment to the day. "Winter," she drawled as she made her way down the hall, movement still subdued by fatigue and a tired edge still in her voice. "Why is that relic in my room?"
"Hey, Weiss." Her eyes snapped up and her hand ceased rubbing the sleep from her eyes when a deeper voice than she expected greeted her from the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who it was who greeted her. Given how tired she was and the shock she was experiencing, she knew she must have had a look on her face because Whitley sat just as still at the island in the kitchen as she stood at the mouth of the hall. "Morning."
"..Good morning.." She emptily returned the greeting, a pure response to a stimulus. "Winter," she called. She'd much rather Winter be in the room so that she could fade into the background.
"She had to go back to base," Whitley started. "She called me last night and asked me if I could take you to your doctor's appointment.." Whitley trailed off at the end, most assuredly due to the fact that she was sure quite an incredulous look marred her face, a look she was quite honestly too tired to dilute.
"I'll.. I'm," was all she had the energy to manage before she turned and made her way back down the hall to the bathroom, unlocking her phone and dialing her sister on the way. Winter picked up just as she had closed the bathroom door behind her. "Winter," she hissed through gritted teeth, "I could have arranged a ride."
"Weiss, I'm sorry. You were asleep when I was called back to base last night. It wasn't my intention to spring this on you, but I would feel more comfortable if someone were to drive and accompany you this morning."
"I'm sure I could have tipped a Lyft driver several hundred dollars to accompany me to the front door of Beacon and then back to the car." She couldn't believe Winter. If she wasn't ready to see Whitley yesterday, what would lead her to believe a day passing would make a difference?
"Weiss, please be reasonable. I know you're more exhausted in the morning than you're use to and that it takes you a little longer to get going. Having Whitley take you would put me at ease knowing that someone I could count on was doing it.
"Winter, this does the opposite of put me at ease!" She made sure to keep her exclamation at a decent volume, but gave it enough force to convey to Winter that she wasn't okay with this.
"Weiss, please. I didn't mean to upset you and I apologize. But can you at least try to see my motivations behind it?" She sighed into the phone trying to force herself into a more agreeable disposition. She wasn't angry at Winter. She was more angry at the situation she abruptly found herself in, a situation she had no preparation for, and honestly, her anger was her shield against the anxiety that had already spread throughout her. If she wasn't angry, she'd be absolutely terrified.
"I can," she sighed again. "I do. I'm sorry, and I'm not angry at you.. Thank you for keeping me in mind. I'm just.. it's fine. It'll be fine." She said the last part more for herself than Winter.
"It will. I asked Whitley if he could take you, and he wanted to. Just remember what I told you yesterday," Winter comforted.
"I do. Sorry for blowing up on you."
"It's alright. And I apologize as well. I don't want you to think I have an agenda to force mend you and Whitley's relationship. It's just that he was someone I could count on to know you'd be taken care of."
"I understand." She did, and Winter's decision wasn't something she could fault her on. "I'm going to finish my morning.. I'll call you a little later on."
"Alright." The call ended. Deciding to take a moment in the silence, she sat on the commode to wrangle her thoughts. Her dissipating anger gave wave to nervousness and, with her shield lowered, a startling anxiety, waxing slowly like the moon. But she couldn't sit here forever. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and attempted to rid herself of some worry and exhaustion with a palmful of cold water to the face before she exited back towards the kitchen.
Whitley was sitting at the island facing away from the hall when she reemerged from it. She could do this. It would be fine. Making her way to the counter, she bypassed the island and avoided looking in any direction in favor of beelining for the toaster to fix herself a bagel. "Good morning again.."
"I brought coffee," Whitley offered somewhat hastily. "Nitro cold brew seemed the best choice, if you're interested." Starting her bagel, she turned back toward the island. Whitley was holding a cup up. She noticed a pale stubble lining his jaw and chin, and that his cheeks were more defined than she ever remembered them being, changing his overall presentation from the boyish she remembered most to the handsome that became him. His expression was mostly neutral except for the quirk of a slight smile, making him seem to bear more a peace offering than simply a cup of coffee.
"Thank you.." she said as she sauntered forward, eyes low, to accept the cup from him before returning to the counter to tend to her newly risen bagel.
"..No problem." A spread of cream cheese later and she was sitting diagonal to Whitley at the island and silently eating her breakfast as he silently sipped his coffee. The silence that surrounded them couldn't necessarily be described as awkward. No, the silence they were enduring could best be described as desperate. Desperate for attention or for acknowledgement. Desperate for resolve or for oblivion. She would be fine. This could still be fine. She stood from the island to deposit her plate into the sink. She noticed Whitley lifting his head at her movement before she turned completely around, and, as she reached for her organizer in the cabinet, she hesitated as a wave of self-consciousness washed over her. She withdrew her hand back to her front, acutely aware of herself and of her brother's presence. She drew and loosed a deep breath. Could she do this? She was terribly unsure of herself suddenly. "You alright, Weiss?"
