Previously on Because Why Not?…
Weiss returned to the hotel, hoping to correct her mistake with Ruby now that Winter had provided a solution to her problem. Only, Ruby had already left for Vale.
With only moments to spare, Winter once again provides a solution, letting Weiss reach Ruby before the aircraft left. Weiss never thought getting arrested would be a good thing, but she had never imagined flying across a city either.
"Alright teams, report!" Glynda ordered as she stood at the front of the auditorium with an attendance sheet.
"Team CRDL, present!" Cardin barked from the front of his team. The group of boys had changed a lot from their first year after being constantly reprimanded and punished with manual labour. They were now holding the fourth spot on the team ranking board, and they were proud of it. Sure, they could have aimed a bit higher, but at least they weren't as concerned with winning as they had been in previous years.
"Team JNPR, here." Jaune shouted with a wave of his arm from near the back of the room. In fact, half his team was currently missing, but that was to avoid another of Nora's incidents as she'd recently broken into Ren's locker and stolen the twelve jars of syrup he had just finished making the previous day.
"Team RWBY, reporting." Yang called while she saluted from her position leaning against one of the many support pillars around the room. Next to her was Blake with a small note pad and pen in case any notes needed to be taken. The other half of the team was still en-route.
The other senior teams, or their representatives all reported in one by one as Glynda marked their presence off on her list. After a few minutes, she nodded and flipped the page over her board before glancing down at it and looking out over the assembled hunters and huntresses.
"Many of you have, in the recent past taken on missions that concerned not the grimm we've been teaching you to fight, but other humans or faunus who pose a risk to society." She started, and what little chatter still sounded in the room died as everyone's full attention focused on their sparring instructor's words. "This was done on purpose, to introduce to you the type of jobs you will most likely need to handle on occasion, but those up to date on recent events will already have understood why this gathering was called."
She let the silence sit as the teams mumbled amongst themselves. Blake waited patiently for Glynda to continue, but she had simply looked down at her clip board.
"It's about the attack at the Schnee Gala?" Blake supplied, gaining the interest of the few who hadn't yet heard of the events in Atlas. Blake personally had heard second-hand through Yang, who'd listened to the events from Ruby.
"Ms. Belladonna is correct."
At the sound of the new voice, all heads turned to find their headmaster quickly walking into the room flanked by professors Port and Oobleck. Most of the students had been directly briefed or debriefed by one or two of these professors at some point, but never had they actually seen all four of them in the same room at the same time.
The mumbles of confusion were quickly cut short as Ozpin took the stage next to Glynda who handed him the clipboard.
"There had been a development in the case we have been monitoring over the past few years. Namely, the death of Jacques Schnee has inspired the White Fang to attempt to gain control of the kingdoms by force. The initial attack on Mistral has started as of one hour previously. We have reason to believe an attack on Vale will happen within the next few hours." Ozpin spoke to the room in a voice that exuded more power than his stature seemed to suggest. "You are senior students who would, under normal circumstances, be undertaking a large scale operation to clear grimm from a settlement area. But in light of these incidents, I have decided your final mission with Beacon Academy will be the defence of this kingdom."
Silence rang out following his words as all the students looked to their friends. Some expressions were grim and others worried as many of them had made friends abroad over their time at the academy. Blake looked over to Yang who grinned and shrugged as she adjusted her gauntlets that were currently stowed as a fashion accessory. With a nod, Yang pushed herself off the pillar.
"So basically what you're saying is that a war is starting and we're going to supplement the soldiers?" Yang asked, her voice echoing in the room as every eye looked over to her flaming blond head.
"A crass summary, but yes." Glynda nodded.
"Then, let's assume I know nothing about this, why exactly would the White Fang try to take over the kingdoms? And how exactly do they plan to pull it off?" Yang asked. Everyone in the room watched the exchange with interest as they'd never actually seen the blond brawler ask questions before.
