A/N: The rating of this story has changed. At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted it to be rated T or M, but I went with what I felt was best at the time. However, as I started writing this chapter, specifically the first section, I realized that I was implying situations that may be uncomfortable for people to read. I don't want to give too many spoilers, but I will say that although he won't be present in this story, Adam's presence has influenced who Blake is presently. I'm not sure how detailed I will write scenes involving him (if any), but the rating is a precaution. As an aside, Jacques is currently alive in this AU, so there may be upsetting scenes in the future involving him. Lastly, this rating allows me to do more with this story than I originally intended. I apologize for my lack of foresight when I started writing and how unexpected this change is. If there are any questions, I'm always available to discuss things. I do not own RWBY.
Despite her many visits to Junior's and conversations with the patrons there, Weiss was still unprepared for the humble abode Yang called a home. The princess mentally noted that the house was about a fifteen minute walk from the tavern, making it approximately half an hour from the palace. She gave the place a cursory glance and found it well taken care of notwithstanding its size.
"Is it not up to your standards, Your Highness?" The white-haired woman ignored the light teasing tone from the Faunus, who quietly approached her. Despite the taunting, Weiss found Blake's honesty refreshing and actually preferred it to the false masks from the palace's employees who constantly attempted to get into her good graces. She begrudgingly acknowledged that she found their verbal tiffs enjoyable; no one dared keep up with her in an argument or they would back down in fear of angering the princess, so this was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.
The princess refused to admit that though. She still had her pride, after all. Weiss scoffed. "That's not fair. How can I have standards for something I've never seen?"
Blake gave a small smirk at that. "Honestly, I'm surprised that you agreed to come here at all. It seems that each time you talked about how the people deserve better wasn't just said to appease us." She realized sassing someone from the royal family wasn't a smart decision, but she concluded that she currently wouldn't be alive if it wasn't at least tolerated. Besides, it was amusing to see someone so normally composed be riled by her comments.
The royal smiled a bit at the reply. She was satisfied that her efforts were being noticed until she remembered why she was here in the first place. Weiss sighed and stopped before the front door, causing Blake to face her, the cat ears on her head perking up curiously. "I'd love to continue exchanging gibes with you, but I have to make sure that there won't be any surprise betrayals in the near future. Can I trust you, Blake?"
The Faunus was taken aback by the piercing blues that seemed to delve deep through the walls she put up to protect herself and the sudden shift of Weiss' tone into something softer, almost vulnerable. She closed her eyes and tried to stay in the present even as her traitorous mind recalled the last time someone asked her that exact question. Back then, she had given him so much of herself, but in the end, he-
"Blake!"
She hadn't expected to hear the overwhelming fear in the princess's voice and immediately opened her eyes, her pupils dilated and breath erratic. No matter how many times their gazes met, Blake was always stunned by the undercurrent of concern constantly present, like a body of water she could always escape to if needed. She felt steadying hands on her shoulders and inhaled sharply, which didn't help her speeding heart rate.
Only when she felt cold and surprisingly soft hands on her cheeks did Blake realize she was shaking. "Hey, you're okay," Weiss waited until the Faunus seemed to focus on her completely before continuing softly, "Breathe with me?"
The request surprised the raven-haired woman, particularly by the soft manner in which it was made. Weiss breathed deeply in and out, repeating the action until Blake eventually joined her. They did this for several minutes until Blake's racing heart and shaking ceased.
Even after Blake managed to calm down, the two women didn't move, their gazes remaining locked. The Faunus had never regained her composure that rapidly before, and she was unexpectedly pleased by how comfortable she was in the princess' company. Weiss removed her hands and stepped back. Sensing an impending interrogation, the thief mentally readied her usual dismissal-
"If you're not feeling well, we can reschedule planning. I can give the others an excuse."
-which was unnecessary, it seemed. Blake was glad that the white-haired woman had backed away since she couldn't feel the sudden flutter in her pulse, one she hadn't experienced in years. Regarding matters of the heart, at least. Clearing her throat, the Faunus decided to speak before allowing her mind to consider the complex emotions currently surging within her.
"That's not necessary. I feel better now, thanks to you. Really."