"I'm fine," she snapped and immediately cringed at her response, frustrated with herself that Whitley being present was throwing her more than she was seemingly able to handle. She heaved another deep breath, reaching up again and taking her organizer out of the cabinet. Her frustration with herself left her no room to have any patience for or understanding of herself. Perhaps her anxious urgency that compelled her to knock back her medication despite the pressure of her present self-consciousness was some sort of resolve, devoid of strength yet swollen with an imperative purpose. This same resolve that choked down that miniature cocktail was also of a kind that would have her dashing herself across the rocks or flinging herself to the gray if the circumstances were different. Despite that, it was good that it showed up because she contemplated not taking her medication at all, staving off a vulnerability, but inviting who knows what kind of consequences. She shivered, deciding not to dwell on the concept. "Sorry. I'm just.. tired." Her tiredness was understated. She was exhausted. Still exhausted, and she'd argue that her morning thus far had been draining her of the little energy she was able to accumulate. "Sorry," she said again, grabbing her coffee. "I'm going to start getting ready."
"Your appointment is at 10:30?" Whitley asked just as she passed the island.
"Yeah." She couldn't be more glad to be back in her room as she sat on her bed and heaved yet another sigh, albeit a more shaky one this time. She turned her attention to the coffee in her hands. She couldn't say Whitley wasn't trying. He was being amiable, something he always was until given a reason to be otherwise. She ran a hand through her hair, taking a drink from her caffeinated beverage once her hand came to he end of her locks before gathering her things to shower.
Letting the warm water wash over her, she hoped it would carry down the drain some of the power her troubled thoughts and feelings were exerting over her. Despite her.. illness being treated, she still felt fragmented in ways, still at a loss for control. She felt she was either still in between two lives or cultivating a new one altogether, and she had yet to really realize that she was having trouble reconciling with all of it. She only felt frustration and impatience. And anger toward herself at times. Reseating her toothbrush, she stared long and hard at her reflection in the newly replaced mirror, refraining from thinking thoughts that were thoroughly unproductive for her right now and psyching herself up to climb the mountain that had just appeared in front of her. If she could make it just over the peak, she could just plunge the descent and run it as credit. But maybe her day need not be so dramatic. Everything was going fine given her sudden circumstance. She just needed to keep herself from being 'the reason otherwise'. Dressed and as ready as she would be, she retrieved her coffee and returned to the kitchen. "It's a bit early still," she started from the mouth of the hall, eliciting her brother's attention "but I'm ready whenever you are."
"I'm fine to leave now. We can get there with fifteen or more minutes to spare." Standing from the island, she took notice of her and Whitley's difference in height. She smirked to herself, remembering times when he was shorter than her. Grabbing her satchel and her keys, they exited through the front and climbed into Whitley's black BMW. "You can put some music on if you want. There's an AUX cord down there," Whitley offered with a gesture of his free hand. She silently accepted his offer, uncoiling the cord and connecting it to her phone. She felt in the mood for something comforting, yet melancholy. A gentle, yet driving acoustic progression flowed through the speakers, soothing her from the inside out. Resting her head against the window, she stilled a subtle wave of nausea that stirred inside her. Perhaps she should have opted for amore complete breakfast.
Someone's always coming around here trailing some new kill.
Says, 'I've seen your picture on a hundred dollar bill'.
What's a game of chance to you, to him is one of real skill.
"So glad to meet you, Angeles." Her eyes were closed throughout the intro as her head rested on the window, but Whitley just barely singing along to the first chorus as it broke caught her attention. She turned to look at him, his eyes still forward as he drove and his finger keeping subtle time with the song on the steering wheel.
"You're familiar with Elliott Smith?"
"I am," he answered. It seemed the conversation was to stop there. "My.. friend sat me down and really introduced me to him a while ago. Turns out I recognized a few songs from somewhere," he finished, a smile just barely on his lips. She half-hummed in response before a yawn overtook her, smiling to herself afterward as she closed her eyes and laid her head against the window again. She was that somewhere, once upon a time. Despite how the conversation dissolved where the music carried on, the air surrounding them wasn't as thick as it was a few minutes prior. And all because of a simple exchange. Familiarity. An old pattern.
Twenty minutes later Whitley pulled into the car park off to the left of Beacon's main entrance. It had only been just over a week since her stay at the inpatient facility ended, since she last talked to Dr. Ozpin, though it felt as though a much greater amount of time had elapsed since she left. Almost like a lot had gone on to warp the time. In a way, a lot had happened, and in another way, her past week had been rather uneventful aside from the time she spent with Ruby. She checked her phone, what time it was only a partial motivation. She lingered on the screen of her phone, most notably marked by the absence of a particular notification.
