"Blakey Blakey, give me a hand," Weiss sung as she bumped her palms against Blake. "Bake Blake a cake as fast as we can."
They were both on the bed, and Weiss was trying to play some sort of clapping hand game with Blake. Blake didn't actually try to move at all, so Weiss had to pat for Blake too. Weiss alternated manipulating Blake's hands by the forearm to pat hands together.
"And that's the motions for playing Patty Blake! Do you like it? I named it after you, you know!"
Blake scratched her ear.
Weiss hugged Blake's head and started scratching her behind the ear as well.
There was a knock at the door. "Weiss, are you getting prepared?" said one of the maids.
Weiss hugged Blake and pulled both of them backwards onto the bed.
"No, I can't go today! Blake is on top of me and she's too heavy to move."
Blake blinked. The door opened.
"Weiss, I have seen you carry Blake all over the mansion."
"But she ate a big dinner yesterday! I can't lift her anymore! I just can't."
"Weiss," said the maid, "I will remind you that I have been given orders to literally drag you to the car if need be."
"Ugh, fine!"
Weiss rubbed Blake's head as she got out of bed. Weiss got dressed into a skirt, a button-down dress shirt with a green bow around the collar, and a dress jacket the same color as the skirt. Blake stayed on the bed.
Weiss skipped up to Blake and took each of her hands in one of her own.
"I-" Weiss began. Her voice cracked, "I need to go away for a while, Blakey. I'm so sorry."
Blake blinked.
"It's only for a bit! I promise." Weiss hugged her. "I promise I'll be right back, okay, Blakey?"
Weiss squeezed her tightly. "Don't- don't cry Blake, it'll only be for a while- just a little while, okay Blakey? I'll be right back, I promise."
Weiss's voice cracked again. A tear fell on Blake's neck. "I'll miss you, Blake. I'll miss you so much. But I'll be back real soon, okay?"
And then the other taller Schnee appeared. "What in the name of Dust is taking so long, Weiss?"
"I need to say goodbye to Blake!"
"And why is that taking fifteen minutes?"
"Blake's super upset that I have to leave so I need to reassure her," Weiss said.
Blake puffed out her cheek. The other taller Schnee looked her over, briefly.
"Really."
"Blake wants me to stay! Can't I just stay here today? Please?"
"Weiss, sweetie, we already negotiated your attendance down to one day a week. We literally cannot make school any more painless for you."
"But- Blakey says-"
"Weiss. Sweetie. Put your little pet down and meet your father at the limo."
"Wait- wait- I know!" Weiss wiped her eyes on her sleeve, "Blake can come too! She can fit into my spare uniform, and she can sit with me in all my classes-"
"First of all," the other taller Schnee held out a finger, "We had to navigate a ridiculous amount of paperwork before you were even allowed to attend. We are no strangers to expediting paperwork but I doubt we can do it in the next," she checked her watch, "Five minutes. (It looks like you will be late today.)"
"Second of all, I am absolutely sure the Academy won't admit a - what's the PC word now a days? Neurodeficient? A mute, neurodeficient mongrel into their esteemed institution."
Blake blinked.
"So let's go, Weiss, sweetie." She grabbed Weiss by the hand and pulled.
"T-they'll make fun of my scar! Can't I wait until it heals?"
"If anyone makes fun of you, you ignore them and grow stronger, or you etch them into your memory and financially ruin their entire family later. Honestly, I didn't know I'd raised such a thin-skinned petulant child." The other taller Schnee sighed. "And scars don't heal, Weiss, so if you wait until it heals you will never go to school."
"But-" Weiss said. She freed her hand and ran over to Blake and held the Faunus out between her and her mother. "But Blake will be all alone! She'll be all alone and cold and sad-" Weiss hugged Blake to her chest. "Can't I just skip this once? For Blake?"
The other taller Schnee rubbed her brow. "I will -sigh- take care of your pet while you're gone. Don't even worry about it."
"But-"
"Weiss, sweetie, this little charade has gone on long enough. Get to the limo."
"I-
"NOW, Weiss!"
"Goodbye Blake," Weiss whispered. "It's only for a little while."
Weiss held Blake's hands and looked apologetically at her. For a while.
The other taller Schnee managed to get her daughter's attention. "I promise I will take care of - (what was it ) Blake, sweetie."
Weiss flashed a grim, sorrowful smile that didn't reach her teary eyes, and she left.
And then Blake was alone with an adult Schnee.
"I don't know," said the woman, "Do you want to change out of those horrid pajamas? I don't know what Weiss was thinking when she had them bought- they're not even silk."
Blake rubbed her pajamas. That was correct. She didn't care.
"I can have an old dress tailored for you."
Blake said nothing.
"Ok, then. Well, come along then."