Normally, the royal would consider her associate's words as false reassurance, but she could see Blake's gratefulness in shining amber eyes. Along with that, she caught a glimpse of something she and the people of Atlas lacked for years under her father's rule: hope. And Weiss was the one to give that to her.
Suddenly, the princess recalled why she initially started visiting the people and everything they shared with her, from stories of triumph to tales of loss. Regardless of how despairing their circumstances seemed to her, Weiss secretly admired how hopeful they remained; she carried their belief with her each time King Jacques disregarded his role as father behind closed doors and resolved to do and be better than him.
Even though Blake hadn't verbally responded to her earlier query, Weiss had her answer. Clearly, the Faunus had reasons for the larceny and her own personal afflictions, just like her. The more she learned of her accomplice, the less their contrasting circumstances seemed divergent and more of an unexpected way for similar mindsets to develop despite their environments. After all, anxiety was not uncommon in the Schnee household. The princess smiled. She could, no, she would trust Blake.
"Let's do this then. I can't believe I'm supporting grand theft, but here we are." That got a smirk out of the Faunus. Weiss decided she rather enjoyed seeing Blake in a good mood, even if her smugness did provoke her. Together, they opened the front door and were met with an unexpected sight.
You have got to be joking. Just when things were starting to look up too, Blake thought.
As the princess' honored protector, Pyrrha knew she was always expected to be at Weiss' side, or at least if threats were a valid concern to her life. Which was why she was choosing to follow the excited blonde into the house and leave their companions behind, both of them scanning the abode. She didn't know if the two currently outside were aware that they had unconsciously stayed near each other for the entire walk from the tavern.
The red-haired woman didn't mind. In fact, she was happy that her charge was able to feel comfortable around someone so quickly. At first, she dismissed her observations as wishful thinking until Yang whispered similar sentiments to her. Pyrrha had successfully held in a shiver when the bartender had made brief contact to get her attention then quickly chastised herself.
Pyrrha had convinced herself that Yang was taken. Surely, someone as personable as the barkeep would have no problems getting dates. Besides, it was oddly jarring that her previous boyfriend was also a blond. Their relationship, while sweet, couldn't last once their differing roles in the palace made spending time together difficult.
Shaking her head to clear her troublesome thoughts, she scanned her surroundings. The interior of the house was just as charming as the exterior, if not messier. Various tools and weapons lay scattered around the floor, and Pyrrha silently wondered how anyone could traverse through the mess. Before she could continue her inspection, she heard a commotion from the backyard. She tensed before hearing the familiar sounds of a family squabble.
"Come on, Ruby. You can't spend all day with weapons, sis!" Yang rebuked, dragging a younger girl by the apron of her blacksmith's uniform. Said girl was currently trying to escape the blonde's grip, futilely protesting all the while. Her protestations were ignored, and Pyrrha couldn't help but let out a tiny chuckle at the scene before her.
That caught the smaller girl's attention, her eyes instantly widening and scanning the red-haired woman. Pyrrha was accustomed to adoration, so Ruby's awed stare was met with a polite smile of her own. She gave a little wave and decided to greet the girl properly. "Hello! I hope we're not imposing, but we needed a meeting place, and your home was the nearest reliable location."
"Oh! Well, you'd have to ask our dad to be sure once he gets back, but I think it should be okay?" Ruby looked to her sister for confirmation, who could only offer a shrug and smirk. The blacksmith sighed then frowned when she noticed the untidiness of the room.
"Sorry for the chaos in here. I would've cleaned if someone told me we were having guests," she glared at her smug sister before returning her attention to Pyrrha, "Especially someone as skilled as you! Ooh, is it true that you're from Mistral and that you're close to the princess? How many weapons can you u-rrk!" Ruby was cut off by Yang slapping a hand over her mouth, and the blonde seemed surprisingly abashed by her sister's rambling.
The knight raised an eyebrow before offering a smirk of her own towards the blonde. Typically, her admirers asked similar questions but didn't seem to be particularly invested in the answers; they simply reveled at a chance to speak with someone famous. However, Pyrrha could tell that Ruby's curiosity was genuine and thus proceeded to answer.
As she did so, she couldn't help but mentally linger on Yang's expression. She seemed almost embarrassed, and Pyrrha couldn't figure out why. Her fickle thoughts led to the possibility of the blonde wanting to impress her, but she dismissed that promptly. She would have no reason to do so, especially since they just met. No. She would stop that line of thinking before she got ahead of herself.