Despite the routine they had established for themselves over the past week, last night she and Ruby didn't video message each other before they went to bed. She was almost sure that since they were unable to text each other while Ruby was out with her sister, they would wind down their days as usual. But Ruby never got back to her, even after she poked her friend with a short message and a couple of links to songs she thought she would like before, finally, a message goodnight. Concern stirred in her, lightly fluttering somewhere between her abdomen and her chest. She hadn't known Ruby long, but for the time she did know her, she knew there was something to this radio silence. She hoped that whatever July was to Ruby, it was treating her kind enough in her absence. Kind enough until she was able to see her again. She wanted to focus those distant stares and pull the sadness from those small half-smiles, twine their fingers together into a nervous braid as their pulses fluttered against one another's in their palms. She just.. wanted to hear from her.
"Should I wait out here?" Whitley's voice startled her from her thoughts. It was about that time, she supposed.
"No.. it's a bit hot out here. There's a place to wait inside." She finished the remainder of her coffee before getting out, a singular beep following behind them as Whitley locked the car as they made their way to the entrance. The rail that lined the concrete steps into the three story building was black iron, warm to the touch from the summer heat as they ascended them. The polished and immaculately maintained hardwood floor greeted her when she crossed the threshold into the building and to the reception desk off to the left.
"Good morning," a kindly older woman greeted. "Are you here for visitation?"
"Good morning," she returned. "No, I have an appointment with Dr. Ozpin at 10:30."
"Name?"
"Weiss Schnee."
"Thank you. If you could sign in here for me first, you can take this badge and go ahead and head upstairs.
"Alright," she confirmed. "And it's fine for my brother to wait here until I'm finished?"
"Of course. The visitor's lounge is just there," the woman directed. "Dr. Ozpin should be ready for you, but in the off-chance he isn't, there's a waiting area just across from his office.
"Thank you," she said before taking the badge and making towads the visitor's lounge, Whitley falling into step with her once she was closer. "I shouldn't be more than an hour, depending."
"I'll be hanging out," he said before they parted ways, him into the lounge and her up the stairs.
Familiar black and white photographs greeted her as she ascended the steps and went down the hall. They were truly magnificent. Inspiring even as she often thought of how she could convey what the photographs did in her sketches. Her arrival was marked by the most familiar photograph: a bridge illuminated at night, captured through a car window dotted with raindrops that creating a stunning bokeh effect all over the image. She had seen this picture the most during her stay and perhaps that played a part in it being her favorite. Seeing the large wooden door as invitingly ajar as it always was, she knocked. "Please, come in," Ozpin's voice called from inside. "Good morning, Ms. Schnee," he greeted her with an easy smile. "It's good to see you. How have you been?"
"Good morning," she greeted in return as she sat across from him. "I've been alright. I've had a good week ultimately. My only complaint is that I've been tired most days, but the pros outweigh the cons right now."
"I see. I take it your nightly medications is leaving more to be desired in terms of energy in the morning."
"It is. I also find it hard to stay awake for more than thirty minutes after I take it. That'd be a more petty complaint if I had the energy for it." She laughed to herself, idly remembering when she'd fallen asleep on the couch one of her first days home trying to watch a movie with Winter.
"Perhaps," Dr. Ozpin chuckled. "Has the tiredness decreased or changed any as the week's progressed?"
"No," she shrugged. "It hasn't changed at all since I've started it. It's just been somewhat overbearing. Some days it's easier to get through it to start my morning routine, but that's not often the case."
"I see.." He seemed to contemplate something briefly before continuing. "Have you experienced any nausea this past week?"
"I have. Nothing debilitating, just a discomfort that will sometimes line my day."
"I see," he said again, taking a moment to think to himself before he continued. "One of your morning medications my be causing conflict with your nightly medication. Your nightly medication is one that I want to titrate up to a more effective dosage, but that could pose some problems if the side effects aren't diminishing over time."
"Which means?"
"A slight change needs to be made to your schedule of medication to promote its effectiveness." He concluded. Perhaps it was naïve of her, given they spoke on the trial and error aspect of finding the right combination of medicine, but a part of her thought it was something that wouldn't be altered until further down the line. "Before you leave today, I will put together a folder for you. In short, I'm wanting to wean you off of one medication to see if that helps with the tiredness and nausea you've been experiencing."
"And increasing the dosage of the one I take at night? I'm a little wary of potentially being more tired," she finished, not a fan of the possibility in the slightest.
"That is something I won't change until a baseline can be established for what you are already taking. When it does increase, you will experience some tiredness as your body acclimates to the increased dosage, but seeing as it hasn't acclimated to the present dosage, I'm not inclined to increase the dosage until the current issues have been resolved."