"An inside source tells us that the goal of the White Fang on the surface is equality between faunus and human races. Below that, some believe that the governments of Remnant have betrayed them and need to be destroyed. As it stands, the goal of their attacks is to cripple the governing body of every kingdom in Remnant. Their first step to achieve this goal failed at the Schnee Gala where the leaders of the four kingdoms survived thanks to intervention by Ms. Rose, Ms. Schnee, Mr. Arc's grandfather, Ms. Schnee's father, team JNPR, and the graduated team CFVY. Unfortunately, Mr. Schnee lost his life in the battle, giving those in the White Fang hope that their plan to topple the kingdoms would still stand a chance to succeed." Oobleck spoke at a machine gun pace. He stopped part way through as per usual to let the other people in the room catch up to the conversation.
"The problem now is that most officials have gone into hiding, fearing for their own lives should the governments be attacked. This will inevitably discourage those who wish to defend the kingdoms once it's found out. And as in any war, morale will play a large role in both sides of the conflict." Port continued.
"I'm still not getting how this attack will become a war." Yang stated simply. She looked around and watched a couple of heads nod in agreement.
"The problem is, racial tensions have been rising, and if the White Fang attempt to outright change the government or it's policies by force, the inevitable push-back will result in a war between races much like the civil war of two hundred years ago." Oobleck said gravely. "There have been great strides in the last couple decades in creating equality where there was none, but if they were to succeed, all our work would have been for nought."
"The challenge here is to keep civilians out of the fighting, and to keep relations between the faunus and human civilians from souring due to racial profiling." Ozpin finished. "This will be a war, but we need to have you all understand that the faunus are not, nor have they ever been, your enemy. Your enemy is anyone who would damage the peace that was fought so hard for and has lasted for just over two centuries. The militants of the White Fang will try to kill you, so do not hesitate to respond to the best of your judgement."
Blake watched as everyone thought about everything that had been said and a few were nodding. She looked around and found surprisingly few other faunus in the room, all of which seemed to be deep in thought.
"Sir, with all due respect, we don't even know if there will be an attack." Blake spoke without moving from her place. Yang moved aside so she could look at the faculty members directly. "But if there is, what is their goal? Is it disruption of business, destruction of property, crippling law enforcement, creating social unrest?"
Blake's words brought out a wry smile on Ozpin's face as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Everything you've stated. The goal is undoubtedly chaos." He confirmed. Shouts of 'why bother' and 'that doesn't make any sense' rang out as he finished his sentence. The hunters in the room all started talking at the same time, creating a buzz that constantly grew louder and louder until the crack of Glynda's riding crop cut through everything, silencing the room.
"That's better." She stated to nobody in particular before fixing everyone in the room with her stern gaze. "The point of this war most likely isn't to subjugate humanity. More than likely, the White Fang plan to use fear to separate the civilians into groups hostile toward one another. Given enough time, these two groups may even start fighting in a similar fashion to gang violence. Inevitably, grimm will be drawn to all the negative feelings and a breach like the incident in your first year from the Mountain Glen tunnel system is inevitable. With leaders not in a position to give direction, people will turn to whoever has the power to defend them. And with Jacques Schnee out of the picture, dust robbery will continue to skyrocket. It is at that point that the White Fang will most likely come to the rescue and put on a show."
"Continue to skyrocket?" Sky Lark called out, participating for the first time ever in one of these mass briefings. "We all know it's been a problem, but it wasn't increasing as far as we could tell."
"Correct. Incidents haven't increased dramatically until two days ago. Up until then, only the amount stolen had seen a steady rise." Glynda replied quickly.
"You're sure the White Fang are the ones behind these thefts?" Yang asked. Blake patted her on the shoulder, understanding where the question had come from. Yang simply placed her larger callused hand over Blake's for a second before releasing her.
"We can be fairly certain." Glynda replied.
"But we have one other thing to brief you all on." Ozpin stated, cutting off the question period. "At the Schnee Gala, the attack that led to the leaders of our kingdoms going into hiding, was primarily carried out by a creature we are considering a form of illusionary grimm that we haven't seen before. Some of you may be familiar with the following footage."
The four staff members stepped aside and Blake watched as the projector turned on and the lights dimmed. On screen, a scroll camera filmed a blur killing guards.
