Balancing a job and focusing on getting good grades hadn't been as difficult as Weiss had originally thought, though it could be due to having friends in all of her subjects, three of which are happily helping her get ready for an exam while she works. A multitasker by trade, Weiss effortlessly made a customer's latte while answering Ruby's multiple rapid-fire questions that were bound to be on the test. Smiling at Mrs. Belladonna, who assures Weiss she can just call her Kali after working with her for almost a month now, she walks out from behind the counter to the table occupied by her friends. She joined their study session, making sure to keep an extra eye out on Ruby, who tended to zone out and start doodling rather than work on their study guide. The past few weeks have been filled with many ups and downs, though Weiss wouldn't have it another way. She had made more friends, though they weren't close to her as the three in front of her, she cherished them the same.
The first one had been a taller girl who spooked Weiss while she was admiring the small garden that was inside of the University. One of the classes that she had in between another had canceled due to some reason and she did not want to walk back home only to walk back another half hour later, so she stayed and walked around campus for a while coming across a garden in the end. She had always wanted to keep a garden and plant flowers, but with the life she had, she wouldn't have been able to see them bloom more than once. Kneeling, she reached out to softly feel the petals of a flower that has seemed to start wilting from the cold. Normally hyper-aware of her surroundings, she was surprised when she heard the crisp shutter from a camera not far from her. Weiss whipped her hair around in surprise and accidentally grasped the flower as well, ripping it from its stem. A look of sadness crossed her eyes before she stood up to address the mysterious bunny-eared person behind the camera.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" came an accented voice. She looked at Weiss up and down and smiled before continuing. "You were just so elegant while you knelt there, I couldn't pass up the shot, my name is Velvet! Again, I am sorry if I startled you!" Velvet bowed quickly, almost hitting Weiss in the face with her ears and blushed again, taking a step back sheepishly. "Oh! I'm sorry, you probably aren't comfortable around the Faunus." Velvet raised both her hands and grasped the ears upon her head and lowered them down to make them look like twin tails against her hair. Weiss smiled, not because of the accusation of her being racist, but at the way, Velvet handled herself in a manner like Ruby whenever she got flustered. Blushing from that intrusive thought, Weiss held her hand to Velvet.
"Nice to meet you Velvet, I am Weiss." Weiss hoped her greeting was enough, she still sounded like a prerecorded message, but she hoped the other girl would help her out. Thankfully, Velvet understood her.
"I've heard a lot about you Weiss…" Velvet started as she timidly met Weiss' handshake, ears still held back slightly. Weiss mentally sighed, knowing her father's view of the Faunus had made others assume the worst from her. She bit her tongue, not angry at those that accuse her, but from her own inaction. Yet, she was here. Her own person now. She could change people's view of her, she only had to reach out. Velvet looked straight into Weiss' eyes and finished her previous sentence with a wavering voice.
"Do you really hate the Faunus?" Weiss stared back at the girl who almost tried to make her seem smaller despite being taller than Weiss. Smiling, Weiss released her hand from the handshake and reached up to scratch her cheek shyly.
"Honestly, I don't hate the Faunus or anyone for that matter. I just haven't been good at making friends and my family reputation with the Faunus has never been positive. I thought every Faunus hated me." The last thought lingered on Weiss tongue for a while, leading to a question.
"If you knew about me, why did you approach me, Velvet?"
The brown-haired girl looked down timidly, thinking before she pulled out her camera and showed Weiss the photo she took of her.
"You had this genuine look on your face when you touched that flower, a tenderness like that wouldn't have existed in a person with hate or malice in their heart." Velvet clicked around on her camera for a second longer as Weiss hung onto her words, touched by them.
"Thank you Velvet, that was sweet of you." Unsure how to initiate a friendship Weiss stumbled on her words sloppily.
"I'd highly appreciate if you would, if we can be, I enjoyed our chat and…"
"Hey Weiss!" the accented voice perked up as straight as her ears. "I want to be your friend!"
Smiling, Weiss nodded wordlessly and handed Velvet her phone who rapidly typed her number in and saved her name for Weiss. They spoke more for a while until Velvet received a text in which caused her to gasp in shock. "Goodness! I'm sorry Weiss, I forgot I had a meeting I had to attend, until next time!" Velvet dashed off but turned around to give Weiss a small wave, before continuing forward and out the garden's gate.
Weiss looked at her contacts on her phone that had grown from a small number of three to a lucky seven numbers and smiled as a warmth filled her chest.