"I see.." She didn't presume to know what devising schedules of psychiatric medications for people entailed, but she was appreciative of the fact that Dr. Ozpin did seem to take a lot into consideration when doing so.
"We'll discuss that more before you leave today, but first, you've had a good week, yes?"
"I have," she confirmed. "I've established a morning and nightly routine for myself which has helped me a lot. I'm getting a decent amount of sleep as well, which is a breath of fresh air considering how little sleep I tended to get beforehand. My sister has been one of the greatest helps. She spent most of the week with me at home, helping me in the morning when its harder to get going and making sure that I have a decent breakfast before I take my medication. Honestly, I feel all of this would have been much harder without her."
"That's good to hear. Your sister struck me as someone of great caring when she first approached me, a solid foundation for a good support system for you."
"She has been," she agreed. "My friend Ruby has been a great help in that department as well. I haven't known her for long, actually met her when I wasn't at my best, but.. she hasn't treated me any differently throughout the entire time I've known her. She's even gone so far to take an interest in what I'm going through."
"She sounds like a very compassionate individual," Ozpin smiled.
"She is, and I couldn't be more grateful. She and Winter have helped.. normalize my situation, if that's the right word to use for it. There have been times when I've been self-conscious about taking medication in front of them, or about my past behavior, but they've helped me not to feel ashamed, I guess. I don't know." She paused, ruminating on all of the comforts and discomforts she had felt the past week and beyond. "My.. brother was actually the one who brought me to my appointment. Winter needed to return to base, so she asked him if he could take me. Given what little I've told you about my relationship with him, I'm sure you can guess that it has been a bit of a stressor this morning."
"I can see how that has been a source of unease for you, yes," Dr. Ozpin affirmed. "Does your sister's trust in him for such a task and his willingness to help say anything to you, in terms of his motivations, so to speak?"
"They do, I guess," she stated. "Winter has told me he's been asking about me whenever they've seen each other. I've been making a point to avoid him whenever she's let me know he's coming over, but I couldn't necessarily do that today. We've both been.. agreeable, and he brought us coffee this morning. It's just.. he's trying and I'm not sure I know how to try in return. A part of me.. misses him. We're fraternal twins, we grew up as together as two siblings could, but.. I've never been a good sister to him. At least not in the past four years or so, and I don't know how to reconcile with him. I don't even know how to reconcile with myself," she confessed. "I still feel like I'm in the middle of two different lives, three if you count the one I'm creating from all the salvage from the other two. I just, I don't know where to begin in order to make it right so I don't try. Sometimes I feel selfish wanting to because I'm the one who pushed him away."
"It isn't selfish to want to mend your relationship with your brother," Ozpin said. "That you are so conscious about your relationship now and what led it here says that you are taking great care where it is concerned. May I suggest speaking candidly with him as you have spoken with me? Him asking about you and actively trying to assume a small role in your wellness say he's wanting to bridge the gap. Perhaps he is simply at a loss for how best to try and needs a little understanding that only you can provide."
"I see.."
"I think you are working with better odds than you may realize, Ms. Shcnee." She nodded her head, contemplating everything Dr. Ozpin had just said to her. "Our time is almost at an end for today, so I'd like to go over the changes to your schedule of medication more in depth." She was thankful that Ozpin was printing her another handy folder to take with her as her mind was too preoccupied to do more than sort of follow along. From what she was able to gather in her distracted state, she'd be taking a certain pill from Friday and Saturday, splitting them down the middle to spread over four days, and then on the fifth day, she wouldn't take it anymore. That effectively gave her four days of reducing the dosage, and three of finally removing it from her system before she saw Ozpin next. "Lastly, I've scheduled two appointments for you to get some bloodwork done." Pulling two freshly printed papers from beneath his desk, he placed them in the folder. "The first will be tomorrow afternoon, and the second will be Tuesday morning. The topmost papers provide greater details about when, where, and which doctor you will be seeing."
"Alright," she confirmed.
"Before we part for the day, is there anything else I can help you with?"
"Nothing that I can think of. You've given me a lot to consider."
"In that case, it has been a pleasure Ms. Schnee," he smiled. "Until next time."
"Until next time," she repeated before leaving his office. He gave her a great deal to consider. Speak candidly.. Her nervousness was surfacing just thinking about the notion of having a candid conversation about her.. illness with Whitley, and she supposed her greatest fear was not being understood. She didn't expect to be assuaged of most of what plagued her: the guilt, the responsibility for her actions, or the anger that bubbled at times in remembrance. No, she didn't expect that to go anytime soon. She could only resolve herself to try and iron out some of the years old wrinkles that mussed up many aspects of her life, and suspend any expectations she had.