"Come on!" Weiss's recording shouted as she rushed in to the fight.
Blake watched as guards were cut down, as Jaune's grandfather joined the fight. At some point, the camera switched to Weiss's scroll as it showcased Ruby's twirling scythe carving away at the armour of the temporarily stunned creature. Blake noticed that the audio had been silenced, and the footage cut in places, leading her to believe that there were still things the professors were keeping silent. The clip ended abruptly with Ruby still in combat. Blake looked through the dark room at Glynda pointing at her scroll. Ozpin shook his head and stepped forward as the lights came back on.
"This creature, was one of the nine that attacked the Gala. The final one was killed at combat duration fifty two minutes. Four were killed by Ms. Rose, Ms. Schnee, and Sir Arc. One was killed by Mr. Schnee, and the remaining four were killed by teams JNPR and CFVY in the final ten minutes. In addition, six marksmen from the White Fang were killed by Ms. Rose and Ms. Schnee just outside the location's front entrance where they were poised to defend these creatures as they attempted to breach the room housing refugees of the event." Port summarized. "The creatures themselves seem to have some sort of camouflaging ability that lets them become nearly invisible. As the video demonstrated, confusing or disrupting them also disrupts that ability. When visible, their tough armour makes up approximately seventy percent of their body, the weak points being between the armour where their legs meet the torso, and the thinner armour on it's underside."
"The tail itself seems to have been hardened into a razor sharp point capable of easily slicing through a human body. If you encounter these creatures in large numbers, there is a very little likelihood that you will survive." Oobleck finished the description as Ozpin once again stepped forward.
"These creatures, though newly discovered have been inhabiting forests around Remnant for years. Occasionally, there have been bodies discovered that bear the markings of similar attacks. Often it was thought to be the work of bandits rather than grimm, as grimm have until now only posessed attacks capable of ripping at human flesh, not cutting." Ozpin stated. "As a result, we believe these creatures are either increasing in number or migrating outward from their points of origin. Therefore if any of you should find any information on them, please pass it along to one of us so we can keep track of any potential patterns."
"Aside from the information already presented, there remains only a single way to identify areas these creatures populate." Glynda contributed as she tapped on her scroll and a heat-map around a nearby forest appeared. "These grimm appear to guard their territory against other grimm as well, meaning that the surrounding forest will be void of your typical foes."
"Now, as for your assignments." Oobleck continued on to the next topic everyone was waiting for. Each team was assigned a patrol in, or around Vale where they'd be keeping an eye out for these new grimm as well as any White Fang activity.
"Alright, everyone remaining, come forward. Everyone else, dismissed!" Port ordered. Blake and Yang watched as the entire room emptied with the exception of JNPR, CRDL and themselves.
"What's up with this?" Yang asked nobody in particular as she approached the front bench and took a seat, Blake following closely.
"How's Ruby and Weiss?" Pyrrha asked as she sat next to Yang who shook her head in annoyance.
"They're how they always are… taking too damn long to tell each other what's what." Yang replied with a sigh. "Looks like they've worked things out for now though."
"Alright teams, settle down." Oobleck said unnecessarily as he zipped back in front of the three teams. "You will be assigned to key points around Vale, each supplementing a team of graduated hunters and the Vale Police Department. These points need to be defended as they pose the most significant threat to loss of life, supply lines and morale."
"Alright, so what are we doing?" Yang asked, tired already of the briefing. To be fair though, this one had kept her attention much longer than any other had yet.
"Team JNPR will be assisting a rooftop watch in the downtown residential district. Your primary objective is to enforce the mandatory curfew that is being enacted as a countermeasure to this threat. Your secondary objective is to ensure that that the area is clear of hostile weaponry, specifically in the form of bombs." Oobleck stated, receiving a nod from Jaune and Pyrrha in response. "Team CRDL will be tasked with defending the parliamentary buildings, specifically with a priority placed on the clock tower. If the tower, the most identifiable symbol in Vale's skyline, should fall, there's no telling how much fear will be spread throughout the citizenry, making the job of the teams stationed on and outside Vale's wall that much harder."