Meeting Yang was like a roller coaster to Weiss. If someone had to describe Yang by appearance, they'd call her a blonde bimbo, but that assumption is wrong. Yang is cunning, meticulous, and oh so disciplined. Though it's not to say Yang isn't fun to be around, it was the exact opposite. Yang is a wildfire, spreading from one place to another. She is spontaneous, goofy and holds herself in endless confidence. Weiss had the pleasure of meeting Yang two weeks ago at the grocery store one night while picking out what type of protein she wanted to live off the coming week with.
"Chicken again…" Weiss sighed. She had a good paycheck from the Café but was saving up for a bike to save on commuting times and refused to use the money her mother had given her for it. She had finally gotten a mattress for her bed and only had to wait for them to deliver it to the apartment, until then, she still slept on the couch. While pondering her financial stability and juggling two cuts of chicken in her hands, a hand touched her shoulder nearly making her jump out of her skin.
"Listen, stop screaming it's just me, Ruby's sister. You've been holding on to that thing of chicken breasts and that thing of chicken thighs for about five minutes already, You good?"
Still shell shocked and mouth agape, Weiss dropped the two containers of chicken back down where they came from and heaved out slowly.
"Unhand me this instance, you buffoon! Who goes around touching people!" Yang, still not moving her hand from Weiss' shoulder started laughing uncontrollably only moving her other hand to wipe the tears from laughter.
"Gosh, for such a small frame you have a voice that could alert the whole town in case of any danger."
Weiss blushed furiously and shrugged her hand off, regaining her posture. She had seen Yang in passing, usually walking out from the Café before she headed to her martial arts classes, or to pick up Ruby from the café. Yang always carried herself into the room with a dazzling smile and it was always received by Blake. Weiss had been suspecting that the two were dating, but chose not to pry, leaving the matter to her friends, in case they weren't ready to let her know.
After regaining her posture, Yang apologized and helped Weiss out with her shopping, telling her almost twenty different ways of preparing chicken so that Weiss wouldn't tire herself with chicken throughout the week. It was then Weiss realized something and stopped.
"Yang, you are being nice and all, but why are you following me around the grocery store? You haven't even picked up anything except carrots." Yang perked up and pointed a finger to Weiss before chuckling.
"Thanks for reminding me princess, I was actually gonna ask if you wanted to join us for dinner this Friday night!" Shocked, Weiss sputtered.
"We? What does that mean, I don't want to impose on anyone and if I do not know them then I'm afraid I cannot bring myself to go…" she trailed off anxiously.
"No! It'll just the gang, Me, Ruby, our dad, Blake and possibly you? We do this every Friday night and we'd be happy if you came over."
"Oh! Um if it's okay with you, I'd like to get to know everyone a bit more." Weiss felt out of character being this meek, but Yang reminded her of Winter, yet was a polar opposite to her. Maybe it was a big-sister kind of thing.
She and Yang spoke for another twenty minutes while the two shopped around more, mainly Yang asking her for her preferences and dislikes. They both made plans and Yang told her that she'd pick them all up at the Café when it closed on Friday night. Weiss made a mental note to finish all her homework before Friday, so she didn't have to worry on the day of.
That Friday night had been both slow yet passed within a blink of an eye, and Weiss found herself excited for the next Friday where she could relive it all over again. Having friends was something Weiss had wanted all her life, and now she had gotten them and will cherish them forever.
One morning Weiss had woken up before the sun could make its way above the horizon, awoken by her phone going off. Groggy and sore, she got off the couch and padded her way to the counter where her phone laid. Ten missed calls and twenty text messages from her father. Surprised and worried, Weiss listened to the first few voicemails he left her.
She wishes she hadn't.
He was drunk, and in a state where all he wanted to do was berate her. She sat on her couch, broken. She tried not to listen to the words he said to over the voicemails, but her heart was weaker than she showed it to be. Her past anxieties came rushing back and her head pounded. She sobbed, taking everything he had said to her to heart, despite being told the same things over and over again had made her used to the cruel words, absence had made her forget. Weiss fell asleep again depressed by the messages and the exhaustion from her tears. She woke up again just past noon and panicked again.
She had just missed nearly the entire day of school and felt so so weak. The phone was still on the coffee table and she reached over to give Mrs. Belladonna a call, seeing as she does not have the will to even get up at this point. The phone barely gave in to the second ring before it was picked up.
"Weiss? Honey are you okay?" Mrs. Belladonna asked with motherly concern, something that warmed her. She missed her mom.