Finding herself back in the first floor lobby she remembered that she wanted to ask Dr. Ozpin about the black and white photos. Supposing she could just ask him next week, she made her way to the visitor's lounge, rounding the doorframe just enough to flag Whitley down. "Hey."
"Hey," he returned as he got to his feet and started toward her. "Ready to go?"
"I am," she said starting toward the front, Whitley falling into step beside her. "I just need to return my badge." They walked to the kindly receptionist so she could hand off her badge. She bid them farewell with a smile before they made their way back to the car. On the way home, Whitley had taken the opportunity to provide the soundtrack for the ride, electing to go with a selection of rhythmic instrumentals that picked up where the tone of Elliott Smith had left off. They rode in silence for ten minutes, the words of Dr. Ozpin reverberating in her head. She supposed now was a time for her to try. "Hey, Whitley?"
"What's up?"
"I.. thank you. For taking me today. I appreciate it.."
"Don't worry about it. I'm happy to help." The conversation seemed as though it would stop there. "I've.. been wanting to see how you've been doing.." His voice was quiet, a little unsure. Perhaps he was at as much of a loss as she was.
"I've been fine," she said with a shrug. Silence followed. She wasn't sure what more she could say. She felt vulnerable, unsure, and a little uneasy.
"Weiss, I want you to know that I care about you," Whitley started. "When Winter left me that voicemail last month telling me the state she found the house in and that she hadn't heard from you and didn't know where you were, asking me to call her and let her know if I had seen you, I.. just the uncertainty of it all." He face was serious stone, an edge of sadness apparent in the downturn of his mouth and the furrow in his brow. He looked like their father. "I had to face the possibility that we might have lost you. That I might have lost you, and that was something I didn't know how much it would hurt to feel. I'm sorry I left the way I did that night. It was easier for me to be angry at you for what you said and how you worried Winter and I than it was to acknowledge that you were hurting, were hurt and I was afraid, and the one day out of two weeks that I was in the know could have been any of the other days I wasn't, or Winter wasn't. It just.. It scared me, and it was easier to be angry than afraid."
Hearing all of this from Whitley was a little.. shocking, and similar. Just this morning she defaulted to being angry to avoid being afraid. The easier option. "I'm sorry.. for everything," she murmured. Out of everything that had run through her mind the past month, the extent of his and Winter's fear and what they had gone through had never formulated fully in her mind. She felt guilt well up inside of her.
"You've apologized to me before, for certain things, but now.. I don't think there's anything for you to apologize for now," Whitley said.
"Saying that is one thing, but I feel.. ashamed about who I've been and what I've done for god knows how long," she confessed "It's hard, being stuck in between to different lives that are both mine. I can't reconcile anything, but I have to take responsibility for everything when I don't know who I am or who I have been." God, she didn't want to cry and yet here she was, hands to her face in a desperate attempt to obscure the anguished tears she was spilling forth. Dr. Ozpin's advice somehow morphed into her being downright vulnerable. "It's just.. hard," she said after a minute as she wiped away stray tears, "and I don't know if this is ever going to get easier."
"Weiss.." Whitley started before he trailed off. She couldn't fault him for not knowing what to say considering she just dumped a lot on him all at once and then cried. They were pulling in front of her and Winter's home now after having spent the last several minutes of the drive in silence. She supposed this is where they would leave it for the day.
"Thank you again, for driving me," she said as she opened her door and moved to get out.
"Weiss, wait." Whitley exited the car and rounded the front to where she now stood. When he arrived in front of her, he enveloped her in a strong and complete embrace. Taken aback for just a moment, she returned the embrace in kind and cried softly into his chest. "I love you, you know that? I want you to know that I love you, no matter what, okay?" She nodded her head in understanding, unable to use her voice at present because it was subdued by emotion. They remained that way for several minutes as her tears gradually came to a stop. Of all the expectations she had and suspended, this wasn't one of them. If this is what a little trying got her, then she could try a little more.
"I have another appointment tomorrow," she said as she pulled back a bit, keeping her eyes low. "Do you think you could take me?"
"I can. Do you think I could take you to lunch? I want to talk more, if that's okay?"
"That' fine," she agreed, looking up to meet his eyes. So like Winter's, so like hers. "I'd like that."
"Okay," he said, a slight smile on his lips. "I'd hang around today, but I promised a friend I'd come see them," he explained as they separated from their embrace.
"I'll send you more information about my appointment in a little bit," she finalized before stepping towards the walk to her door.
"Okay. I'll see you later, Weiss." She waved to him as he got into the car and left before making her way inside. As unexpected as that all was she'd be lying if she said it wasn't refreshing and cathartic. She sat at the kitchen island, her head full of what just transpired between her and Whitley. Maybe this third life she was creating would be one worth working hard for.