Blake was escorted to the backdoor. "I will be right inside, filing paperwor- I don't know why I'm explaining this to you. Just- animals love the outdoors, right? Go play in our garden. You'll love it."
Blake was pushed outside. The door closed behind her.
The garden was well-kept and very green. There were birds chirping. The sun was shining, how dare it. The flowers were a varied tapestry of scents. Also colors. Exquisitely carved cobblestone pathways led around large hedges and white-metal archways and gazeebos. There was a stream that babbled softly, cutting under a wooden bridge.
Blake walked around a bit, barefoot, in her pajamas.
The stream emptied into a pond, aways away. Blake espied a frog.
Blake caught the frog. She snapped its spine in one motion.
She placed the frog carcass in front of the door and knocked.
The other taller Schnee opened it. She grimaced.
"Oh, what is this?" she kicked the dead frog into a bush. "No, you filthy thing. Desist that immediately."
The door closed.
Blake walked back through the garden. Blake noted all the birds. Many looked tasty. Some looked exotic- pets, perhaps. Pets like her.
Blake nodded solemnly at a bright and feathery small bird. It looked around, wide-eyed and twitchy.
But there was at least one pigeon- clearly an interloper. A pest.
It took a while longer to catch, and Blake scraped her knee during one jump, but she caught the flying rat in her teeth. She spit it out in front of the door and knocked, again.
It didn't go over any better than the frog.
Blake wandered the garden again, going further this time. In one part, there were the tiny lawn machines that spat jets of water. She hissed at them, but they took no notice of her. She avoided that area until they hibernated underground.
And then a bag was thrown over a ledge, nearby. It clinked and jewels fell out.
A shifty-looking human jump down. Blake made eye contact, briefly.
The thief was easier prey than the pigeon, funny enough.
Blake knocked on the door a third time.
The other taller Schnee opened it (she looked annoyed). Then she looked down at the corpse of the thief. She grabbed the bag of jewels and pulled out a handful of tiny shinys. They glinted as they fell through the woman's fingers.
She pulled out a hand-held communication device. "Can someone in security sweep the west wing? Looks like we had another break-in. Luckily they only found the decoys."
The other taller Schnee looked over Blake. "Um," she held out a hand, "Good job, I suppose." She patted Blake's head awkwardly.
And feline law was upheld; Blake had provided an acceptable kill to the one who provided lodging.
Blake was brought along into a deeper corridor in the house. Electric lights designed to look like candles adorned the walls. The roof was lower, here, and the wood smelled older. The other taller Schnee bid Blake to wait on a chair, outside a room. On a brief glance in, Blake saw the head of security, the cook, and one of the maids. The four humans discussed something.
At some point Blake heard her name, and started paying attention.
"-using Blake to get larger portions during meal times-"
"Oh finally! I was afraid she'd starve before she figured out some sort of loophole. Only downside is it set a bad precedent- she's been using that thing as an excuse for almost everything."
"And skimming from alms to the needy? I don't think we could have taught her that better if we'd tried. Anyway, back to the break ins-"
Blake kicked her legs a bit before she lost the motivation to. However, she was awarded a dried fishy for her efforts. She gnawed it ravenously.
And then Weiss returned.
"Blakey!" cried Weiss. She dropped a bag of books.
Weiss tackle-hugged Blake. They fell to the floor. Weiss nuzzled Blake's neck.
"Blakey, I missed you so much!" Weiss mumbled into Blake's ear.
Dinner was more fishies, some garlic bread, and a pile of peas. Blake would later share the bread and peas with Weiss, but as soon as Weiss helped Blake into her chair, the other taller Schnee spoke. Oh, Weiss's parents were there too; that was different.
"Oh Weiss, sweetie," said the other taller Schnee, "You're not going to bring that thing to the table, are you?"
Weiss pouted. "Why not? Blake's hungry too!"
"Then we can set a bowl out for it or something."
"You didn't complain two days ago," Weiss said. And then, much more quietly, "Or yesterday, 'cause you weren't here."
"Weiss, sweetie, I don't even think that thing is table-trained."
Blake picked up her fishy with both hands and stuffed it into her mouth as she growled.
"Well I'll teach her. And besides, it's too late," Weiss hugged Blake by the torso. Blake tried her best to ignore her and focus on the food, "Blake already has a spot here. It's imprinted in her memory."
"Fine, then."
There was silence at the table. Blake gnawed on her aquatic animal carcass.
Weiss picked the fishy from Blake's hand. Blake reached after it and growled but Weiss put a finger to her lips.
"Here's a fork and knife, Blakey," Weiss whispered, "See, watch how I use it." Weiss daintily cut her food and forked tiny squares into her mouth.
Blake picked up the fork and knife and only used them when Weiss was looking.
Silence loomed at the table.
"So what did you guys do yesterday?" Weiss asked at some point, to her parents.