"You can count on us, Sir!" Cardin nodded while his team followed suit a second later.
"Very well. That leaves team RWBY. You will be stationed at the airfield. There is a lot of ground to cover, so I'd suggest your leader make use of her rifle, and you use your motorcycle." Oobleck singled out Yang who raised her eye brows.
"I thought my motorcycle was a 'death trap.'" Yang said in response, remembering the one time they'd shadowed their professor on a hunt.
"I stand by my assertion!" Oobleck responded immediately. "Regardless, you are authorized for use of the vehicle, or any other vehicle you may have access to, on the airfield should you wish to use it. Your secondary objective is to relay any useful information from the emergency police headquarters that will be setup at the airfield directly to Professor Ozpin."
"Alright." Yang nodded in response.
"Dismissed." Oobleck said, and no sooner had his word registered than he disappeared, leaving the three teams in the now empty auditorium.
"Guess you get to drive your baby again." Blake joked as they left.
"Ah, you know I named her after us, kitty." Yang replied while pushing her partner away. Blake smiled at her as they headed to the lockers to get changed. "But unlike you, she actually purrs."
"Okay, that's enough." Blake said as the cat references just kept coming.
"Why so serious. I was just kitten." Yang joked.
"Yang… no."
Weiss awoke with an uncomfortable feeling.
But it wasn't a feeling she could really identify. Just that it made her uncomfortable. She could tell there was no light in the room and she refused to open her eyes so early even if they needed to get up.
That's right, she was sleeping next to Ruby even after she almost destroyed their relationship. Why Ruby would even forgive her, she felt she'd never know. She couldn't forgive herself and yet Ruby somehow had. She'd vowed to herself that she'd never hurt Ruby again if she could help it, and this time there was no father to give her reason to break the promise. His last attempt by forcing her to take over the company had failed with Winter's help, and now Weiss was free to become a huntress if she chose to just let Winter remain the CEO indefinitely. The feeling was somehow calming.
What wasn't was the cold sheets.
She cracked open her eyes to find Ruby's side of the bed empty and Winter's bed likewise deserted. And at the very moment that she recognized this, she also felt a foreign presence behind her. Her aura felt it wasn't familiar as Ruby's aura, and she doubted her sister was there either as her aura had always felt very much like her own. No, there was somebody else there, and they were slowly moving toward her.
Weiss thought quickly, closing her right eye to make it appear as if she were still asleep if the person looked down at her. She could see her weapon leaning near the door and a partially unpacked case of luggage near the foot of Winter's bed. She also noted the lamp next to her and carefully calculated her next move.
Weiss felt the person start to lean in to her and she threw her sheets up and rolled off the bed just as she caught a flash of silver running through the white fabric as it landed right where her neck had been.
A glyph at her feet and one under the lamp sent both her and the lamp in separate directions as the lamp shattered on whoever was behind the blanket. She landed next to her weapon and turned as she readied herself. She was in a narrow hall which meant that there was no escape to the sides.
But as Weiss looked around, she couldn't find any evidence of there being an intruder.
She carefully moved back into the room, looking under the beds and even at the sheet that bore the marks of the knife. Confused, she backed into a corner and simply stood in her pyjamas as she looked around at the room. Nothing seemed out of place except the ripped sheet, and the broken lamp. She looked around at possible points of entry and noticed the sliding door to the balcony was open by the smallest crack. Weiss shut it and locked it just as a rattle sounded at the door.
Weiss crouched and readied herself for a thrust when the door clicked open and swung inward to reveal Ruby holding a tray of food. Weiss sighed as Ruby laughed as she looked over her shoulder as Winter entered the doorway behind her.
"Weiss?" Winter's tone caused Ruby's head to snap around. Weiss relaxed from her stance and rested her blade at the foot of her bed.
"What happened? Why-" Ruby asked as she set the food she was carrying on the television unit and turned to find Weiss wrapping her in a hug and kissing her. Not one to discourage Weiss when she wanted to be affectionate, Ruby reciprocated for a moment before the questions burning in her couldn't wait. She pushed just slightly on Weiss's shoulders, giving her the message as well.