She took out her phone for the first time in an hour or more, and she was happy to find that a somewhat recent message from Ruby greeted her in her phone's notification panel.
'Good morning. Sorry I was absent most of yesterday :( I'm still down to hangout today though.'
Bypassing the time it would take to send and then receive a reply, she pressed the call button.
"もしも—Uh, I mean, hey Weiss!"
"If I were to order a pizza, what would you want on it and would you be able to get here before it arrived?"
"Oh, oh! Cheese with extra cheese!"
"That's it?" She chuckled at Ruby's excited presence over the phone, glad to hear her friend's good spirits in her voice.
"Yes! But don't order it yet. Yang tricked me into helping her out at Qrow's so I'm stuck here until three." She checked the time on her phone. It was nearing one in the afternoon. "I'll be able to head over after and then we can pizza!"
"It's a date then," she said before she could stop herself, opting to hastily cover up what she just said with more words. "I'm going to take a nap since you'll be a couple more hours, but I'll leave the door unlocked for you just in case I'm still asleep when you get here."
"Okay. I gotta go, Yang's shooting me murder eyes cause I have a line, but I'll see you soon!"
"Bye," she laughed before ending the call. Getting up from the island she walked to the living room and flopped onto the couch. Curling around a pillow, she set herself an alarm for two forty-five with two ten minutes snoozes. Hopefully she wouldn't sleep through it, but in the chance she did, she imagined Ruby would wake her up when she got here. She started to doze off pretty immediately, reeling a bit from lingering tiredness from this morning and her heart to heart with Whitley. She almost still couldn't believe how today went for her. She was more at ease now than she was this morning, and while all of their issues weren't solved, they were in a better place now to move forward than they had been in a long time. She fell into a dreamless sleep, one that was mostly pleasant, but one that still buzzed with subtle unease. Lights popped behind her eyes in that abyssal slumber and she thought she heard a familiar tone just brief enough for it to possibly have been imaginary. She turned, further curling herself around the pillow in her sleep as gentle whispers called to her from somewhere.
"Heeeya Weiss." She felt someone tenderly running their fingers through her bangs, lifting her from the sleep that consumed her. "Hey, Weiss, let's hang out." Another gentle whisper. Her eyes opened slowly, barely at the coercion back to consciousness. Red tips.
"Ruby," she drawled as the world slowly came more into focus. "I guess I missed my alarm, huh?"
"Maybe a little," Ruby laughed softly from the floor beside her as she withdrew her hand. "Did you sleep okay? You seemed like you could have been having a bad dream when I came to wake you up."
"No," she said as she curled more around her pillow. "I mean yes. No I wasn't having bad dream rather. How're you?" Her voice had a tired edge to it, but she managed a small, exhausted smile.
"I'm fine. Sorry I didn't message you yesterday. By the time yang and I got back home, it was close to ten and I was dead tired. I also figured you'd already run out of blinks for the day so I went straight to bed," she laughed.
"Well you weren't wrong," she chuckled as she heaved herself upright, bringing her hands to her face to rub her eyes before running them through her hair. "It might go without saying, but I did find myself missing my best friend yesterday."
"Aw!" Ruby hopped up to sit next to her on the couch before launching at her for a hug. "I missed you too!"
"I see," she laughed as she returned Ruby's hug. They settled back into the couch, pulling apart from the embrace ever so slightly as her arm rested over Ruby's shoulder and pulled her close, absentmindedly playing with the red tips of her hair. Ruby left an arm wound around her back and used the other to play with the cardigan sleeve draped over her shoulder. "I'm glad to see you're in better spirits today. I've concluded that I'm not really a fan of those sad smiles.."
"I am.. Yang took me hiking yesterday. It was hot, but it was fun. She kinda noticed I'd been a little sad and wanted to cheer me up."
"I'm still here to listen, whenever you want to talk. No pressure though, but I wanted to make sure you know I'm around."
"Thanks Weiss, really. But today, I could use pizza if that offer still stands."
"It does," she laughed as she used her free hand to pull out her phone and open up a food service app. "So, cheese and more cheese for you. No toppings?"
"Nope! What're you getting?"
"Chicken parmesan with a garlic base."
"Sounds good," Ruby nodded.
"Anything for dessert?"
"Dessert?" Ruby seemed to perk up at that. "What do they have?"
"Hm.. brownies, cheesecake and.. a chocolate chip cookie dessert pizza?"
"That one! I mean, heh, definitely that one."
"I definitely heard you the first time," she laughed as she finalized the order and placed it. "Should be here in thirty to forty minutes."
"Sounds good," Ruby nodded again.
"Do you want to help me with something while we wait?"
"Sure. What do you need me to do?"