"I am not feeling too well, I do not think I will be able to make it today, I apologize ma'am." Weiss sighed, she was not used to telling people she felt weak, but living alone had made her learn that you must rely on others in times of need.
"No problem honey." Mrs. Belladonna pulled the phone away to speak to someone before coming back on the line to Weiss, "Have you eaten yet dear?"
She couldn't even be bothered to leave the couch at this point, "No, but I am sure I'll be able to cook something for myself later, Thank you though."
"Okay dear, if you need anything else, don't hesitate to call. Living alone is hard, don't push yourself too hard."
After a few more words of reassurance from Weiss, she hung up and decided she should take a shower to try to wash away some of the lethargic mood away.
About thirty minutes later, Weiss was showered and dressed in sweats and a Beacon Academy Sweater she had gotten during a photoshoot with Velvet, who had asked her to model it for the school's shop. Too tired to cook, Weiss decided she should brush up on a few more math problems before her test later in the week when a knock came. It was a series of three knocks, the first one very loud accompanied by an "oops" and the following two knocks were lighter.
"Weiss?" the voice on the other side of the door called out. "Are you awake? Can I come in?"
Weiss was surprised but got up nonetheless and opened the door for the girl on the other side. She was met with a slightly disheveled Ruby, who was holding a grocery bag and was still wearing her backpack and red hoodie. A ghost of a smile graced Weiss' lips as she realized that Ruby was probably the one Mrs. Belladonna spoke to while she was on the phone with her and came despite Weiss' reassurance that she was fine.
"Come in Ruby, I am sorry there aren't too many places to sit besides my couch." Weiss watched as Ruby stood by the door and took off her shoes before placing them on Weiss' shoe rack, surprised as she didn't think Ruby would've noticed such a small detail despite it being her first time in Weiss' apartment.
"Ruby, how did you know which room was mine anyway, I don't remember telling you." Ruby let out a toothy smile at Weiss and said in a matter-of-factly tone.
"I asked the lady at the office; she was really scary! I told her you weren't feeling well so she told me where your room was anyways." Weiss chuckled; her landlord wasn't the nicest, but she was caring of her tenants.
"Thank you Ruby, but you didn't have to come all this way. I will be okay; I've just been tired lately." It was a half-lie, but Weiss hoped Ruby wouldn't pry too much.
Ruby stared long and hard at Weiss, a crease formed on her forehead as she sighed, clearly not buying whatever Weiss said but decided it was better to leave it as it was. "Okay Weiss, whatever you say, but I am not leaving." Ruby slid her backpack off and placed it by the edge of the couch on the floor and walked into the kitchen with the grocery bag.
"Are you okay if I use your kitchen Weiss?"
"Oh um, Ruby, you don't have to-"
"Weiss, please let me do this." Ruby looked at her with a pleading look that left no room for argument.
"Okay Ruby, Thank you."
Ruby started preparing food while Weiss watched from the couch, watching as she moved around the kitchen when she remembered her previous conversation about Ruby burning everything she cooks. Not wanting to be homeless so soon, Weiss got up and almost parkoured over her couch to the kitchen before being stopped by Ruby holding a spatula to her face.
"Weiss, what are you doing?" Weiss let out a squeak, both surprised and scared at the younger girl's speed and the possible doom her apartment was in.
"Checking to see if I need to call the fire department…?" Ruby went crimson at the accusation and started stuttering a coherent response.
"Weiss no! You don't have to! Just listen! I CAN cook, I just…" Weiss eyed her suspiciously, why would you lie to others that you can't. Puzzled she let Ruby continue.
Ruby turned back to the stove and took in a deep breath and continued chopping things on the cutting board, while Weiss leaned against the counter. The room filled with a somber silence, the only sound of the room was the soft boil of something on the stove, Ruby slowly cutting vegetables, and the hum of the heater going off.
"My mom and I used to cook together actually."
"Used to?" Weiss pondered aloud.
"She and I used to cook for Yang and Dad, but she got really sick."
The small girl gone silent again and started adding the vegetables into the pot before turning the heat down to a simmer and making her way to the counter and leaned her elbows on the counter across from Weiss, eyes still looking down as she rested her chin on her hands.
"My mom passed away about three years ago and we were really close. Cooking and drawing are things she and I did together all the time, sometimes it hurts when I draw, but it also brings me peace. Cooking, however, makes me miss her the most."
Weiss was about to protest her from cooking before Ruby held up a finger and smiled.
"But my mom had always told me to do anything I can to help the people that I can, so don't worry Weiss. Mostly the only thing I can't cook without crying are cookies, the memories I have while making them are just too emotional for me to bare."