Weiss simply clung harder to Ruby as her heart rate continued to relax. She didn't know why this time was so terrifying when assassination attempts had happened before, but it really had shaken her this time. She thought it might have been because for the first time in years she had seen that she truly was important, not just as another cog in the SDC's machine, but as a person. She could make Ruby happy and Ruby returned that favour tenfold. Maybe it was because her life mattered to Ruby even when there was no reason for it, no monetary reason, at least.
While Weiss thought to herself and calmed down in Ruby's comforting embrace, Winter had moved over to the bed, quickly finding the slashed sheet as she understood what had happened.
"Weiss, get dressed. Ruby, someone tried to assassinate Weiss while we were out." Winter said quickly, moving to the balcony to check the door and close the drapes. "Weiss, did you see who it was? Or what they looked like?"
"N-no." Weiss replied as Ruby sat her down on the bed Winter had used the previous night. Ruby reached into the luggage and found Weiss a new set of clothing which she passed to her partner in silence as Weiss watched the gears turn at full speed in her partner's head. "There was a shadow, but they disappeared when I turned around. I think the door on the balcony was unlocked."
"Get dressed and we'll pack everything back up. We'll leave when you're ready." Winter spoke to her sister as she opened a drawer and her own bag of luggage and started tossing things in.
Ruby guided Weiss to the washroom and stopped after turning on the light, looking at her partner for a moment. Weiss waited for Ruby to say or do something, but she simply kept staring, her thoughts almost visible behind her shifting silver eyes.
"Ruby…" Weiss breathed, placing her lips gently on Ruby's cheek to get her full attention. She knew it was irrational, but she couldn't let Ruby out of her sight at the moment. "Stay?"
Ruby nodded, shutting the door behind her as Weiss placed her clothing on the sink and turned back to her girlfriend and wrapped her in a hug. The two remained like that for a few minutes, simply enjoying the comfort that they were both okay.
"Thanks, Ruby." Weiss whispered into her neck. Ruby just hummed in response, squeezing tighter for a moment before she pushed Weiss back.
Weiss opened her mouth to apologize, thinking she'd done something wrong when Ruby spun to her back and latched her lips onto her neck.
"Dress." Ruby breathed in between pecks that sent tingles down Weiss's spine. It was a beautiful feeling after the crushing regret she'd had after attempting to end their relationship. Ruby's love was something Weiss couldn't begin to explain, but it was something she was indescribably thankful for at the moment.
Weiss thought for a moment how she was supposed to dress with Ruby clinging to her, but found as she reached for her fresh underwear that Ruby simply moved with her, giving her free movement by shifting her hug and where she planted her lips next. The strange feeling of having Ruby clinging so loosely to her almost made her feel guilty, or in another way, in charge. Regardless, the feeling was one she embraced in her heart as Ruby was the one attached to it.
She quickly removed her nightgown, pulling it over her head. Ruby helped her with her hair, giving Weiss the premonition that she'd never taken her gown off in such little time before. She put her bra up to her chest and Ruby's hands pulled the clasp shut at her back. She changed her underwear, working around Ruby's arms that were folded atop her stomach. Weiss pulled on her socks, skirt and boots first, hoping that Ruby was enjoying the feel of her barely defined abs. Not that she didn't have any, they were just nothing compared to Ruby's.
Ruby's lips didn't once move from her neck until she needed to pull on her top. Ruby helped pull it down as she pulled her hair through, and she took a moment to adjust it before turning to her girlfriend.
Ruby's eyes were almost closed, a broad smile stretching her lips. Weiss leaned forward and watched as Ruby's eyes closed. She closed her own and met Ruby's lips again with her own. This kiss lasted much longer than their previous ones, and as their lips parted and their tongues danced, Weiss felt Ruby matching her pace.
Weiss felt the heat of arousal already burning through her veins and knew she'd need to relieve it. Rather, she'd like to have had Ruby relieve it for her, but with a flight to Vale and her sister outside the door, that wasn't going to happen. Instead, she slowed the kiss down, the dance becoming a simple caress for minutes as the two kept hold on each other.