The knight was about to demonstrate her proficiency with a xiphos at Ruby's request when a small shape came speeding towards her. They collided when the shape jumped, and Pyrrha managed to catch it; she laughed when the corgi began licking her face.
"Zwei, down!" Yang approached the pair and gently removed him from the knight's grasp, smiling sheepishly as she did so. "Sorry about that. He gets excited when we have visitors over."
Pyrrha blinked, silently surprised again. Either the blonde's bravado was an act, or she truly did want to try and impress her. Maybe, just this once, she could allow herself a chance to hope-
The dog suddenly leaped towards the entrance of the house, barking merrily. The door opened, revealing the rest of their group. Pyrrha managed to successfully maintain her professional demeanor as the newcomers' faces shifted into opposites of each other, Weiss' being one of joy while Blake's was one of suspicion toward Zwei.
Weiss immediately bent down to shower Zwei with affection, shocking everyone in the room. The knight caught Yang glancing at the Faunus, a tease on her lips but was surprised when Yang stopped herself after a quick glance at her friend, her brows furrowing in concern instead. While Weiss and Ruby were playing with Zwei, the blonde went to check on Blake and make sure that there was nothing wrong. This, of course, did nothing to help Pyrrha's traitorous mind from gushing over the bartender's sweetness; she internally reprimanded herself again.
Pyrrha glanced outside and realized that the sky was beginning to darken. She frowned slightly; she'd never outwardly express how uncomfortable she was with the palace's atmosphere at times, but she'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit that she enjoyed the ambience of the house more despite only being there for a brief time. She was about to address the room's occupants when she felt a strong hand on her shoulder.
Surprised, Pyrrha turned and met concerned lilac eyes. "Hey, are you feeling okay? I noticed you've been kinda keeping to yourself since we entered the house. If it's because of Ruby's questions earlier-"
"Oh! No, it's okay, truly. Her curiosity is actually quite endearing and a refreshing change from the people working in the palace," the knight smiled reassuringly. She wasn't one that usually interrupted others, but Pyrrha simply couldn't bear it if Yang began blaming herself for her negativity. Her response seemed to placate the blonde for now, so she decided to voice her honest concerns about the blacksmith.
"I mean no offense by this, but should your sister be here for our planning session? I'm sure she's trustworthy and capable, but we're already taking such risks…" the red-haired woman trailed off, confused, as her words only seemed to cause Yang's sudden grin to widen. This is different from her teasing smirks and smug smiles from the tavern. Her pride and joy are here, at home, with her family, Pyrrha thought, a swell of affection blooming in her chest. If the woman beside her had that much faith in her sister, who was she to question it?
"I know this is risky, but that's why we're gonna need all the aid we can get. Plus, having the most skilled blacksmith in Atlas and her collection of weapons on our side can only help," Yang's expression momentarily shifted into a more wistful one, gone so quickly that Pyrrha knew she would've missed it had she not been staring directly at the blonde before she continued speaking, "Besides, I'm not gonna let her participate in the actual heist. I'm not putting her in danger. Not again…"
Pyrrha knew better than to pry, especially since she was sure that she wasn't supposed to hear the last few whispered words anyway. Instead, she pulled Yang into a reassuring hug. An unspoken understanding seemed to pass between them as the hug was returned after the initial shock from the sudden action had worn off.
The knight gave Yang a smile before turning to the rest of their peers, who were beginning to relax ever since Zwei started napping a few minutes ago. Pyrrha cleared her throat and made eye contact with her charge, who nodded and walked to the center of the room, closely followed by Blake. She heard a stifled laugh from the blonde next to her and elbowed her briefly before she could say something to divert their scheming even more.
An hour later, Weiss and Pyrrha began their journey back to the palace. They privately reflected on everything discussed regarding their associates and the heist. Somehow, the princess would have to avoid suspicion for another week before the plan could be implemented.
Overall, Weiss was satisfied with the day's happenings. Things were finally looking up. Roman Torchwick won't expect a thing.
A/N: This chapter was supposed to include the heist, but it turned into character interactions and introductions instead. I hope it was still enjoyable.