"Follow me," she said as she disentangled herself from Ruby to stand. Walking to the island where she left the folder Ozpin gave her, she pulled out the instruction sheets he gave her. "My Doctor is changing up my medication a bit. I was wondering if you'd read the instructions to me while I got everything together."
"I can do that," Ruby agreed taking the papers and sitting at the island. While Ruby sat and read the instructions to herself, she gathered her organizer from the cabinet and a small knife before sitting across from her friend. "Ready?"
"I am."
"Okay! So this says to take, uh," she turned the page to her and pointed at the name of the medication she was supposed to halve instead of attempting to pronounce it, "this one, cut two in half and spread that over four days."
"Okay.. That one is," she stood and went to get the corresponding bottle from the cabinet, "this one." Sitting back down at the island she fished all of them from her organizer, returning all but two to the bottle. Carefully, she cut each pill in half down the indentation that already had them split in halves. "There."
"Why is your doctor changing your medicine?
"He thinks this one might be interfering with the one I take at night," she explained. "My body hasn't gotten used to taking it as much as it should have. He suggested the interference might be why it's still making me as tired as it did when I first started taking it. Could you put those in Friday through Monday for me while I put this back?"
"Sure thing." Ruby seemed contemplative as she put the halves away. Her gaze lingered on her friend for a moment more before she moved to return the bottle to the cabinet. "Hey, Weiss?" She hummed, turning to see a rare look of seriousness on Ruby's face as she returned to the island. "Is it scary for you? Going through all of this, I mean?"
"It is, and it's been hard, but.. I think the way it was before terrifies me more, though it's difficult going through this now as blindly as I am. I'm not sure where I'd be if I didn't have people around that cared enough to be here for me." She lowered her eyes, suddenly bashful. Ruby was one of those people for her and she honestly didn't know how all of this would be if she hadn't stepped out to sit with her that night in front of Qrow's. She didn't want to know how different this all would be if Ruby wasn't there the next day, wearing her TMGE shirt, treated her as though the night before was an incident so isolated that she deserved the benefit of the doubt.
"I.. lost a friend. From Japan, last year in July." Ruby's soft, sad admission captured her attention in a way that gripped her. She looked on her friend whose slumped shoulders, bowed head, and fiddling fingers let on the weight of what she was sharing. "She.. was going through a lot, and sometimes I get sad thinking of how scared she must have been. I just wish I could have been there for her, y'know?"
"Ruby," she started before she saw Ruby wipe at her eyes. Something swelled within her at the sight of Ruby crying, at the thought of gunmetal dulled and pained and that beautiful smile quivering over shaking breaths. "Can I hug you?" She questioned carefully.
"Weiss hugs are pretty great.." Before she knew it she had swiveled Ruby's stool and pulled her into an embrace, one that would do her friend's own justice with how solid a hug it was, and tender.
"I'm sorry you lost your friend, Ruby.."
"It's okay," she sniffed, pulling away just enough to wipe her eyes with one hand, and holding on to the hug with the other.
"Is that 'July things'?"
"One of them. I lost my mom eleven years ago in July too. That one is a little easier, but this year I just miss them both, and then I miss them a lot at the same time.." Ruby trailed off, wiping at her eyes a little more as her breath caught in her throat.
"I'm sorry, Ruby.." She couldn't bring herself to say anything more at the moment, tears forming in her own eyes as she hugged Ruby, heartbroken at her friend's sadness. She didn't know what she could say, so she decide to just hold her. They stayed that way for several minutes as Ruby's breaths evened out and her sniffs became less frequent. "I'm here for you.." she whispered, an honest confession with hidden depths.
"Thanks, Weiss," Ruby said as she pulled away, bringing both of her hands up to wipe away the last traces of her tears. "Sorry, I kinda cried all over your shirt," she chuckled.
"I'll live," she said with a smile, glad that Ruby's sense of humor was poking through.
"Thanks for listening, and letting me be sad and stuff," Ruby said bringing gunmetal, swimming, yet at ease to meet piercing blue, a small, grateful smile on her face.
"Always," she said. "Let me know if there's anything else I can do."
"I mean, you already have with pizza."
"You're funny," she dismissed.
"Honestly, my two favorite foods are pizza and chocolate chip cookies. There's literally a chocolate chip cookie pizza on the way to that door!" She laughed as Ruby punctuated her point by gesturing towards the door.
"All I did was order it."
"Exactly. My best friend ordered me— us, a chocolate chip cookie pizza. That might make you the best best friend in the whole universe."
"The whole universe?"
"The whole universe." She laughed and rolled her eyes playfully at Ruby's antics. The girl was rather sweet.
"If you say so," she said as she made her way to the living room. "Do you want to watch a movie or a show when the pizza gets here? I have.. Amazon Video, Hulu, and Netflix on the Playstation."
"Playstation?" Ruby asked her that as though she couldn't believe her ears.