Weiss could tell this kiss held all the love they felt for each other, wanting nothing more than to give Ruby everything she was capable of. And at the same time, Weiss felt Ruby's will to make the relationship work as well. A will that Weiss had somehow duplicated herself.
Crystal blue eyes met shining silver as they parted. Not enough to fully look at each other, but enough to rest their foreheads together.
"You're amazing." Ruby's breath broke the relative silence of their steady breathing. "You scared me this morning."
"I was scared too." Weiss admitted to Ruby as she moved to cup Ruby's face in her hands. "I… I was afraid of…. We just fixed things, and…"
"I know." Ruby responded, embracing Weiss just a little bit harder for a moment. "I know what you mean. I've felt the same way before."
"I don't think I've really understood everything… about us… about me… so well until now, Ruby. It's thanks to you." Weiss stated as she let her eyes fall closed again, focusing on the warmth of Ruby's strong arms holding her steady. "Never leave okay? Even if it's my fault, please never leave me alone."
"I promise." Ruby replied with a small laugh under her words. "Will you promise too?"
Weiss hesitated, she didn't know exactly why, but she hesitated even though there was no reason to do so. She mentally berated herself for the reaction to Ruby's simple question. Hadn't it been obvious enough in the last week that there was no way Weiss could leave Ruby even when she tried? And the one time she did, she didn't even last a night before running desperately back to the one person who gave her life a true meaning. A true value above anything else.
"I promise Ruby." Weiss finally whispered. She knew that Ruby's promise was sincere, but she wanted to ensure that Ruby knew just how serious she was. "I know it's far too early for us to be considering this, but with everything that's happened… I want you to know that I'd like to marry you one day. When we're both ready."
"Weiss…" Ruby hummed but found her mouth blocked by a finger she proceeded to press her lips into.
"Ruby… that's what I'd like for us. One day." Weiss stated again, removing her finger from Ruby's lips. "I want to wake up with you every day and go to sleep holding you. Just like we did last night."
Ruby's lips found hers again, this time Ruby set the pace, and Weiss found herself soon just surrendering to her partner. The heat of her lips, the strength of her arms, and the gentle brush of her hair on Weiss's forehead was all too much to bear, making her legs weak and causing the pair to stumble toward the sink.
The somewhat loud thump of Weiss getting pinned didn't deter the pair and Weiss's hands started wandering from Ruby's shoulders downward.
At that very moment, three sharp knocks sounded on the door.
"Whatever you're doing, do it later. We need to go." Winter called from the other room. Weiss and Ruby parted for a second to just barely hear the sound of Winter's exasperated mutter.
They looked back at each other to find both of them were sporting brilliant blushes. Weiss looked away first, clearing her throat and hoping her voice wasn't too rough from her emotions.
"W-we should go." She said as she turned away from Ruby and grabbed her jacket from the counter, finally completing her ensemble.
"Y-yeah, r-right." Ruby stuttered as she turned away from Weiss and shook her head, messing up her hair back into it's usual form.
Weiss quickly placed her hair pins in, pulling her long hair up into a pony tail that was slightly off center. She turned back to Ruby and took her hand, causing a wide smile to stretch her lips as they left the bathroom.
Winter stood waiting, tapping her foot impatiently as she watched Weiss pull Ruby out of the bathroom. Both of them looked embarrassed, but she could tell they hadn't actually done anything. With walls as thin as these, she could just ascertain that they'd been kissing. Evidence supporting it came in the form of the slight redness on Weiss's neck and both their lips that were flushed almost red from the stimulation. Wordlessly, she threw Weiss her weapon before grabbing the handles of both luggage cases that she'd packed.
Weiss caught the weapon and attached it to her skirt's belt and passed Ruby her weapon that was sitting on the television unit next to the neglected breakfast that would end up going to waste. As Ruby clipped it on, Winter passed them to the door and left.
"Let's go?" Weiss asked Ruby, squeezing slightly on her hand.