"Oh," said the taller Schnee, the male one, "It's actually a funny story-"
"Honey, Weiss doesn't want to hear about company things."
"Yes I do!"
"You say that, but as soon as we get into the actual details you fall asleep."
Weiss looked down and mumbled. "That only happened once."
"Why don't you tell us what happened at school today, Weiss sweetie?"
Weiss gave short-form summaries of her day at school. Simple, quiet sentences devoid of emotion. Something about dance class and arithmetic and history and runes.
By the time she was finished, Weiss had eaten everything except her peas.
"I'm going to go to my room now-"
"Weiss, sweetie," the other taller Schnee said, "It's rude to leave dinner early."
"But Blake wants to go play!"
Blake gnawed the skeletal remains of her fishy.
"Blake has said nothing, Weiss. Sweetie. Why don't we have the cook bring her another lemon salmon and you can eat your peas."
"But- we want to go play~"
"REQUEST DENIED." The woman didn't even look up. "Now eat your peas."
Weiss slumped down and her nose twitched. "Y-yes, mother."
Weiss stared at her vegetables.
"Peas have a very interesting history, actually," the taller Schnee began, to break the silence. He sounded nervous. He droned on a bit abut peas.
Blake scooped up a handful of the circular vegetables. A few fell out between the cracks in her fingers.
Blake offered the handful to Weiss.
Weiss looked at the peas, and then at Blake. Blake picked one pea and ate it. It was gross.
Weiss giggled silently and opened her mouth and leaned forward, so that Blake could deposit the peas in. Many of them missed.
Eventually, though, Weiss cleared her plate of peas.
As soon as the door shut behind them, Weiss grabbed Blake from behind and buried her face in her back.
Weiss nuzzled Blake with her face. She led them to the bed where she rolled Blake onto the covers, nuzzling and cuddling her torso and hair and ears and face.
Blake flipped around at some point, as Weiss nuzzled her stomach.
Weiss was crying.
Blake froze for a bit.
Weiss's grip relaxed. Her hands fell down Blake's back to rest on the bed.
Weiss didn't move for a while.
Then she heaved in a silent sob.
Blake tentatively grabbed Weiss's forearm and manipulated Weiss's hands by the forearm to pat their hands together.
"blakey blakey," Blake managed to say. She cleared her throat, "give. hand."
Weiss chuckled, ending her face in a smile. She wiped her eye and eyepatch on her sleeve and finished the rhyme for them both.
Then there was a knock behind them.
"Weiss, sweetie-," said the other taller Schnee, through the door.
"Go away mom!" Weiss's voice cracked, "Blake and I are playing."
The door opened, "Weiss, I'm sorry about dinner, but you have to eat healthy when you're young."
Weiss turned away and closed her eye.
"Weiss, sweetie, don't be like that."
Weiss patted Blake's hands some more in the rhythm. She was surprisingly accurate, for having her eye closed.
"Here, tell you what- I know you've been trying to get your pet's - Blake's - paperwork all done, and we're really proud of you taking the initiative on that- but why don't you give me the forms, and I'll have them expedited through the courthouse? We can have - uh, Blake be a part of the family by tomorrow.
Weiss's sad demeanor instantly dropped. She turned to the woman and smiled widely. "Really?
"Of course, sweetie."
The Schnees hugged.
"Thank you thank you thank you!" Weiss pulled back from the hug and looked her mother in the eyes. "See, I knew you and Blake would get to like each other!"
The other taller Schnee shot a flat expression to Blake. Blake grimaced her teeth.
"Sure."
Blake nodded.
Weiss and her mother talked some more, and then the other taller Schnee backed out the door, smiling at her daughter all the way.
Blake and Weiss played three more rounds of Patty Blake. And then-
"Oh no kitty!" Weiss exclaimed, "Did you scrape your knee?"
Blake shrugged.
Weiss took Blake to the bathroom. Blake tensed.
Weiss rolled up Blake's pant leg and applied ointment to her knee, gently and methodically.
It stung, a bit. Blake almost winced.
Weiss put a waterproof bandage over the wound and patted it twice, lightly. Weiss smooched the bandage.
"There, Blakey, all better."
Weiss stood up and looked Blake in the eye with her own and smiled.
"So now that we're here..." Weiss smirked mischievously.
Blake's eyes widened. She saw that the door was locked-
Blake scrambled backwards as Weiss started filling the tub with horrible, churning water, echoing dark screams of hideous wetness.
Bathtime happened. Then oral hygiene time. Then Blake was changed into a new pair of kitty-patterned pajamas.
Weiss snuggled up behind Blake in the bed.
"I hope mom's right," Weiss said. "You're going to love being a Schnee, Blakey. Blake Schnee. Blakey Blakey Schnee, hee hee hee." Weiss mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.
Blake mouthed those names together. She didn't actually manage to speak them, but they didn't sound quite right.