"Yes? My brother suggested Winter and I get one once upon a time for media purposes."
"I get that, but its mostly for game purposes!"
"I've never played a game on it." Ruby seemed taken aback by that.
"We could play games together though! I have one at my house, we could totally co-op!"
"Co-op?" The notion of playing vide games on this.. Playstation was lost on her, but Ruby's zeal for them potentially playing video games together was amusing. "I'll.. consider it, but today we're watching something. You pick."
"Fiiine," Ruby relented as a bell sounded throughout the flat. "Yes!"
"Pick something while I get the door," she laughed. Receiving the order, she walked it to the counter to place it down. Being in a particularly good mood, she tipped the driver generously on the app. "One or two slices?"
"One of each please," Ruby called back as she scrolled through various genres and shows on Netflix. "Have you seen Aggretsuko?"
"I haven't," she replied as she sat two plates on the glass topped coffee table.
"It's pretty good! I hope you don't mind a cartoon."
"Not at all," she smirked. The coffee table was the perfect place and height to eat as they watched television. She had to admit the show was funny, especially how the main character sang heavy metal at karaoke, leading her to believe that Ruby's overall taste level for things was greater and more kindred than she knew. "I feel like you'd like Brooklyn Nine-Nine."
"Don't forget that. I want you to introduce me to it one day," she said standing from her place at the table. "Can I take your plate?"
"Yeah, thanks." She watched as Ruby skipped back to the island, depositing the crusts into the trash can before opening the box she'd surely be dying to open since it arrived. "Do you want cookie pizza?"
"I'll pass for now. I may have actually bought that for you."
"I knew it," Ruby beamed retaking her seat next to her, though sitting a little closer this time. "And the award for Universe's Best Best Friend goes to.. Weiss Schnee." Ruby gave her a smile before starting on her cookie.
She looked at Ruby with a contented smile of her own. Ruby was dynamic and radiant in a way that was honest and compassionate, strong yet unabashed about her vulnerabilities, genuine and innocent. Something fluttered between her abdomen and her chest as she watched Ruby effortlessly being herself. Her eyes were alive, the wells of vitality and jubilance hinted in that nameless color of gunmetal she found she loved looking at. Her heart jumped, and a nervousness started in her. She turned her gaze from her cookie munching friend back to the television, but she couldn't bring herself to focus on the show. Her heart pulsed in her chest and swelled with ambiguous emotion; this nervousness was familiar. She stole another glance at her friend, and very immediately stole it back once her eyes honed in on Ruby's smiling lips.
She realized suddenly that she'd rather like it, kissing Ruby Rose.
…
Author's Notes:
My, this was a long one. The contents for this chapter didn't really 'click' until a couple of days ago. Once the road map ironed itself, I dove into it and resurfaced some seven thousand words later. I hope you like it!
And I know I've been teasing Weiss becoming acquainted with Yang and Blake the past couple of chapters, and I think the next main chapter will get around to her meeting Ruby's older sister and her friend. I may write a DS Al Coda II before that to kind of elaborate on Weiss and Whitley's past critical moment, but we'll see.
One thing I'm eager to spoil is a bit my spin on the Schnee family parallels I'm going to make!
Weiss' grandfather Nicholas Schnee was a famous British cartographer of German descent. During his life he founded the company Glyph that grew to be a main player in the maps, gps, and satellite imaging, etc. game. Glyph even signed an exclusive contract with apple to offer its technology to improve its own GPS app. Jacques Schnee, a upper ranking employee at Glyph would go on to marry the only daughter of Nicholas Schnee and assume the role of CEO at Glyph, the foremost leader in location technologies. But it's a different world now, far removed from the times when a paper map was all one had to rely on. And Jacque Schnee is -quite- the capitalist. So much so that he sold away million's of people's privacy to large corporations, and it a most controversial case, the Chinese government. The government then used the data they had bought to arrest and jail thousands of protesters at the widely publicized Hong Kong protests and riots, an act that brought not only them, but Glyph under major scrutiny.
Sound like something Blake would have something to say about?
While that is all steeped in fiction, I wanted to draw parallels not only between the RWBY verse and this world, but to make it go both ways and explore many things in depth as a writer and a occupant of, well, the world.
I've also been periodically going back and editing pervious chapters, fixing errors and making them more visually pleasing to read. I've noticed when rereading chapters on my phone (I write them on my tablet in landscape stance) to see how they translate to that device, I've got some looooong paragraphs and have come to the conclusion that if a phrase doesn't fit on my screen from top to bottom, I need to make some formatting concessions. Has anyone had trouble reading this because of the formatting? I'm truly interested because I can't be un-bothered by this.
Either way, I've talked a lot, so I will wind this down.
Thank you for reading, please look forward to more, and all fireflies received are honored,
-Ivel