"Let's go." Ruby nodded, returning the pressure before releasing Weiss so they'd be ready for any more unpleasantness they might encounter. The unspoken danger they were in seemed to put them on high alert and they simply kept their eyes open as they followed Winter to the lobby.
Ruby stopped next to Weiss at the doorway leading to the lobby, looking out at a massive crowd that was there, no doubt, for Weiss. Winter was talking with what looked like the leader of a small military unit comprised of eight men with rifles and robotic exo-armour. The men were creating a barrier between a crowd of faunus that had obviously pushed past the building's security and now filled most of the lobby.
Large cardboard signs and shouts filled the air as the crowd chanted several different chants, none of which were discernible from the others. The only commonality was the tone of anger and resentment that the voices projected loudly over the soldiers asking the crowd to stay back.
"This looks bad, Weiss." Ruby stated, coming back from her thoughts. She looked over at Weiss who was now wearing an expression she'd seen many times when she had to deal with unpleasant business her father had given her.
"This is what my father created, Ruby." Weiss replied with a tone that said she knew everything that the protesters were thinking. "They know, or at least think, that I'll be taking over the company. They think I'll be just like him. That I'll make the company even worse."
"They don't know anything about you!" Ruby stated angrily, her fists balled up. Weiss could tell she hated what was happening, but couldn't fault Ruby for her feelings, nor the crowd for theirs. Both of them were right, but that didn't mean they didn't conflict.
"They know whatever my father had printed in the company's magazines. They only know me from the media, the scandals or opinions of gossip." Weiss said as she took Ruby's hand again, getting her to relax. "One day they might know me better but today isn't that day."
The two approached Winter and the military guards started forcing their way through the crowd, creating a bubble that the three of them used to reach an aircraft that was hovering in the street. Three more soldiers were guarding the craft and keeping the protesting crowd a respectable distance away as one of them was manning a large mounted gun that was spinning, simply waiting for a reason to fire.
Winter passed one soldier the bags and helped Ruby and Weiss up into the small aircraft before jumping in herself. Following her, the soldiers all boarded and the hatch closed as the craft took to the sky.
Winter led Ruby and Weiss forward to an area of the craft that had just enough seats for everyone once one soldier moved past them to the cockpit area.
"Alright, take a seat. We're going first to the airfield to drop off this squad and myself." Winter informed them as she took a seat across from them. "From there, the pilots will take you both to the Vale airfield. We've received your deployment details from your headmaster as well, and we'll lend you use of this aircraft as well."
"Oh, right. I didn't tell Weiss yet!" Ruby jumped as she spun to Weiss with her scroll in hand. "Ozpin thinks the White Fang is going to attack Vale, so he's changed our final mission from a grimm clearing one to keeping the kingdom secure."
"Alright. Where are we going?" Weiss asked, thinking of all the areas that would need defending.
"The air field." Ruby replied, giving Weiss pause.
"The air field?" Weiss asked in disbelief. "We just come back, and we have to defend a big flat piece of land?"
"Basically." Ruby nodded with a smile, already thinking of what was going to happen.
"At least Ozpin is giving us a break." Weiss returned the smile with a shake of her head.
Winter stood from her place and moved to the other end of the cabin, as the craft descended and stopped. Every soldier that was sitting stood and they all filed out past Winter who was looking back at them. Once the last soldier had disembarked, Winter smiled at them.
"Good luck with everything, Weiss. I'll send you a message when I'm in Mistral." She said with slight bow. "And take good care of her."
"I will." Weiss nodded to her sister who smiled slyly.
"Who said that I was talking to you?" Winter left the cabin and they felt the craft lift off again.
Weiss looked to Ruby who was staring at her with a dopey grin on her face. Weiss reached out and cupped Ruby's cheek. She rubbed her thumb over Ruby's cheek and then pinched her.
"Ow!" Ruby jumped, not expecting the sudden turn of Weiss's caress.
"That's for leaving me alone this morning!" Weiss reprimanded her before pulling her in to a soft kiss. "That's for coming back. Now come here. It's going to be a long flight."
"Not long enough." Ruby smiled, pulling Weiss almost onto her lap as they both closed their eyes to rest.