Weiss' heart grew almost four sizes that night, being given such insight into her friend's life and the hardships she had faced. It warmed her knowing that Ruby trusted her enough to tell her such an intimate detail about her life. Weiss walked into the kitchen and started grabbing plates and bowls and set them on the coffee table, glancing back to a smiling Ruby.
That day, Ruby stayed with her talking about each other's hardships at school and a bit of their home life. Ruby had brought over her sketchbook and started sketching while Weiss was finishing up another report due for her classes and stole a peek at Ruby who again had more smudges on her face than on her fingertips and chuckled. They both worked on their own project quietly before Ruby got up and stretched, it was close to 6 pm now.
"Heya Weiss, I wanna hang out with you some time again, is that okay with you?" Weiss acted as if she was putting immense thought into it.
"Hmmm… I suppose you can." She winked at Ruby, who had suddenly looked at the wall as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Not wanting to tease her away, Weiss chuckled and patted Ruby on the arm.
"You can come over anytime, I like having your company." Nodding Ruby smiled as she picked up her backpack and grabbed her shoes from the rack and turned to Weiss before wishing her to get well.
"I'll see you tomorrow Weiss!" A cheeky smile graced her lips as she closed Weiss' apartment door behind her.
After locking her door, she plopped down on the couch and put her hands in her face, mulling over the past few hours and how she had told Ruby she liked having her around. It felt… different than her other friends. She felt lighter when she was around Ruby, like she was able to be carefree and just her and vulnerable. Shaking her head, she shoved the thoughts aside as she got ready for bed.
A quick jab from a pencil to her side made her yelp and come back to the present. She glared at Yang who quickly turned her head around and started whistling badly. Blake tried to conceal a giggle at Yang's antics and Ruby just looked at Weiss, who now felt her ears burn for some unknown reason.
"Weiss where did you go there? We were gonna tell you about the schedule change for next week." Blake walked over behind the counter to grab a printed sheet and gave it to Weiss before she went on, "Next week will be the start of winter break that starts from the 20th and ends on the 5th of the next month. The café is closed for the majority of it, from the 23rd to the 3rd, and opened on the days before and after of course."
Winter break was soon, and Weiss didn't know whether she should head home for the holidays or stay in her apartment alone. She rather not deal with her father especially after the day she had received so many vile comments from him. She sighed and slumped forward, laying her head on the table.
"What's wrong Princess? You need a break from work and school, work too much and you'll get a wrinkly face!" Yang asked with mild concern, she wasn't dumb to not know what was up.
"Weiss don't worry! It's time to reveal the secret plan!" Ruby pulled her backpack up to her lap and rummaged in it trying to find whatever it was she was finding. As she dug through her backpack, Blake placed her hand on Weiss' left arm, causing Weiss to jolt up again.
"We were thinking of asking you to join us on a-" Ruby excitedly cut Blake off while waving a handful of tickets in front of Weiss, again startling the poor girl.
"A SKI TRIP! There's a cabin! My uncle Qrow owns it and every year we go and see him, and we stay there and celebrate the holidays and I'd, I mean we'd love it if you came with us Weiss!" The poor girl spoke feverishly fast with one breath that she had to pause and catch her breath, letting Blake and Yang handle the finer details of the trip.
"Anyways Weissicle." Weiss sent Yang a glare knowing it held no threat to Yang. "We want you to go with us, I mean I don't know about you but staying here alone sounds like a bum way to celebrate the holidays, am I right?" She had no objections on her end but still felt like she was imposing on the three.
"Weiss," Blake started, grabbing her arm again, "You are our friend, please?" She hated it when Blake did that, it's hard to say no.
She turned to look at Ruby who had finished catching her breath and held Weiss' eye contact before giving her a toothy smile. Something in her felt moved by her friend's kind gesture, yet the toothy grin from Ruby was the one thing that made her falter. Sighing, she smiled and let out a laugh.
"Okay, I'll be joining you three if you'd have me." The three others cheered and hugged her, and Weiss felt happier than she had ever felt in a long time. In the corner of her eye, she saw Mrs. Belladonna wink at her and gave her a thumbs up.
What did that mean?
A/N: So uh, I'm sorry?
I've been so busy lately and my brain had a dry spell and I honestly lost track of where I was going with this, but worry not. I do have someone nagging at me to get the next chapter out ASAP. This chapter is quite rough (all of them are wtf) and I hope you'll forgive me. Now, onto the next one that will be a look into Ruby.